11 of the 43 Cellular and Molecular Biology projects at ISEF 2026 won a Grand Award. Here's every one, with its abstract.
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology First Award
Epilepsy affects over 50 million people, and one in three cannot stop their seizures with medication. Neuromodulatory therapies are the leading alternative, but development has been bottlene…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Second Award
Cancer and autoimmune diseases present an immunological paradox: T cells adopt opposing functional states. In cancer, T cells become dysfunctional and lose effector function, failing to elim…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Second Award
Drug combination therapy is a cornerstone of modern oncology, but identifying effective combinations for a patient's specific tumor remains difficult as possible combinations grow rapidly wi…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Third Award
KARS1 encodes bifunctional cytoplasmic and mitochondrial lysyl-tRNA synthetases, and biallelic loss-of-function variants cause infantile-onset progressive leukoencephalopathy (LEPID) and rel…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Third Award
Ischemic injury causes neuronal loss and neurological deficits, challenging stroke recovery. After injury, a glial scar forms, but its regulation of neural stem cell (NSC) fate remains uncle…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Third Award
Isoflurane is an FDA-approved volatile anesthetic used to induce and maintain general anesthesia. Isoflurane hyperpolarizes membrane potential by selectively enhancing K+ channels and inhibi…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Fourth Award
Parkinson's disease progression is worsened by chronic neuroinflammation and excessive microglial activation, making inflammatory pathways promising therapeutic targets. Among these strategi…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Fourth Award
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for over 90% of oral cancers, with 5-year survival rates below 60% due to late-stage diagnosis. Current diagnostic approaches rely on invasive su…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Fourth Award
Azole antifungals have served as frontline therapies for Candida infections. However, increasing azole-resistant Candida species presents a real clinical challenge requiring alternative anti…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Fourth Award
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer, with a five year survival rate that still barely exceeds 50%. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a stromal cell population in the tumor m…
ISEF · 2026
Cellular and Molecular Biology Fourth Award
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading global cause of mortality, with myocardial infarction resulting in permanent myocardial loss due to the limited regenerative capacity of adult card…