Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation

BTRU @ Big Biology Day 2019
2019-10-05 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Hills Road Sixth Form College, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PE, United Kingdom
Saturday 5 October sees the return of Big Biology Day, one of the UK’s largest free biology public engagement events involving hands-on science fun for all the family and we’re delighted once again to be part of it all. We’ll be joining a host of other organisations, companies and institutes at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge to get hands-on with biology.
Come and see BTRU researchers demonstrate the latest organ perfusion technology which can revive donor organs outside the body before they are transplanted, plus try our awesome organs hands-on activities. Please join us for what promises to be the biggest Big Biology Day yet! No booking required.

BTRU @ European Researchers' Night: World Wide Webs
2019-09-27 18:00 - 22:00 | Great North Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne, Great North Museum, Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT, United Kingdom
The BTRU is delighted once again to be running a public science stall as part of Great North Nights at Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle. Meet some of the BTRU team, play our quiz, have a go at Japanese poetry, help us make some bunting. Hear about the transplantation research being undertaken at Newcastle University to develop and evaluate novel approaches that will increase the suitability of donor organs.
Great North Museum is open late and will be filled with some of the North East’s sharpest minds: scientists, thinkers, doers and fun-lovers. Grab a drink at the bar and chat with one about the burning issues of the day. Explore the museum. See Dippy on Tour. Meet a curator. Do something different with your Friday night! No booking required.

Patient and Public Research Panel meeting
2019-09-27 13:30 - 16:00 | Newcastle University main campus, NE1 7RU
All members of the BTRU’s Patient and Public Research Panel are warmly invited to join Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead Jenny Hasenfuss for this panel meeting. A great opportunity to catch up with Jenny, share the latest BTRU news and find out about new opportunities to get involved in the work of the unit. Specific items for this meeting will include: discussion on future opportunities for the BTRU in ODT and a project application review. Venue: Newcastle University main campus, room tbc.

ECTORS inaugural meeting
2019-09-14 - 2019-09-15 | Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
The European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT) has recently established a new section, the European Cell Therapy and Organ Regeneration Section (ECTORS). The aim of the section is to provide a forum for discussing and stimulating novel developments in the fields of cellular therapies in organ transplantation, organ regeneration and generation of new organs from stem cells and biomaterials. The first ECTORS meeting will be held in Copenhagen on 14 and 15 September 2019, ahead of the main ESOT meeting. Abstract submission is open for the ECTORS meeting and will close on 1 June 2019. Visit the ECTORS meeting website for further details.

BTRUs @ World Transplant Games and Newcastle University Sports Science event
2019-08-17 10:00 - 16:00 | The Boiler House, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom
Student Forum Space outside the Boiler House
BTRU team members from Newcastle University are delivering interactive public engagement stalls at two large scale events for this summer’s World Transplant Games.
In the first of these, researchers, clinicians and members of our Public and Patient Research Panel will be running a joint stall with colleagues and Public Panel members from one of our sister units, the BTRU in Donor Health and Genomics (based in Cambridge). Home for the day will be the Boiler House (and outside courtyard space weather permitting), Newcastle University main campus, and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Leads Jenny Hasenfuss and Sarah Fahle will be on hand throughout to oversee activities.
We’ll have interactive displays (including playdough for younger visitors), balloons and leaflets to promote the research of both BTRUs. There’ll also be the opportunity to share our brand new co-created poetry collection and even write your own poem! Please pop by and join us in Newcastle before the World Transplant Games officially opens that evening!
This event forms part of the wider Newcastle University sports science public event which promises to be great fun. People of all ages are invited to take part in (or just watch!) a huge range of different activities designed to test and measure your body’s strength and fitness! Meet experts in Sports and Exercise Science from Newcastle University and learn about how fitness is measured and optimised. Help us celebrate the impact that organ donation has on the life of transplant recipients and see how exercise can assist their recovery after surgery.
This is the day before the games formally starts and promises to be a busy and lively day in Newcastle city centre.
No admission fee. No booking required.

