Advances in Craniosynostosis - Basic Science to Clinical Practice: 25th August 2023 at UCL, London

Craniosynostosis is a medical condition caused by early fusion of cranial joints in children, and this – the third Advances in Craniosynostosis – Basic Science to Clinical Practice – meeting will explore further the science behind the condition.  The meeting will be held at UCL on Friday 25^th August 2023, from 10:00 to 17:00 (BST), in-person in the JZ Young Lecture Theatre, Anatomy Building, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT.  All are welcome to attend, but please first obtain your entry ticket.

This multi-disciplinary meeting will be hosted by Professor Mehran Moazen, Professor of Biomedical Engineering in UCL’s Dept of Mechanical Engineering and an associate of UCL’s Centre for Integrative Anatomy (CIA), and Professor Karen Liu, Professor of Genetics and Development, Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology.   Although the meeting is free for attendees, we encourage you to make a donation to the UK’s only charity dedicated to supporting all those affected by rare craniofacial conditions, Headlines Craniofacial Support.

The vault of the human skull is made up of several bones that remain separate during early life to allow brain growth. Craniosynostosis is a condition in which one or more of the sutures (joints) between these individual skull bones fuse prematurely, leading to skull malformation if left untreated. Research by Professor Mehran Moazen and his collaborators is focused on understanding the biomechanics of skull growth in relation to craniosynostosis, and exploring non-invasive treatment methods.

This meeting will combine the expertise, research and experience of speakers not only from London, but also from elsewhere in the UK, the rest of Europe, Japan and the USA.  Confirmed speakers include:  Professor Gillian Morriss-Kay, who will be introduced by Sachiko Iseki and Andrew Wilkie; Sarah Kilcoyne and Rebecca Tooze, from Oxford; Marius Didziokas, Lara Deliege, William Barrell and Caroline Hilton, from London, plus Ce Liang, also from UCL; Hans Delye (Nijmegan), Susana Dominguez-Gonzalez (Liverpool). Sarah McKaig (Birmingham); Radhika Atit (Cleveland), Max Tischfield (New Brunswick), Yang Chai (Los Angeles) and Tareq Abdel Alim (Rotterdam).

Although the focus (craniosynostosis) of this topic is a clinical one, the basic science behind it is of particular interest and relevance to UCL’s CIA members; we are interested in the way all skulls – human and non-human – function and are shaped through evolutionary time. This common interest has led to fruitful collaborations between Mehran Moazen and other CIA members.