Dhaval Tantry
Determining Method To Inhibit Cancer Protein RAD52
Mentors: Dr. John Kulp and Dr. Gideon Tolufashe
Access Dhaval's ISEF Booth Here
- All-expenses-paid trip to Regeneron ISEF in Dallas, TX
- 1st Place and Gold Medal, DVSF
Best Biochemistry project for any senior in tri-state region! - 1st Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award (Perfect Score), Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science- Regionals
For the past two years, my research has been on determining the most effective method of inhibiting RAD52. About 1 in 500 women in the United States have a mutation to the BRCA1/2 protein. About 80% of these women will develop either breast cancer or ovarian cancer. The RAD52 protein is an alternate pathway to the BRCA1/2 pathway, which allows for cancer cell proliferation. The inhibition of RAD52 in cancer cells would lead to apoptosis, while healthy cells would be unaffected as the BRCA1/2 pathway is still functioning. The use of a small molecule ligand to inhibit RAD52 is being tested computationally in this project. The protein-ligand interaction is being simulated to determine potential candidates from a molecular library of over 140,000 molecules. A set of promising candidates have been determined that could be tested in a wet lab in the future.
Dhaval Tantry, a graduate of CB East, will attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall. He will major in mechanical engineering. Dhaval is a National Merit Commended student.
Mason Matich
dataBASE DNA Data Storage
Mentors: Dr. Scott Willett, Kevin Gerbrick, Dr. Darl Swartz
- Top 300 Scholar, Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS)
- 2nd Place, Delaware Valley Science Fair (DSVF)
- USDA Future Scientist Award
- 1st Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- State Meeting
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- Regionals
Space is a radiation-filled environment, and these highly energized particles can wreak havoc in computer systems, especially in storage. My multi-year project aimed to store digital files in DNA sequences as an alternative storage medium for space applications. DNA is far denser than current storage methods, has no power draw to store information, and can be expanded/replaced onboard a spacecraft. This would allow for smaller, less power-hungry storage systems, all needed for deep space missions. The research done in this project can also be applied to earth-bound archival storage uses, where the overall density would allow for data centers to shrink significantly, increasing the total capacity for stored information by several magnitudes.
Mason Matich, a CB East graduate, will attend Stanford University where he plans to major in mechanical engineering with a concentration in aerospace/space technology.
Lance Xu
Utilizing a Loss-of-Function Approach to Determine Viability of Serine-Arginine Protein Kinase 1 (SRPK1) Inhibition as a Potential Novel Therapeutic Strategy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients
Mentors: Dr. Aejaz Sayeed, Daniel Zezulinski
- 3rd Place, Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF)
- Parental Drug Association Award
- Merck Science Achievement Award
- Jansson Biotech Inc. Award
- 1st Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award (Perfect Score), Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- State Meeting
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- Regionals
Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, is projected to be the third highest cause of cancer-related death by 2030 with a 5-year survival rate of 10%. The only proven curative approach, which only 30% of patients are eligible for, involves invasive liver transplant surgeries and carries a 10% mortality rate. Therefore, it is of upmost importance to find noninvasive therapeutics for HCC. This study showed that SRPK1 plays an oncogenic role in HCC, and SRPK1 downregulation can be a viable therapeutic method that selectively targets HCC cells and leaves normal cells unaffected.
Lance was also identified as a Top 300 Scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) competition for his previous Behavioral & Social Sciences project entitled, The Correlation of Different Demographics to the Effects of Different Types of Framing in Medical Contexts.
Lance, a CB West graduate, will be studying biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He was selected as a semi-finalist for the Elk's Most Valuable Student Scholarship Competition. Lance is a National Merit Finalist.
Saara Sheth
Plant Pigments as Anticancer Agents
Mentors: Dr. Scott Willett, Kevin Gerbrick
- 2nd Place, Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF)
- 1st Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award (Perfect Score), Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science- State Meeting
- $8000 Penn State Scholarship Offers- Eberly College of Science and College of Engineering
- 1st Award (Perfect Score), Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science- Regionals
Liver cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers, and within that it has a low survival rate. Those that do end up going through treatment, may have to go through chemotherapy, which is very costly and has life-longing side effects, surgery, which is also very costly and has a long recovery road, or medications which has similar effects. I am studying the toxicity rate of Hep-G2, Liver Cancer Cells, when naturally occurring plant pigments are introduced. What is important about these plant pigments are that they are derived from the fruits and vegetables that are incorporated into our diets on a daily basis. This means they are cheap, easily affordable and accessible. These plant pigments are all very chemically and structurally similar to each other, which makes them ideal candidates for this investigation.
Saara Sheth, a CB South senior, is currently participating in the 2nd year Biotechnology Research Elective at the Center.
