A PARTY of Year 13 students from Teesdale School recently enjoyed a stimulating visit to the Northern Institute for Cancer Research in Newcastle.

The Barnard Castle school students are studying biotechnology as part of the A2 biology course, which includes cutting-edge techniques involved in leading research.

During their visit the students were fortunate enough to experience at first-hand the intricacies and relevance of such scientific research.

With more than 200 scientists and clinicians, the NICR is one of the leading medical research facilities in the country and a major contributor to the advancement of understanding this disease.

This opportunity brought to life the various procedures they had previously only read about in textbooks and demonstrated the importance and impact they can have downstream in the development of new treatments for cancer sufferers.

The students could appreciate the infrastructure of a research laboratory and the applications of scientific processes such as genetic engineering, cloning, tissue culture, DNA manipulation and the use of micro-organisms in biotechnology.

The research scientists were so impressed with the interest and skills of the pupils that they have offered to collaborate with Teesdale School in future to offer similar experiences as part of their outreach programme to encourage young people to study science.