Soapbox Science Newcastle
2019-06-15 12:00 - 15:00 | Greys Monument, Grainger Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5AF, United Kingdom
Come along to this free drop-in public science event – fun and inspiring for all! BTRU PhD student Georgina Wilkins and PPIE Lead Jenny Hasenfuss will be attending all day to support the scientists who are doing public talks and demonstrations. Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women scientists and the science they do. With Soapbox Science, the goal is to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy, learn from, question and be inspired by some of our leading scientists.

Patient and Public Research Panel Meeting
2019-05-22 13:00 - 17:00
All members of the BTRU’s Patient and Public Research Panel are warmly invited to join Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead Jenny Hasenfuss for this panel meeting. A great opportunity to catch up with Jenny, share the latest BTRU news and find out about new opportunities to get involved in the work of the unit. Venue: Newcastle University main campus, room tbc.

Patient and Public Research Panel: Easter coffee morning
2019-04-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Newcastle University main campus, NE1 7RU
Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead Jenny Hasenfuss warmly invites all members of the BTRU’s Patient and Public Research Panel to join her for an informal Easter get together over coffee. A great opportunity to catch up with Jenny and share all the latest news. Venue: Newcastle University main campus, specific location tbc.

Awesome organs: BTRU @ Cambridge Science Festival Hands-on Day
2019-03-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
We’re delighted once again to be part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus Day at this year’s Cambridge Science Festival. Our home for the day will be the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology and we’ll be joining many other organisations, companies and institutes, which together will give you a real insight into how life-changing research is developing new treatments and medicines to benefit society. In particular we’re delighted this year to be exhibiting alongside the BTRU in Donor Health and Genomics.
Our Awesome organs event will see researchers from our BTRU explaining how their work can improve the quality and quantity of organs available for transplantation in the future. Come and join us to find our more, plus try your hand as a surgeon and get your brain cells buzzing with our awesome organs quiz.
No booking required for this event.

Cambridge Science Festival talk - Organ transplantation: past successes, future challenges
2019-03-14 18:00 - 19:00 | Mill Lane Lecture Rooms, Cambridge, CB2 1RW
BTRU researchers are once again giving a lecture at the Cambridge Science Festival, this year looking at organ transplantation past and future.
Organ transplantation is one of the major success stories of modern medicine. Although more than 50,000 people in the UK are alive today because of this success, the severe shortage of donor organs remains the biggest single challenge facing transplant clinicians today. The goal of the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit (BTRU) in Organ Donation and Transplantation is to address this challenge. Join BTRU Director and transplant surgeon Professor Mike Nicholson and his colleagues Dr Dominic Summers and Mr Foad Rouhani for a talk on the evolution of organ transplantation, highlighting notable developments of the past and new technologies that might solve the organ shortage in the future.
We’ll be followed on the night by a talk from our colleagues at the BTRU in Donor Health and Genomics who work closely with NHS Blood and Transplant to maintain stocks of blood whilst looking after donor health.
Booking required. See the Cambridge Science Festival website for details. Bookings open 11am on 11 February 2019.

BTRU Biannual Progress Update and Management Meeting
2019-03-14 10:30 - 16:30 | St Catharine’s College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RL, United Kingdom
The first progress update and management meeting of the BTRU in Organ Donation and Transplantation in 2019 will be held in the McGrath Auditorium, St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. All BTRU colleagues are invited to attend. Details and agenda will be sent out via email in advance.

Patient and Public Research Panel Meeting
2019-03-06 13:00 - 17:00 | Newcastle University main campus, NE1 7RU

Patient and Public Research Panel: Christmas coffee
2018-12-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Devonshire Buliding Newcastle University, Room G27, Devonshire Building, Newcastle University,, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead Jenny Hasenfuss warmly invites all members of the BTRU’s Patient and Public Research Panel to join her for an informal get together over Christmas coffee and mince pies. A great opportunity to catch up with Jenny and share all the latest news. Venue: Room G27, Ground floor, Devonshire Building on the main University campus (near Claremont Road).

