Dame Ijeoma Uchegbu brings together the everyday chemistry in our lives with the latest nanotechnology delivering drugs in our bodies.

This page is for ‘in person’ Theatre tickets only. For online tickets, go to this online page (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1993007389753?aff=oddtdtcreator). Both in person and online ticket holders will have access to the event recording.

You may not consider much beyond the medicine your prescribed, or purchase from the shelves, beyond the hope that it will make you feel better when you’re ill.

But beneath the foil popper, or inside that bottle is a highly researched chemical compound cocktail. Chemical compounds and their chemical bonds lie at the heart of not just medicines but of everything that we can see, touch or smell, and some things that are odourless and invisible to the naked eye too. In this Discourse, chemist Ijeoma Uchegbu illuminates how chemistry touches every aspect of our world.

Making medicines is an expensive and risky endeavour with, on average, over 5,000 compounds needing to be tested in some form or other before a useable drug compound emerges. A lot of compounds with poor activity fall by the wayside costing about a billion pounds per medicine. A further challenge lies in ensuring that after a medicine is developed patients follow their prescription.

Together we’ll explore how the industry has tackled these issues, from poor activity and side effects to ensuring that drug compounds reach the diseased part of the body whilst lessening the impact on healthy areas and clinical testing. With decisions being made at a nanoparticle level you’ll come away with a better understanding of this highly complex field and its impact on our everyday lives – from medicines to vaccines.

Copies of Ijeoma's book "Chain Reaction" will be available to purchase after the talk.

By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and agree to the Ri's event terms and conditions. (https://www.rigb.org/terms-and-conditions)

Discourses are one of the Ri’s oldest and most prestigious series of talks. Since 1825, audiences in the theatre have witnessed countless mind-expanding moments, including the first public liquefaction of air by James Dewar, the announcement of the electron by JJ Thomson and over 100 lectures by Michael Faraday. In more recent times, we have had Nobel laureates, Fields medal winners, scientists, authors and artists – all from the cutting-edge of their field. Discourses are an opportunity for the best and brightest to share their work with the world.

Steeped in nearly two centuries of tradition, a Discourse is more than just a lecture. To keep the focus on the topic, presenters begin sharply at 7:30pm without introduction and we lock the speaker into a room ten minutes ahead of the start (legend has it that a speaker once tried to escape!). Some of our guests dress smartly for our Discourse events to add to this sense of occasion.

Discourses are free for Ri Members and Patrons - consider joining today. (https://www.rigb.org/support-us)

Find out more about the history of Discourses on our blog (https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/unheard-history-friday-evening-discourses).

The doors will open at approximately 6.45pm, and all ticket holders must take their seats by 7.20pm for a prompt start at 7.30pm. There will be a brief question/answer period after the talk.

Latecomers will be admitted to the gallery.

Event image by Merlin Lightpainting via Pexels

Description supplied by the event organiser.