BioGENEius 2014 International Winners

Emily Wang

1st Place Winner
Local California (Bay Area) BioGENEius Challenge Winner
Henry M. Gunn High School
Palo Alto, CA

Project Title:
Illuminating Disease Pathways: Developing Bright Fluorescent Proteins to Improve FRET Biosensing

Description:
Biosensors using bright fluorescent proteins are powerful tools to visualize diseases at the molecular level. I engineered Clover3, the brightest monomeric fluorescent protein to date, and mRuby3, the brightest red fluorescent protein to date. To understand illnesses, researchers can use Clover3 and mRuby3 as tools to illuminate disease pathways, visualize cancer, and image the brain.

Logan Collins

2nd Place Winner
At-Large Colorado (At-Large) BioGENEius Challenge Winner
Fairview High School
Boulder, CO

Project Title:
The conjugative plasmid RK2 as a delivery system for artificial AnatheriaH genes: a novel synthetic biology alternative to traditional antibiotics

Description:
This research investigates a synthetic biology alternative to traditional antibiotics. The RK2 plasmid transfers artificial genes coding for antimicrobial proteins from donor to recipient bacteria by bacterial conjugation. Donors kill the recipients by transferring these genes. The donors are unharmed because of a recipient specific promoter. In future use, pathogenic bacteria will act as recipients.

Neil Davey

3rd Place Winner
local Maryland BioGENEius Challenge Winner
Montgomery Blair High School
Silver Spring, MD

Project Title:
Early Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment through the Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells using Drop-based Microfluidics

Description:
I have created a blood-testing device for the early diagnosis of cancers. My technique combines microfluidics technology and DNA amplification reactions for the quantitative detection and isolation of rare circulating tumor cells from the bloodstream. By isolating these cancer cells from the blood, characterization results could give huge insight into individualized treatment of cancers.

Nathan Han

4th Place Winner
Local Massachusetts BioGENEius Challenge Winner
Boston Latin School
Boston, MA

Project Title:
Characteristics of Deleterious Mutations in Tumor Suppressor Genes

Description:
I created a process that can predict the potential harmfulness of mutations in a person's DNA. To do this, I mined data from public domain databases, performed statistical analysis on that data, and then wrote my own customized machine learning algorithm to teach computers how to identify harmful mutations.

Leila Abdelrahman

Honorable Mention
Florida (At-Large) BioGENEius Challenge
Coral Reef Senior High School
Miami, FL

Project Title:
Pyoverdin fluorometric assay to find quorum sensing inhibitory compounds in P. aeruginosa

Description:
Pyoverdin is a fluorescent byproduct of bacterial communication in the bacterium P. aeruginosa, which causes pneumonia in cystic fibrosis patients. Different natural substances were tested to see if they inhibited the bacterial communication. Successful substances included black tea, white tea, and coffee.

Michael Duong

Honorable Mention
Pennsylvania BioGENEius Challenge
Methacton High School
Eagleville, PA

Project Title:
Alternative to Antibiotics: Cyclic Dipeptides as Anti–virulent Quorum Sensing Inhibitors from Probiotics

Description:
Antibiotic-resistant infections occur in over 2 million people/year. A novel treatment against bacteria is to disrupt quorum sensing (QS), cell-to-cell communication using signals that promote virulence. This research led to the discovery that common yogurt probiotics secrete QS inhibitors called cyclic dipeptides that reduce pathogenic density and virulence without promoting resistance as alternatives to antibiotics.

Kayla Evans

Honorable Mention
Georgia BioGENEius Challenge
Douglas County High School
Douglasville, GA

Project Title:
TIP150: A Possible Microtubule-Actin Linker and Mediator of Breast Cancer Cell Migration

Description:
TIP150 is a protein that helps to develop the structure of cells. Through two experiments, wound healing and immunoflourescence, I found that the suppression of TIP150 in breast cancer cells slows down cell movement and may play a role in breast cancer metastasis. My study assists in the development of novel breast cancer treatment techniques.

