Molecular exploitation of an extremophile mammal
Gary Lewin has a longstanding interest in somatosensation and pain, in particular how sensory neurons detect and then transmit sensory stimuli. In the last 15 years his lab has been working on an unusual model organism: the African naked mole-rat. His lab identified molecular changes that allowed these animals to discard some types of pain. The African naked mole-rat also has many extraordinary physiological features including extreme longevity, extremely low metabolic rate, complete lack of thermogenesis, cancer resistance and an amazing resistance to low oxygen environments. Gary Lewin will describe recent work identifying molecular changes in this species that enable them to cope with the extremes created by living in a bee-like colony, underground, with extremely scarce food resources.
Date: 16 March 2017, 13:00 (Thursday, 9th week, Hilary 2017)
Venue: John Radcliffe West Wing and Children's Hospital, Headington OX3 9DU
Venue Details: Seminar Rooms A/B, Level 6
Speaker: Gary Lewin (Berlin)
Organising department: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Organiser: Tom Harding (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: tom.harding@ndcn.ox.ac.uk
Host: Professor David Bennett (University of Oxford)
Part of: Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Jacqueline Pumphrey