Drug Discovery Hub at GERF: From Robot Races to Cell Art

What a weekend it was at the Imperial College London Great Exhibition Road Festival (GERF)! The Drug Discovery Hub, in collaboration with the Tate group, had an absolutely incredible time showcasing the fascinating world of Cell Painting and robotics in drug discovery to a diverse and enthusiastic audience.

Our stand was buzzing with participants of all ages eager to explore the science behind finding new medicines. We believe that engaging the public, especially young minds, in scientific discovery is crucial, and GERF provided the perfect platform for this.

One of the biggest crowd-pleasers was our thrilling pipetting race against an Analytik Jena CyBio FeliX robot. It was a fantastic way to demonstrate the precision and speed of automation in drug discovery!

Another highlight was our unique cell painting activity, expertly led by our collaborative artist Alice Haskell. This hands-on experience allowed participants to visualize the beauty and complexity of cells, linking art with cutting-edge biological research. It was wonderful to see how people explored the microscopic world in a macroscopic way.

It was truly fantastic to engage with so many curious minds, answer insightful questions, and share a glimpse into the cutting-edge research happening at the Drug Discovery Hub. The energy and interest from everyone who stopped by made it a truly memorable event for our team.

We extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped organize and run the activities over the last few months, making our participation at GERF such a resounding success. Special thanks go to Daria Berezina, Edward Bartlett, Faye Watson, Emma Watson, and Ed Tate for their invaluable contributions.

We're already looking forward to future opportunities to share the excitement of drug discovery with the public!