Patient and Public Research Panel: Christmas coffee
2018-12-03 11:30 - 12:30 | Courtyard Lounge, Old Library Building, Newcastle University, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RG, United Kingdom
Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead Jenny Hasenfuss warmly invites all members of the BTRU’s Patient and Public Research Panel to join her for an informal get together over Christmas coffee and mince pies. A great opportunity to catch up with Jenny and share all the latest news. Venue: Courtyard Lounge, Courtyard restaurant, sited in the Old Library Building on the main University campus.
This is the first of two such events Jenny will be hosting in early December (see separate details for the event on 13 December).

Joint BTRU Training Day
2018-10-30 10:00 - 17:00 | Filton, Bristol, Holiday Inn Filton, Filton Road, Hambrook, Bristol, Bristol, BS16 1QX
Hosted by NHSBT, this event will bring together trainees and colleagues from all four of the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Units (BTRUs). Programme and further details to follow.

BTRU @ Big Biology Day 2018
2018-10-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Hills Road Sixth Form College, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 8PE, United Kingdom
Saturday 13 October sees the return of Big Biology Day, one of the UK’s largest free biology public engagement events involving hands-on science fun for all the family and this year we’re delighted to be part of it all. We’ll be joining a host of other organisations, companies and institutes at Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge to get hands-on with biology.
BTRU researchers will be demonstrating some of the latest organ perfusion technology which can revive donor organs outside the body before they are transplanted. This is one part of the solution to the current organ shortage. As well as seeing the technology in action, visitors will be able test their own knowledge about organ donation and transplantation, plus try their hand as a surgeon with our laparoscopic simulator. Please join us for what promises to be another excellent Big Biology Day! No booking required.

BTRU Biannual Progress and Management Meeting
2018-10-11
The second of the two progress update and management meetings of the BTRU in ODT in 2018, which will be held in Newcastle upon Tyne. All BTRU colleagues are invited to attend. Venue details and agenda will be sent out via email in advance.

BTRU Trainees' Day
2018-10-10 | Devonshire Buliding Newcastle University, Room G27, Devonshire Building, Newcastle University,, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
An event for all BTRU trainees from both Cambridge and Newcastle. The day will include invited speakers, oral presentations delivered by BTRU trainees and a poster session. Trainees will be involved throughout the day, from marking abstracts to having a nominated trainee chair for each session and a ‘hot-topic’ debate. The venue will be the Devonshire Building at Newcastle University. Further details will follow in due course.

BTRU @ Great North Nights
2018-09-28 18:00 - 22:00 | Great North Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne, Great North Museum, Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT, United Kingdom
Across the continent, Friday 28 September 2018 is European Researchers’ Night and to mark this fantastic occasion the Great North Museum in Newcastle is opening late into the evening. Great North Nights will bring together some of the North East’s sharpest minds – scientists, thinkers, doers and fun-lovers – and it’s an opportunity we didn’t want to miss.
This year’s theme is ‘Planet 2.0’. Human activity has fundamentally changed the Earth and scientists are researching our impact to give us the opportunity to move towards Planet 2.0, where both people and planet are able to thrive. Jenny Hasenfuss, our new Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead, will be manning a stall on the night within the ‘Healthy Humans’ section. Join her and some of our researchers to hear about the work we do and how you could get involved too.

BTRU at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus Day for the Cambridge Science Festival
2018-03-25 11:00 - 15:00 | Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0SZ, United Kingdom
We’re delighted to be part of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus Day at this year’s Cambridge Science Festival. Our home for the day will be the Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology and we’ll be joining many other organisations, companies and institutes, which together will give you a real insight into how life-changing research is developing new treatments and medicines to benefit society. Researchers from our BTRU will be explaining how their research aims to improve the quality and quantity of organs available for transplantation in the future. Come and talk to us on the day to find out how and test your own knowledge and skills in our hands-on activities. No booking required.

