Viruses: Elegance in Their Simplicity, or Simply Bad News Wrapped in Protein?

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• Dr Alex Borodavka- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
• Tuesday 17 October 2023, 20:30-22:00
• Peterhouse Theatre.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Reem Alhassan.

You are cordially invited to the Kelvin Club’s first talk of the term, which will take place on Tuesday 17th October. Wine, cheese, and other refreshments will be served in the Lubbock Room at Peterhouse from 8:30 pm for an 8:45 pm start. Dr Alex Borodavka will be speaking on the subject of ‘Viruses: Elegance in Their Simplicity, or Simply Bad News Wrapped in Protein?’.

‘Imagine a world so minuscule that it exists beyond the naked eye, where nature choreographs intricate dances of assembly and creation. Welcome to the realm of RNA viruses, nature’s nanoscale architects. These viruses, like rotaviruses that infect most people on this planet, don’t just infect; they showcase the art of self-organisation, where myriad pieces come together in perfect harmony, following rules that remain largely enigmatic. My group’s research dives deep into this nanoscale ballet, seeking to uncover the general principles of virus assembly. By examining the self-assembling viral protein containers and the jigsaw of segmented RNA genomes, we aim to decode the fundamental principles of self-organisation in biology. Join me as we journey through a world where understanding the basic choreography of viruses might illuminate broader principles of order and organisation in the vast tapestry of life, and open new avenues for targeting replication of disease-causing viruses.’

Speaker Biography:

Alex earned his BSc in Biochemistry and pursued his MSc in Microbiology and Virology at Kyiv National University. He later advanced his research as a Wellcome-funded PhD student at the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, UK. Following his PhD, he was honored with a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship to develop advanced fluorescence techniques to investigate RNA viruses with segmented genomes. From 2014 to 2018, he split his time between Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich, the University of Leeds, and UNC at Chapel Hill. In 2019, Alex earned a Sir Henry Dale/Royal Society Fellowship and founded his research group in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. Alex is a recently appointed Assistant Professor of Biotechnology in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

Please ask for directions to the Theatre at the Peterhouse Porters Lodge on Trumpington St. All are welcome.

This talk is part of the Kelvin Club - Peterhouse Scientific Society series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Kelvin Club - Peterhouse Scientific Society
• Peterhouse Theatre

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