Jarek Kwiecinski

Honorable Mention
New Mexico BioGENEius Challenge
Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science at UNM
Albuquerque, NM

Project Title:
Improving the Carbon Use Efficiency of Soil Microbial Communities

Description:
Microbes in soil emit CO2 with energy production. This natural respiratory CO2 source is important to consider as human activity emits CO2. Substances were added to soil that improved soil quality and microbial habitat. It was determined if the addition of these substances allowed for increased microbial growth with less respiration, improving microbial community efficiency.

Grace Niewijk

Honorable Mention
Illinois BioGENEius Challenge
Oak Park and River Forest High School
Oak Park, IL

Project Title:
Creation of Novel Absorbent Antimicrobial Bandages and Ointment from the Slime of the Pacific Hagfish, Eptatretus stoutii, for Use on Burns and Wounds

Description:
This study used slime, produced by hagfish, to create bandages that are more absorbent and antimicrobial than comparable, commercially available control materials. The bandages are able to do this because of the defensive purpose of the original slime, which kills bacteria and traps water to suffocate predators.

Bansri Patel

Honorable Mention
Delaware BioGENEius Challenge
Sussex Technical High School
Georgetown, DE

Project Title:
A Novel Study on Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to BPA and BPS in the C. elegans Model

Description:
The effects of the endocrine-disrupting chemicals BPA and BPS on behavior and reproduction in C. elegans were elucidated. Experimental studies revealed slower habituation, increased embryonic lethality, and reduced brood sizes when exposed to physiologically relevant doses of BPA and BPS. This underscores the importance of reassessing the safety of BPS-usage in consumer products.

Shreya Ramayya

Honorable Mention
California (SoCal) BioGENEius Challenge
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Rolling Hills Estates, CA

Project Title:
Building a Library of Difluoro- and Trifluoro- Artemisinins: Year Two

Description:
Malaria is a mosquito borne infectious disease with more than 1 million fatalities per year. Most common drug used to treat malaria is artemisinin, but drug resistance has drastically reduced its effectiveness. Adding fluorine to already-potent drugs has proved very effective. Hence we are incorporating fluorine into artemisinin to increase its efficacy in treating malaria.

Daniel Ren

Honorable Mention
North Carolina BioGENEius Challenge
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
Durham, NC

Project Title:
Drosophila p21-activated kinase 3 in Glia Interacts with flower in Neurons to Regulate Synapse Structure and Function

Description:
My project investigated the genetic mechanisms by which synapse development occurs, particularly how 2 nervous system genes, p21 activated kinase 3 and flower, interact to regulate synapse structure and function. My results show that pak3 and flower interact synergistically, and work together to ensure proper synaptic development.

Adriel Sumathipala

Honorable Mention
Virginia BioGENEius Challenge
Broad Run High School
Ashburn, VA

Project Title:
Point-of-Care Biosensors: Cholesterol and Oxidized LDL Biomarker Detection for Tracking Coronary Heart Disease

Description:
Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of mortality in the world. This research developed a low-cost, point-of-care test to detect cholesterol and oxidized low-density-lipoprotein (Ox-LDL), biomarkers of CHD. Two promising sensors for cholesterol were developed, and although the Ox-LDL electronics precluded its detection, research continues towards optimization of an integrated cholesterol, Ox-LDL sensor.

Nicole Ticea

Honorable Mention
Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada
York House School
Vancouver, BC

Project Title:
Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification System for Point-of-Care HIV Diagnosis

Description:
My project presents a novel method of HIV detection in developing countries. The test is capable of diagnosing HIV in newborns under the age of 18 months and in adults before three months post-transmission. It is the first test capable of analyzing HIV viral nucleic acids in a point-of-care, low-resource setting.

Triton Wolfe

Honorable Mention
Kansas BioGENEius Challenge
Olathe North High School
Olathe, KS

Project Title:
A Study on Macromolecular Content in Algal Species Chlorella kessleri due to Differing Nitrogen to Phosphorous Ratios in the Growth Media

Description:
This experiment determines the optimal Nitrogen to Phosphorous ratio in the growth media of algae in order to produce algae with the highest macromolecular (total of lipid, carbohydrate and protein) content.