The future of organ transplantation: a talk at the Cambridge Science Festival
2018-03-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Mill Lane Lecture Rooms, Cambridge, CB2 1RW
BTRU researchers are once again giving a lecture at the Cambridge Science Festival, this year looking at the future of organ transplantation from a young researcher’s perspective.
Organ transplants save lives and improve quality of life for recipients and their families. Although more than 50,000 people in the UK are alive today because of organ transplantation, demand for organs still outstrips supply in every country in the world. It is estimated that in the UK three people die every day while waiting for a transplant. Researchers worldwide are endeavouring to improve this picture and increase the quality and quantity of organs available. BTRU Director Professor Mike Nicholson introduces some of the young researchers in his team to talk about their latest work and about the developments in transplantation they hope to see in the future.
Booking required via the Cambridge Science Festival website.

BTRU Biannual Progress Update and Management Meeting
2018-03-22 10:00 - 16:00 | St Catharine’s College, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RL, United Kingdom
The first progress update and management meeting of the BTRU in ODT in 2018 will be held in the McGrath Auditorium, St Catharine’s College, Cambridge. All BTRU colleagues are invited to attend. Details and agenda will be sent out via email in advance.

Showcasing research in organ donation and transplantation
2018-02-07 12:00 - 17:00 | Institute of Transplantation, Freeman Hospital, Freeman Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, United Kingdom
Join BTRU researchers at the Institute of Transplantation, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyne, for this free public event showcasing research in organ donation and transplantation. For more information, see the event flyer.
The event is free but for catering purposes please register your intention to attend at Eventbrite.

BTRU Progress and Management Meeting
2017-09-28 10:00 - 16:00 | Institute of Transplantation, Freeman Hospital, Freeman Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE7 7DN, United Kingdom
The second of the two progress update and management meetings of the BTRU in ODT in 2017, which will be held in the Lecture Theatre at the Institute of Transplantation, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne. All BTRU colleagues are invited to attend. Details and agenda will be sent out via email in advance.

3rd National UK Organ Perfusion Symposium
2017-06-29 - 2017-06-30
An opportunity to hear the latest developments in cardiothoracic and abdominal donor organ perfusion and share experience across organs. For more details and to book, visit www.btrusymposium.com

Museums at Night at the RCS: Transplant and Life
2017-05-20 18:30 - 21:30 | Hunterian Museum, 35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, London WC2A 3PE, United Kingdom
The London home of the Royal College of Surgeons is in the early stages of a major redevelopment, including its Hunterian Museum. On the last night until it reopens in 2020, the museum is hosting a public ‘Museums at Night‘ event celebrating the life-changing procedure of transplantation. Attendees will be able to enjoy a ‘silent-view’ of the exhibition Transplant and Life, take part in events themed around surgery and transplantation, and discover some of the new developments in transplant technology through two lectures. BTRU researcher Dr Sarah Hosgood is delighted to be giving one of the lectures, entitled ‘Kidney transplantation – new advances in preservation’, focusing on her research under Theme 4 of the unit.

BTRU Progress and Management Meeting
2017-03-23 10:00 - 16:00 | Trinity Hall, Cambridge, CB2 1TJ
The first of the two progress update and management meetings of the BTRU in ODT in 2017. All BTRU colleagues are invited to attend. Details and agenda will be sent out via email in advance.

BTRU Trainees' Research Meeting
2017-03-22 12:30 - 18:30 | Clinical School, School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, CB2 0SP, United Kingdom
An event for all BTRU trainees from both Cambridge and Newcastle. An afternoon of presentations, workshops, posters and a keynote speaker, hosted at the Clinical School on the Addenbrooke’s site, followed by a dinner in the evening at The University Centre, Granta Place, Mill Lane, in the city centre. BTRU Research Day Flyer

Better Organs, Better Outcomes: A talk at the Cambridge Science Festival
2017-03-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Mill Lane Lecture Rooms, Cambridge, CB2 1RW
BETTER ORGANS, BETTER OUTCOMES: WHAT ARE THE GOALS FOR CURRENT RESEARCH IN ORGAN DONATION AND TRANSPLANTATION?
Currently in the UK over 6,500 people are on the waiting list for an organ transplant. In 2015/16 more organ transplants were carried out than ever before, but there is still a gap between the number of patients waiting for a transplant and the number of organs available. Professor Mike Nicholson and his colleagues talk about how their research may help to close this gap and lead to an increase in both the quality and quantity of organs available for transplantation.
