Future visions and higher stability: Information from the School | Imperial Information

Find a variety of new news and announcements from across Imperial.

From a vision of the world in 2050 if we successfully limit climate change to recognizing a solution that will help people with imbalance, here is some quick read news from across college.

The world in 2050

Technology has revolutionized our lives today, but the planet is under extreme pressure. Humanity is wreaking havoc on the natural world, leading to dangerous climate change, more turbulent weather and the destruction of biodiversity.

What would the world look like if we were successful in limiting climate change? Right now, inventors and entrepreneurs at Imperial are developing world-changing ideas that could change our relationship with the planet.

Inspired by their work, the Grantham Institute and TechForesight have developed an interactive feature that depicts the world in 2050. It offers a positive vision for the future by exploring technologies that exist today in the context of the next 30 years. Discover the function here.

For over ten years, the Grantham Institute has been helping startups turn good ideas into useful products that create wealth and help combat climate change. The institute has just launched The Greenhouse, an innovation program for climate-positive technology startups. Learn more about how to apply.

New hope for IPF

A natural metabolite called itaconate, found in healthy lungs, can slow down lung disease. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic condition that causes scars in the lungs and makes breathing difficult. Patients with IPF don’t make enough itaconate, which can cause more severe scars (fibrosis) to develop.

Using preclinical models, Imperial researchers found that inhaled itaconate reduced fibrosis. Only two drugs are currently approved for the treatment of IPF. This study shows that itaconate or similar compounds are a potential new therapy.

Read the publication by Byrne, Ogger et al. in Science Immunology: Itaconate controls the severity of pulmonary fibrosis

Effects on education

In some regions of the world, poor education, low weight, and secondhand smoke are more important than tobacco smoking as a cause of chronic airflow obstruction.

This reduction in breathing ability is a feature of COPD, for which dusty jobs and tuberculosis can also be risk factors. A new global study by Professor Peter Burney and colleagues found large differences in the prevalence of breathing problems, but confirmed that the most important risk factor worldwide is smoking tobacco.

The authors say more research is needed to understand the role of poor education and career. However, this study should help prioritize public health programs around the world.

Read the publication in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine: Prevalence and Population-Based Risk of Chronic Airflow Obstruction in a Large Multinational Study.

Very quoted

35 Imperial researchers have been named among the most cited researchers in the world by Clarivate. One list included scientists and social scientists who had shown a significant impact by publishing several frequently cited articles.

Professor Stephen Curry, Assistant Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: “It is gratifying to have so many Imperial academics among the most cited researchers in the world. It is very rewarding to know that your articles are read and used well ! Colleagues clearly do important work in everything from experimental physics to neuroscience to sustainable energy, but at Imperial we continue to strive to guide research based on its inherent quality and researchers based on the full breadth of their contributions within and to be evaluated beyond college. “

Professor Curry chairs the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), of which the college is a signatory. This obligation ensures that journal-based metrics are not taken into account when evaluating the research results of employees or candidates for hiring.

Better balance

Innovation Design Engineering student WuQing Hipsh received high praise in the National Engineers in Business competition finals for her innovation in solving imbalances.

She won the trophy for developing WeAlign, a solution that helps people with imbalance disorders resulting from inner ear and brain problems. The innovation, an online rehabilitation platform, won WuQing second place in the college’s WE Innovate program.

WuQing said, “The engineers in the business contest introduced me to a network of inspiring startups, helped me improve my pitching skills, and practice quick thinking during the pitch questions and answers. I am so grateful that the jurors want to highlight my project with the new, highly acclaimed award. I am motivated to develop my business further. ”

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