Oscar-nominated films for FREE? It’s getting into the final stretch of the academic year so to provide some relief from late nights in the library ULU Cinema are bringing you some great movies – for FREE! - to mark into your diary:

• Wednesday 30^th of April – American Hustle – Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.30pm

• Wednesday 28^th May – 12 Years A Slave – Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.30pm

• Wednesday 4^th June – Wolf of Wall Street – Doors open 6.30pm, film starts 7.30pm

The showings will be in the Venue, 1^st floor, ULU, Malet Street, WC1E 7HY.

Reserve your seats now!!! Email ulucinema@ulu.lon.ac.uk with your name, college and which films you wish to be put down for (and the same information for any guests you’re bringing along).

Professor Sanjeev Krishna

My academic life has become one fascinating, sometimes exhilarating and at other times challenging, struggle against a disease that became a focus of my life’s work as a clinical scientist and researcher, says Professor Sanjeev Krishna.

It began in Thailand when I was a just 21 years old and keen to study clinical malaria as a medical student. This elective in the nascent Wellcome Trust Mahidol Oxford Research Unit in Thailand simply confirmed my commitment to Tropical Medicine research.

The Unit was set up in 1979 to tackle some of Asia’s most important healthcare challenges especially endemic diseases like malaria but also more recently the threat of pandemic flu.

I remember writing in informal notes to other students, when I got back, that I wanted to be involved in both laboratory and clinical research into tropical diseases.

That seems to be how things have worked out, beginning with observations on the metabolic complications of severe malaria and ways to improve anti-malarial treatments and then moving into more basic questions on new drug targets in parasites.

For those who don’t know malaria is spread by mosquitos as some people who are vaguely aware of the condition might imagine but is caused by a parasite injected into people’s blood stream where it multiplies in red cells after a spell in the liver.

It has proved a formidable opponent for doctors and researchers worldwide. Still In 2012, there were about 207 million malaria cases (with an uncertainty range of 135 million to 287 million) and an estimated 627 000 malaria deaths (with an uncertainty range of 473,000 to 789,000).

Here at St George’s, the Molecular and Medical Parasitology Group, which I lead, has a broad area of research interests.

Our ultimate aim is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and control of tropical parasitic diseases, including malaria – responsible for the deaths of nearly a million children a year – and sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis).

Linking observations in the laboratory to clinical aspects of infection has always been a focus of our research group’s activities, for example, by developing techniques to monitor how parasites might become resistant to some anti-malarials and then demonstrating that these mechanisms are an important cause of treatment failure in patients.

Even more important now is studying how artemisinins, which make up one of our most important class of antimalarial drugs, might work and how they might fail.

These studies have informed the innovative ways that we are developing to diagnose malaria as well as its drug resistance profile cheaply, quickly and accurately next to patients, so that precision medicine can finally become available in the most deprived environments.

‘Transporter proteins’ of the malaria parasite, which move key molecules into and out of the cell, are a core focus of our work.

These transporters are of fundamental importance to the biology of the parasite, and they are also important drug targets now, as well as being exploited as new targets in the future.

Student Experience Survey Launching May 6^th!

From Tuesday May 6^th, all undergraduates who are not in their final year of study will have the chance to respond to the Student Experience Survey (SES). This is your opportunity to provide feedback on all aspects of your time as a St. George’s student. Your responses are extremely important, as they will inform how we go about improving your experience over the coming academic year.

The SES also represents an attempt by St. George’s to drastically reduce the number of surveys students are expected to respond to over the course of the academic year. Therefore, if you have anything to say about exam feedback, learning resources or social opportunities at St. George’s, then this is your chance.

There are also some fantastic prizes on offer to respondents, including:

• An iPad mini
• 2x £50 Amazon vouchers (early-birds only - you must respond by 26^th May to stand a chance of winning this prize)

So why wait? Voice your opinion by following the below link.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SGULSES2014

If you have any questions, please send them to