University

02 Feb 11

Oxford University staged a lecture in London last night as part of its efforts to bring cutting-edge research, and the light it casts on global challenges in the 21st century, to the widest possible audience.

The extraordinary recent advances in human genetics and their potential to improve healthcare, together with the challenges they bring for the individual and society, was the subject of the first ever Oxford London Lecture.

The new annual lecture, held in association with the Financial Times, aims to connect a wide audience with research emerging from the University, showing how that research is immediately relevant to topics of significant public importance.

The lecture will also be made available to audiences worldwide through the University’s iTunes U site and YouTube channel.

Professor Peter Donnelly talked about The Gene Revolution at Church House in Westminster.

Professor Donnelly is head of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford and has been at the forefront of efforts worldwide to identify genetic variants linked to common diseases. He described the latest advances in genetics and their growing impact in improving healthcare.

Professor Peter Donnelly gives the first Oxford London Lecture in association with the Financial Times.

He also highlighted the challenges the revolution in genetic information is bringing for the individual and for society – for example, is the NHS well placed to take advantage of advances in genomics; how should information about an individual's DNA sequence be handled; and how will society view people who are known to be at risk from certain diseases but choose not to change their lifestyle?

These issues were then discussed afterwards by a panel chaired by Lionel Barber, editor of the Financial Times, and including Professor Sir John Bell, Oxford’s Regius Professor of Medicine; Stephen Dorrell MP, Chair of the House of Commons’ Health Select Committee and former Secretary of State for Health; Professor Nazneen Rahman of the Institute of Cancer Research; and science broadcaster Dr Geoff Watts.

The audience consisted of a mix of the general public and invited guests, including ministers, parliamentarians, health sector professionals and charities, as well as Year 11 and sixth-form students from a number of London schools.

Students who attended Oxford’s UNIQ summer schools and now hold offers of a place were also in the audience. The UNIQ summer schools bring students from under-represented groups to the University for a week, to get an intensive taster of academic and social life as an Oxford student.

Ann Tivey, who has an offer to study medicine, said: ‘We hear about genetics advances all the time in the news, but to get this opportunity to hear it discussed by a leading expert was an incredibly interesting and valuable experience.

‘The UNIQ summer school helped me tremendously in my application. Practically, the information about interviews and the admissions process was extremely helpful, but possibly most important was the confidence the experience gave me.’

Professor Donnelly said: ‘I am delighted and honoured to be invited to give the first lecture in this new public lecture series. There has been an explosion in our knowledge of genetics and of variants which affect risks of rare diseases, of common diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, and even of how people respond to therapeutic drugs. This new genetics is already having an effect on healthcare, but over the coming years its impact will be profound.

‘But the opportunities for radically new treatments brought by advances in genomics are matched by a number of new challenges that we’re all going to have to consider.’

Richard Jarman, Head of Government and Community Relations at the University of Oxford, said: ‘In holding this lecture in London, we’re temporarily moving the University away from its dreaming spires as part of our efforts to connect the things we do with the widest possible audience.

‘It is increasingly important for universities to demonstrate the value they bring, not just in terms of teaching and research for students and academics, but in the wider benefits for society as a whole. The Oxford London Lecture aims to show how leading research at the University engages with some of the most important topics for society and is helping to shape the 21st century and our understanding of it.’

Read more on the Oxford Science Blog.

Watch a video of the lecture.