Getting Your Child Into Science

Even from a very young age, we worry about the choice of jobs and careers that our children will have when they eventually leave school. As they get older and approach Year 9, and start to look at their Key Stage 4 options, this choice becomes even more important. One area of learning we should definitely be encouraging our children to look more closely at, and consider, is the Sciences. These are core subjects that have to be taken in some way, whether it be a combined science qualification, or the more specific Chemistry, Biology or Physics, but many pupils seem to take them under duress, not realising the whole host of rich career opportunities these subjects can lead to.

Science is a subject area that is relevant to our modern life,  exciting and is completely rich in opportunities that include investigation, research and experimentation. Every aspect of our modern life is governed by science, from our electric cars, to our modern medicine to looking at climate change. Yet as school leavers make those final decisions in terms of what they would like their career path to be, they often move away from science towards other topics. This is clearly a mistake.

One of the most interesting, and certainly most important areas of current research is the autologous stem cell therapy. This is the process in which stem cells are removed from the body of a person who may be fighting a disease like cancer, and are then transferred back to the body at a later date. It has also be used in the treatment of Multiple Sclerocis.

The National Cancer institute explains:

An autologous stem cell transplant replaces a patient’s stem cells that were destroyed by treatment with radiation or high doses of chemotherapy. An autologous stem cell transplant is most often used to treat blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

The most recent clinical trials that have been conducted of patients who have received these cells through transfer  show that the 5-year survival after transplant in these patients is approximately 50%–60%. Sometimes the body can reject the cells, or the illness continues to progress and the patient deteriorates to a point where there is a complete relapse. Clearly this is an area of great developments, but much further research is still needed in order to improve the survival rate.

Organisations like Phacilitate are looking to do just that, with active research into all areas of stem cell and gene therapy. Phacilitate organise research events and medical conferences that are also networking events where the best and brightest in their medical fields to get together to discuss the future of areas like stem cell transplants. They also host a range of interviews, research papers and resources on their website that are useful for medical professionals.

But all this crucial, life enhancing and life saving research can only succeed if we have the next generation of young scientists coming through to continue it, and offer their own expertise. The first step on this ladder is through sciences in school, and that is why we, as parents, should encourage our kids to look more closely at this most progressive of subjects.

Sharing is caring!