A FREE lecture is taking place at the University of Teesside next week exploring advances in medical technology.

Called The New Image, the lecture will be given by Professor Mike Smith, the university's deputy vice-chancellor.

Prof Smith, who has 25 years experience of research in medicine and health, said: "The ability to look inside the human body is essential to find out what may be causing an illness, or whether a patient is getting better. For most of the past century, x-rays were the only way we could look inside the body, but scientific and technological breakthroughs over the past 30 years now allow us to take pictures inside the human body of everything, from the workings of the brain to the beating of the heart."

The lecture is taking place on Wednesday, February 9, in the Centuria building, Victoria Road, Middlesbrough, at 6.30pm.