International Conference of Trace Elements
Research Group attend the International Conference of Trace Elements in Aachen
Seven members of the School of Medicine’s Metal Ions in Medicine Research Group, part of the Cellular Medicine Division, were in Aachen, Germany from the 5th to 10th of June 2022, to present their work at the International Conference of Trace Elements and Minerals. Dr Alan Stewart organised and chaired a session on Zinc in Cardiovascular Disease and gave a talk on aberrant plasma zinc handling in type 2 diabetes. Dr Samantha Pitt and Dr Amy Dorward each gave Invited Talks focused on the role of zinc in heart failure. There were also presentations from PhD students- Jordan Marsh, who gave an Oral Presentation on the role of zinc in platelets, Stephen Hierons, Dongmei Wu and Spencer Regan-Smith who gave poster presentations based on their research.
Dr Stewart extended the gratitude of the group to the organisers of the conference, particularly Prof. Lothar Rink, for an “exciting meeting held in a beautiful and historically important city”. He explained that it was a welcome experience to return to physical conferences, in what was his first in-person international conference since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and appreciated the chance to chair a session as well as network with colleagues from around the world. Dr Dorward and Jordan Marsh shared similar thoughts, noting that the conference was a great opportunity for the group to share ideas and discuss potential collaborations with fellow attendees over the five days of the event. It was also a good opportunity to interact and form social bonds with other researchers. Dr Dorward expressed feeling privileged and excited to have been invited to give a talk at such an event where many of the academics and researchers she has looked up to were present, including her external examiner whom she had not been able to meet physically due to pandemic induced restrictions.
Aachen is well known for its tasty gingerbread cookies and the historic Aachener Dom or Aachen Cathedral. In what was one of the highlights of the trip, the team was delighted to attend a Gala Dinner and an organ concert at the cathedral. For Dr Dorward and Jordan Marsh, sharing this experience as a group made the trip even more memorable.
