The Heart and Lung Convenience Store pops up at Kings Mall on Monday, offering visitors a fascinating glimpse into the future of healthcare.

The store, devised by Imperial College National Heart and Lung Institute, will be a one-off collection of interactive exhibits and installations exploring how medicine is becoming more available, more personalised and more convenient.

From October 19 to November 1, visitors of all ages can discover the future of heart and lung healthcare and find out about fascinating research conducted on their doorstep by Imperial College London’s National Heart & Lung Institute.

The store will showcase the Institute’s research into future medical developments and technologies using creative exhibits, talks, demos and workshops. Visitors can play the Heart and Lung Lottery, select a ‘pick and mix’ of microbial species that live in our lungs or create a 3-D print of a section of a vein or artery.

Like every convenience store, there will be something for everyone but, in this shop, visitors can strike up conversations with heart and lung scientists and share opinions about the future of heart and lung healthcare. What do you think about using mobile phone apps to keep track of your own health data? How do you feel about knowing your own genetic risk factors through DNA profiling? What is your opinion on the way that the price of drugs is regulated?

There will also be opportunities to take part in specially developed demonstrations, workshops and talks plus special events such as a heart and lung themed pub quiz.

Supported by a People Award from the Wellcome Trust, The Heart and Lung Convenience Store will pop up in the centre of Hammersmith, close to Imperial College London campuses where many National Heart & Lung Institute (NHLI) researchers are based.

Work at NHLI includes internationally renowned research exploring innovative new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

The Heart and Lung Convenience Store will build on the success of the NHLI’s first pop-up science shop, The Heart and Lung Repair Shop in July 2014 which involved over 60 scientists and clinicians as ‘shop assistants’.

Events are free, open to everyone and designed for all ages.

Professor Sara Rankin from the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, says:
" Our first pop-up shop in 2014 was a fantastic opportunity to share our research with the Hammersmith community, appealing to everyone from budding young scientists to adults interested in sharing their ideas about science and medicine.

" We want to continue that relationship with The Heart and Lung Convenience Store and open up a fascinating conversation about the future of heart and lung healthcare."

October 16, 2015