Browse real student projects, abstracts, and awards.
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) is an ideal vector for gene therapy, but it still has some challenges. Based on AAV, more efficient and more tissue-specific recombinant vectors are needed. In a…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Allorecognition, the process of recognizing tissue of self or close kin through genetic similarity, plays an important role in organ and graft transplant success because it can trigger rejec…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Quality control mechanisms exist throughout the gene expression pathway to ensure the accurate transmission of genetic information. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a translation-depend…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
A new frontier in anti-aging research is the development of senolytics, drugs that selectively kill senescent cells an ameliorate age-associated disorders. A hallmark of senescence is the SA…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
This research project identifies previously unknown vulnerabilities in pancreatic cancer cells that can be used to target cancer treatment. This research manipulates a step in the central do…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
While at least eight Forkhead/Fox transcription factors are required for proper cardiac development in mammals and mutations in four Fox genes have been linked to human congenital heart dise…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of the CAG tract in the huntingtin (HTT) gene. Oxidative stress (OS), or an abundance of oxidants in th…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Previous studies have shown that bacterial lipid droplets can bind to and protect DNA through MLDS proteins. The purpose of this study is to explore the binding ability of T4 phage DNA to li…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Cell polarity is the intrinsic asymmetry present in almost all eukaryotic cells shown in the organization of various subcellular components. Proper polarity is critical to cell division, mig…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Cancer therapeutics currently have the lowest clinical trial success rate of all major diseases. Partly from the paucity of successful anti-cancer drugs, cancer continues to be a leading cau…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive form of brain cancer where <5% of patients live longer than 5 years. Metastatic cancer remains difficult to treat effectively and treatments ar…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Honeybee keepers are experiencing increased mortalities, many of which have been attributed to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD is theorized to occur after a hive has become susceptible t…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Glial cells provide structure and metabolic support for neurons. Glioblastomas (GBM) are malignant tumors of glial cells. To improve their survival, cancerous cells have elevated levels of p…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and prevention by pinpointing and eliminating its causes is the most important part of combating any disease, even more than…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of cancers in which stem cells in the bone marrow have a clonal advantage and cause irregular maturation of blood cells. Dysplastic cells cannot mig…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
The Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a transcriptional regulator that has been linked to various cellular processes such as tissue regeneration and metabolism. Typically, the Hippo pathway re…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Breast cancer is characterized by an aggressive, malignant tumor that can metastasize to distant places of the body. Research stems from treatment with palbociclib, an innovative drug, again…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Lung cancer is the second most prominent type of cancer and accounts for the most cancer-related deaths each year. Small cell lung cancer, a major subtype of lung cancer, has a 5-year surviv…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
The purpose of this project is to transform E. coli with the gene alkB2 from the marine bacteria A. borkumensis; to generate a strain of E. coli that can degrade oil in terrestrial environme…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
All living organisms are spontaneously emitting ultra-weak photons in basic metabolism and cellular respiration. This photon emission which occurs in living organisms is known as biophoton e…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Neurodegeneration afflicts ~9 million, costs $800 billion/year in the US, and is one of the greatest unmet medical needs of the 21st century. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devasta…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Traditional views of embryonic development hold that germ layer differentiation begins and ends with gastrulation. However, recent evidence suggests mesoderm and ectoderm induction occurs po…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Despite studies linking a high fat diet to colorectal cancer incidence, little is known regarding intestinal adaptation to a high fat diet. As intestinal regeneration is regulated by Canonic…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Hypertonic Dextrose (HD) has been clinically suggested to regenerate cartilage, yet the underlying cellular mechanisms are not well understood. The single published in vitro study, which emp…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Carcinomas are cancers originating in epithelial cells that cover the lining of internal organs or the external skin, and whose study remains significantly relevant in today’s field of medic…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is the most influential genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In addition to genotype, the implication of gender must also be investigated; women…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Almost one million people in the world will be diagnosed with a genetic kidney disease occurring in the collagen IV within the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). I wanted a less-complex viv…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most debilitating neurological diseases leading to impairments in cognitive, sensory, and motor functions. Amyloid Aß plaques and neurofibr…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Current cancer therapies face significant challenges, such as inducing adverse patient side effects, having limited access to solid tissue tumours, or failing to target metastatic tumours. A…
ISEF · 2020
Cellular and Molecular Biology
How cells regulate and maintain their size is fundamentally unknown. Failure to maintain a consistent cell size has been associated with cardiac disease, brain disease, musculoskeletal disea…