In this episode, we speak to Chloe He, Postgraduate researcher at UCL, who educates us on fertility treatments. We cover the 50-50 split between male and female infertility factors, the rising rates of infertility (now affecting one in six people), and the worrying impact of pollution on male fertility. The conversation also touches on the challenges of accessing fertility services, including the frustrating "postcode lottery" in the UK. Chloe breaks down the IVF process—from ovarian stimulation to embryo selection—and unpacks the ethical dilemmas around pre-implantation genetic testing. Plus, we discuss the unique barriers the transgender community faces in fertility care. So, yes, we cover a lot in 33 minutes!

Transcription link:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/healthcare-engineering/health-handbasket-podcast/engineering-solutions-infertility

Date of episode recording: 2024-06-10T00:00:00Z
Duration: 33:00
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Ferdouse Akhter
Guests: Chloe He
Producer: Ferdouse Akhter; Shakira Crawford

In this episode, we speak to Stephen Morris, VaxHub's Senior Outreach and Partnerships Manager, and Ludovica Vaiarelli, VaxHub's Partners Relationship Manager, to learn a bit more about how vaccines are manufactured and distributed worldwide. We'll hear how the process works, and how we're working with partner Universities like Oxford, along with manufacturers and industry, to ensure we create the next vaccine as quickly as possible. During the conversation, we cover notable projects that the VaxHub has worked on plus how antimicrobial resistance (so from things like antibiotics in poultry) is affecting global initiatives in vaccine production.

Transcription link:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/healthcare-engineering/health-handbasket-podcast/making-next-global-vaccine

Date of episode recording: 2024-10-08T00:00:00Z
Duration: 37:00
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Ferdouse Akhter
Guests: Stephen Morris; Ludovica Vaiarelli
Producer: Ferdouse Akhter; Shakira Crawford

How is super small tech (we're talking a billionth of a meter small) going to change healthcare? It sounds like quite a far-fetched - really small things helping to diagnose cancer and other diseases? It's a type of X-ray? In this episode, we speak to Alessandro Rossi is a Research Fellow in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at UCL to answer these questions and explain how nanotechnology is changing the healthcare landscape. Alessandro is currently working on nanofabrication and although it's jargon at the moment, we uncover what nanofabrication is, how it links to x-rays and how we're helping to diagnose cancer further in this episode.

Transcription link:
www.ucl.ac.uk/healthcare-enginee…huge-possibilities

Date of episode recording: 2024-07-04T00:00:00Z
Duration: 23:10
Language of episode: English
Guests: Alessandro Rossi
Producer: Ferdouse Akhter, Shakira Crawford