LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A panel of judges assembled by SoCalBio (the Southern California Biomedical Council) has selected two outstanding high school students from Orange County to represent Southern California at the upcoming U.S. BioGENEius Award Challenge. Presented by the Biotechnology Institute in collaboration with regional bioscience associations, the U.S. BioGENEius Challenge is held each year in tandem with the Annual Bio International Convention. This year's BIO convention will be held April 22 - 25 in Chicago (IL).
The local students selected by SoCalBio are Adonis Lu from Woodbridge High School in Irvine and Jiho Park from University High School, also in Irvine. Ms. Lu and Mr. Park were among 13 winners of the Southern California BioGENEius Challenge held last month to identify SoCalBio nominees for the U.S. competition.
Ms. Lu's research uses in-silico structural genomics to study effects of the BRG-1 protein and its RNA binding capability on cancer cell replication and heart failure. Mr. Park's research employs molecular dynamic simulations to understand the role of a protein called Asp-309 in the catalysis of aromatase and identify drug target sites on this enzyme.
“SoCalBio is proud to partner with Biotechnology Institute to promote innovation and support science education in the US," said SoCalBio President & CEO Ahmed Enany. "We recognize the outstanding research performed by Southern California high school students, and we want to give those students an opportunity to compete for the prestigious U.S. award and ultimately the International BioGENEius Challenge."
A SoCalBio Committee of judges selected Ms. Lu and Mr. Park, along with the other winners of the local BioGENEius Challenge competition, from a pool of 1,788 high school students engaged in bioscience-related research projects who participated in science fairs held across Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The SoCalBio judging committee was composed of Gerrit Brand, MD, of BionCR Development Inc (Irvine); A. Stephen Dahms, PhD, of SoCalBio; Naresh Menon, PhD, of ChromoLogic (Pasadena); and Dan Woods, PhD, of Inscent (Irvine).
Winners of the Southern California BioGENEius Challenge from Los Angeles County include:
- Braeden Benedict, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School: "Development of an Electroencephalography (EEG) Device for Evaluation of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury"
- Shreya Ramayya, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School: "Increasing the Bioefficiency of Artemsinin Through Trifluoromeythlation"
- Molly Srour, California Academy of Mathematics and Science: "Testing a Cure: Organ response to Enzyme Replacement Therapy in MPS Mice"
- Rachel Dokko, California Academy of Mathematics and Science: "Expression and Identification of N-Acetylglucosamine-6-sulfatase: A Potential ERT Drug for Sanfilippo Syndrome D"
- Sailee Yadav, Arcadia High School: "Structural Maintenance of Chromosome 1: A Novel Therapeutic target for Triple Negative Breast Cancer"
- David Zimmerman, Brentwood School: "Site-directed Mutagenesis of the Metal-reducing Bacterium S. oneidensis MR-1: A Novel Strategy for Genetic Engineering in Recalcitrant Microorganism"
In addition to Ms. Lu and Mr. Park, the list of local BioGENEius Challenge winners from Orange County includes:
- Masih Babagoli, Woodbridge High School: "Structure-activity Relationship by Exploitation of Fatty Acid Hydrolase Inhibition"
- Alexander Jow, University High School: "Effect of Ethanol on Synaptic GABE-mediated Paired Pulse Inhibition in Identifying a Novel Molecular Mechanism Behind Alcohol Intoxication"
- Kevin Lee, University High School: "Electromechanical Modeling of the Heart in Moving Domains Using the Phase Field Method"
- Jessica Wu-Woods, Woodbridge High School: "Bioinformatic Analysis of Odorant Binding Proteins from an Emerging Agricultural Pest"
- Haotian Xu, University High School: "EEG Cortical Signal Measurement and Processing System for Automatic Artifact Removal, Evaluation and Remote Monitoring of Cochlear Implants"
About the Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio):
The Southern California Biomedical Council is a nonprofit, member-supported trade association that supports and promotes life-science research, development, manufacturing, job creation and overall economic growth in the six counties of the Greater Los Angeles region (Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernardino). The Council’s programs help local firms gain access to capital, potential partners and business support services. The annual SoCalBio Investor & Partnership Conference has grown to become the region's premiere showcase for emerging life-science companies and technologies. SoCalBio also promotes technology transfer and workforce training, while informing policy makers and the public at-large about the benefits of the region’s life-science industry. SoCalBio is open to membership by firms and organizations engaged in life-science technology development and commercialization. More information is available at www.socalbio.org.
About the Biotechnology Institute:
The Biotechnology Institute is an independent, national nonprofit organization dedicated to education about the present and future impact of biotechnology. Its mission is to engage, excite and educate the public, particularly students and teachers, about biotechnology and its immense potential for solving human health, food and environmental problems. For more information, visit www.biotechinstitute.org.
