Rebuilding the human: From the beating heart to organs-in-a-dish

Robin Choudhury, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford, chose cardiology at 14, believing the heart was "the most important bit." After 30+ years as a practicing cardiologist researching heart injury and repair, he published The Beating Heart (2024). In his talk, combining science and art, he explores how cultures have revered the heart, tracing its depiction in art, religion, and science. The talk covers Aristotle’s theories, centuries of confusion, and Prof. Denis Noble’s breakthrough solving the mystery.

Abdullah (Abs) is a Radcliffe Department of Medicine Principal Investigator and a Research Fellow at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. Abdullah’s research focusses on building and applying ‘mini-organs’, with a particular focus on recreating systems that make blood and immune cells. Abs will talk about the move towards building human experimental systems, and how they can help to overcome major challenges in human health and disease.