GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Learning Undefeated, a nonprofit organization that provides life-changing STEM experiences, announced today that Sreejato Chatterjee, a 10th grader at Thomas S. Wootton High School in North Potomac, Md., was named winner of the 2020 Maryland BioGENEius Challenge.
The BioGENEius Challenge is the premier biotechnology competition for high school students, recognizing outstanding original research in the field for healthcare, sustainability and the environment. As the Maryland BioGENEius finalist, Chatterjee will represent the state in the International BioGENEius Challenge at the 2020 Digital BIO International Convention.
“Learning Undefeated is proud to support the STEM community during this time, continuing our mission of inspiring and encouraging students to explore available opportunities through STEM education,” said Brian Gaines, CEO of Learning Undefeated. “It’s critically important that Maryland students not fall behind in STEM learning while schools are out of session, and we are pleased to offer this competition as a way of encouraging the rising stars of STEM to engage with their passions. Our panel of industry experts was impressed with the creativity, intellectual depth and caliber of the research displayed in this year’s BioGENEius Challenge. We are proud to support Sreejato Chatterjee in representing Maryland this year at the first ever digital BIO International Convention.”
Chatterjee’s winning project was entitled “A Quantitative Proteo-genomic Analysis for Targeted Therapies in the Management of Bladder Cancer Survival.” The project used a proteo-genomic approach to find new targeted therapies for bladder cancer. Chatterjee studied sequencing and expression data of over 400 patients to determine the effectiveness of targeted therapies on patients’ survival rates. Utilizing data exploration and statistical analysis, his research discovered that the drugs, hyperforin and CD437 exhibit a strong cytotoxic effect on all three bladder cell lines, providing strong agreement with the computational analyses and that cells have an increased expression of CCDN1 and RPS6KB1 when treated with the drugs, meaning the cells may be sensitized due to increased expression of these genes.
The International BioGENEius Challenge at the BIO International Convention will be held digitally this year. Representing Maryland at the virtual competition, Chatterjee will have the opportunity to engage with leading companies, scientists and innovators currently transforming the scientific landscape.
Runners up in the 2020 Maryland competition were:
- 2nd Place - Suoyi Feng, a Bel Air, Md., resident and 11th grader at The John Carroll School, for “Targeting C-C Chemokine Receptor 1 (CCR1) Mediated TNF-α/NF-kB Pathway: A Novel Approach to Allergic Rhinitis (AR) Therapy”
- 3rd Place – Frank Horrigan, a Darnestown, Md., resident and 10th grader at Poolesville High School, for “Identification of Chemical Features Associated With Selective Activity of BK Potassium Channel Modulators”
For more information about the Maryland BioGENEius Challenge, please visit: https://www.learningundefeated.org/project/biogeneius-challenge/.
About Learning Undefeated
Learning Undefeated (formerly MdBio Foundation) provides life-changing STEM experiences for under resourced communities by providing equitable access to education and inspiring students to imagine their own success. Through innovative and experiential education programs for grades K-12, we are sparking interest in STEM careers and building the workforce that will drive the innovation economy. Learning Undefeated’s flagship education program features mobile STEM labs that have provided hands-on learning opportunities to nearly 200,000 K-12 students in 18 states since 2003. Learning Undefeated also operates several other celebrated STEM education programs including the Young Science Explorers Program, a summer camp for middle school students; Advancing Tomorrow’s Leaders in STEM (ATLAS) College and Career Exploration Program; STEM Leadership Experience; student competitions; after-school programs; curriculum development; and disaster recovery education. Visit learningundefeated.org or follow on social media @LearningUNDFTD.