Clara Lee
A Screening Method for Viral Peptides in Influenza T Cell Vaccine Development
Mentors: Aykan Karabudak, Dr. Patrick Romano, Dr. Hager Mohamed
- Honorable Mention, Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF)
- SAPA – GP Song Li Award, DVSF
- 2nd Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- State Meeting
- $8000 Penn State Scholarship Offers- Eberly College of Science and College of Engineering
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- Regionals
Influenza vaccination has been a method utilized to preserve health and limit pandemic spread for decades. Current influenza vaccines only have a 40-60% efficacy rate, with some vaccines’ efficiencies plunging to lows of 10%. This is because current influenza vaccines only target one specific strain of a virus, and as viruses constantly mutate, this can cause the vaccine to attenuate over time. I am trying to create a universal and more efficient vaccine, targeting a different type of white blood cells, the CD8+ T cells, to create a CD8+ T cell based vaccine. These vaccines are multivalent, meaning they target many components of the virus, including those less susceptible to mutation. For my project, I am developing screening methods to identify the most efficient viral peptides in a potential vaccine. The best viral peptide candidates are the ones that will produce the greatest T cell immune response in an influenza T cell vaccine. The viral peptides that bind the tightest to the MHC Class I Complex will prove to be the most effective in activating T cells as it allows the MHC Class I Complex to be presented on the cell surface for longer periods of time allowing T cells the opportunity to more effectively detect, bind, and destroy the virally infected cells.
Clara Lee is a CB West senior.
Diya Thomas
Developing a Method of Transdermal Delivery for Tofacitinib with Comparative Technologies
Mentors: Frank Jones, Christine Rittenhouse, Jane Jones, Brian Jones, Claire Cosfol
- Honorable Mention, Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF)
- 1st Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- State Meeting
- $8000 Penn State Scholarship Offers- Eberly College of Science and College of Engineering
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- Regionals
Over 14 million people around the world are suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disorder. Meaning, over 14 million people experience excrutiating pain doing simple tasks such as walking or even opening a door. Tofacitinib is an oral drug used to treat this disorder. It reduces the inflammatory response which decreases the joint pain and joint damage a person experiences. The problem is, to achieve this reduced pain, a patient must take 2 dosages of 5 mg daily, and that is a great ask of these people who cannot even do the simple tasks stated before, without them being quite difficult for them. On top of that, Tofacitinib when taken in its oral form is known to have various GI side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and even stomach ulcers. This decreases the number of patients who take this necessary medication. For the past few months, I have been working on developing a Transdermal Patch for Tofacitinib, which is simply an adhesive patch that is applied onto healthy skin to deliver drug directly through the skin into the blood stream. This mean, the dose bypasses the GI tract, which would reduce the number of toxic GI side effects someone can experience. Also, depending on the technologies utilized to develop the patch, a single patch can deliver drug for up to a week. By creating the most optimal form of this transdermal patch, by focusing on the adhesive layer (the layer vital for majority of a patches characteristics), my hope is to make it easier for these 14 million people, so that taking a medicine they need is not an extra burden on them.
Diya Thomas, a CB South senior, is currently participating in the 2nd year Biotechnology Research Elective at the Center.
Jasmin Kainth
SNP Effect on Signal Transduction in HepG2 and Huh7
Mentors: Dr. Aejaz Sayeed, Daniel Zezulinski
- 2nd Place, Delaware Valley Science Fair (DVSF)
- 2nd Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition (BCSRC)
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- State Meeting
- $8000 Penn State Scholarship Offer- Eberly College of Science
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- Regionals
My project is about further validating immunotherapy as an effective way to slow the growth and treat Hepatocellular Carcinoma, or liver cancer. Immunotherapy is on the rise for being an effective cancer treatment option and this research aims to validate that when there is a presence of a mutation within a specific gene, CD151, that is a prognostic biomarker in liver cancer. Mutations have an adverse effect and in this case, it increases tumor progression, so inhibiting that is important.
Jasmin Kainth, a CB East senior, is currently participating in the 2nd year Biotechnology Research Elective at the Center.
Emma Dunn
Engineering a Dose-Proportional, Orally Disintegrating Baclofen Tablet
Mentors: Frank Jones, Christine Rittenhouse, Jane Jones, Brian Jones, Claire Cosfol
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE)- Philadelphia Section Award
- 2nd Place, Bucks County Science Research Competition
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- State Meeting
- $8000 Penn State Scholarship Offers- Eberly College of Science and College of Engineering
- 1st Award, Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS)- Regionals
Millions of people experience muscle spasms every day. For those who experience severe pain, prescription muscle relaxers are often prescribed. However, these medications are often in a limited number of dosages due to the time consuming and expensive process that pharmaceutical companies must go through to create a formulation. Currently when a formulation is made, a single formula is developed for each dose. This project attempts to eliminate this problem by creating a dose-proportional formulation, meaning that the ratio of ingredients stays the same while the size of the tablet changes based on the dose. The second aspect of this project focuses on the patients taking the drug rather than the companies producing it. Orally disintegrating tablets start to disintegrate in the mouth leading to quicker drug delivery and therefore faster pain relief for patients.
Emma Dunn, a CB East senior, is currently participating in the 2nd year Biotechnology Research Elective at the Center.
Syan Arora
Ryan Fasti
Katherine He
Susanna Imperato
Soham Kakadia
Maya Leedom
Mason Matich
Paree Pasi
Alexander Robertson
Jackson Stahl
Rishi Raghav Suresh
Dhaval Tantry
Lance Xu
Austin Zhang
