Field of genes: DNA testing to find future Olympic champions

A new DNA test is claiming to provide information about an individual’s athletic strengths. In this event you can find out more about this new technology and discuss your views on how these tests should be used.

You will hear from one of the Manchester’s top sportswomen, Rebecca Guy. She’s a member of City of Manchester Aquatics Swim Team and she is a strong hopeful for the Olympics. She will share her thoughts on what has led to her success – nature or nurture?

We will also be joined by leading researcher, Dr Alun Williams. He will explain how DNA tests are being used, such as the ‘Sports X-factor test’ and tell us more about what they reveal. He’s the Director of the Cheshire Sports Genetics Laboratory at MMU.

The event will be expertly chaired by Nowgen’s Dr Bella Starling to ensure that everyone can have their say.

We want to hear your thoughts, so we will devote lots of the evening to discussing how these new DNA tests could be used by society.

You will hear from experts about DNA testing in sport and then discuss some scenarios to explore your opinions.

You will also have the chance to see some of your own DNA – you can try DNA extraction from your own cheek cells.