Catchup – Salon – Working with Mice and Rats

In this session we talk about Working with Mice and Rats.

In the high-stakes world of dementia research, the most crucial breakthroughs often begin in the unassuming setting of a mouse or rat lab. Here, these small creatures have played a pivotal role in our quest to understand and combat this devastating disease. But as we manipulate their biology to mirror human conditions, we face profound ethical questions. How far are we willing to go in our use of animal models for the sake of scientific progress? Are they the most effective model? What’s it really like working in these places? In the Salon our speakers talk about their work, the practicalities and we take you behind the scenes of dementia research, where the lines between scientific advancement and ethical responsibility are constantly being tested and redefined – we hope you will join us for the talks, and the for discussion that follows.

Dr Loukia Katsouri – studies the molecular mechanisms of tau propagation in Alzheimer’s disease at University College London. She aims to understand how the presence of tau is affecting the spread and the severity of the disease. With her own experience of a career break, Loukia has valuable insights.

Dr Soraya Meftah – is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Edinburgh. She undertook a PhD based at the University of Exeter and Bristol, characterising synaptic and neuronal dysfunction in a model of tauopathy using a combination of in vivo and in vitro techniques such as whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. Following this, Soraya started at the UKDRI based in Edinburgh to perform more work characterising and understanding neurophysiological dysfunction in dementia with Dr Jian Gan. She is currently working in the lab of Dr Claire Durrant, characterising human and rodent organotypic models of dementia using functional assays (i.e. neurophysiology).