University researchers specialising in aortic diseases took part in a multi-disciplinary workshop in Shanghai to discuss bioengineering, clinical and basic science topics including the key differences in clinical treatment and aortic disease manifestation between the East and West.
The researchers were from the Liverpool Aortic Biomechanics and Biochemistry Research (LABB) Group and the workshop involved senior clinicians and academics from Fudan University and Zhongshan Hospital in Shanghai who specialise in vascular diseases.
The LABB group is an inter-disciplinary research group spanning materials science, biochemistry, vascular surgery which is focused on understanding, diagnosing and treating aortic diseases.
The Liverpool team who took part were Dr Riaz Akhtar from the University’s School of Engineering, Professor Mark Field, Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Dr Jill Madine, from the University’s Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology and PhD students Sarah Shirley and Bojin Marinov.
Dr Riaz Akhtar
Dr Riaz Akhtar, a Reader in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Liverpool co-hosted the meeting with Dr Baolei Guo, a vascular surgeon at Fudan University Zhongshan Hospital.
He said: “This workshop was made possible due to the support of a Royal Society International Exchange grant. Our workshop was an example of truly inter-disciplinary science. Our team from Liverpool included an engineer, biochemist, surgeon and a perfusionist, and similarly the group in Shanghai represented several different specialities.”
Dr Jill Madine
Dr Madine said: “This trip provided a unique experience to share and learn about different approaches to treating aortic diseases between the UK and China. There were also lots of discussions on current and future research avenues across the continents. The trip has already led to several multi-site grants being prepared with many more planned for the future. I look forward to working together with other attending UK and China colleagues to improve understanding and future treatment avenues for aortic disease.”
Professor Mark Field