While many 16-year-olds are content with PlayStation, Toronto-area student Marshall Zhang used the Canadian SCINET supercomputing network to invent a new drug cocktail which could one day help treat cystic fibrosis.

The Grade 11 student at Bayview Secondary School in Richmond Hill so impressed eight eminent scientists at the National Research Council Canada laboratories in Ottawa they awarded him first prize today in the 2011 Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada.

Jonathan Khouzam, Simon Leclerc, Francis Marcogliese, all 19, of Montreal’s CÉGEP Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, won the 2nd place prize for finding a way to produce a great sorbet without geletin, potentially opening a large new vegetarian market for the popular frozen dessert. Geletin is derived from the skin and bones of animals.

First and second place winners receive $5,000 and $4,000 respectively. The trio from Montreal also won a special $1,000 prize for the project deemed by the judges to have the greatest commercial potential.

Marshall and the Montreal team will compete against US and Australian teams at the International BioGENEius Challenge in Washington, DC, June 27, held in conjunction with the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) Annual International Convention.

The other top prizes were collected by:
* 3rd place ($3,000): Shannon Watson, 18, a Grade 12 student at Ottawa’s Cantebury High School, who identified bacteria in a pro-biotic fermented milk product from Zambia that inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria;
* 4th place ($2,000): Yasamin Mahjoub, 16, a Grade 11 student at Sir Winston Churchill High School, Calgary, who showed that hormones produced by pregnant women protect neurons from the effects of iron accumulation in the brain, suggesting a new line of inquiry into the causes and treatment of multiple sclerosis; and
* 5th place ($1,000): Siyuan Cheng, 14, a Grade 9 student at Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg, who combined the standard drug treatment for leukaemia with a lung cancer drug to greatly increase the numbers of leukemia cells being killed.

14 truly cutting-edge biotechnology projects
On Monday, remarkable students from every province presented the judges with 14 truly cutting-edge biotechnology projects related to health, agriculture and the environment. All were previous prize-winners at regional SABC competitions held across Canada in April.

All 13 to 19 years old and enrolled in Grades 9 through 12, the students were mentored by university professors and others who volunteer their expertise and many hours over several months each year to assist these young researchers.

How a 16-year-old used a supercomputer to find a promising new treatment for cystic fibrosis
Grade 11 student Marshall Zhang impressed many experts when he used the Canadian SCINET supercomputing network to discover a new and potentially effective drug cocktail to treat cystic fibrosis.

The results demonstrated the usefulness of computer-based approaches to discover drug-like compounds.

“Marshall’s findings show that computational methods can drive the discovery of compounds that may offer effective treatment for cystic fibrosis,” says his project mentor Dr. Christine Bear, a researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Research Institute.

CF is a common, fatal genetic disease where the lungs’ normal protective coating of thin mucus becomes thick and sticky — an inviting environment for serious, sometimes fatal bacterial infections. A genetic mutation is responsible for most cases of CF. Leading research currently in clinical trials suggests that specific drugs may help correct this defect.

At Dr. Bear’s lab at Sick Kids, Marshall used sophisticated SCINET computer modeling to investigate what these drugs might be doing to ‘correct’ the genetic defect at the molecular level. On the computer, he identified how two drugs each interacted with one specific part of the mutant protein. He then proved his ‘virtual’ findings were correct using living cells in culture.

Marshall correctly suspected that using two drugs together might prove more effective because they interacted with different parts of the mutant protein.

“The cells treated with the two drugs were functioning as if they were the cells of healthy individuals,” says Marshall.

“The thrill of knowing that I was on the forefront of current knowledge was absolutely the best thing about my experience,” says Marshall, adding that the lab experience and “getting a taste of real research has definitely driven me towards pursuing science in the future.”

“I think that Marshall has tremendous potential to be a scientist in the future because of his intelligence, motivation and determination,” adds Dr. Bear.

* * * * *

The national competition finalists:
Greater Montreal (2nd place, and special judges’ prize for the project with greatest commercial potential)
Jonatham Khouzam, Simon Leclerc and Francis Marcogliese, all 19-year-old CEGEP students at College Jean de Brebeuf, Montreal
Students develop vegetable-based stabilizers, remove animal ingredients from sorbet
Eastern Ontario (3rd place)
Shannon Watson, 18, Grade 12, Canterbury High School, Ottawa
What fights bad, antibiotic-resistant bacteria? Good bacteria in fermented milk from Zambia
Calgary (4th place)
Yasamin Mahjoub, 16, Grade 11, Sir Winston Churchill High School
Effects of pregnancy on multiple sclerosis suggest a new line of treatment
Manitoba (5th place)
Siyuan Cheng, 14, Grade 9, Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg
Grade 9 student opens door to treatment of incurable leukemia
British Columbia
Vincent Ye, 18, Grade 12, Dr. Charles Best Secondary School, Coquitlam
Student uses 3D imaging to show how drinking alcohol shrinks brain cells
Edmonton
Catherine Fan and Jessica Li, both 17, Grade 12, Old Scona Academic High School
Students’ discovery may go to clinical trial as a new treatment for common hospital infection
Nova Scotia
Samantha Wright-Smith, 16, Grade 11, South Colchester Academy, Brookfield
Student grows bacteria that could aid oil spill cleanups
New Brunswick
Camille Champigny, 15, Grade 10, École l’Odysée, Moncton
Coming to grips with the health dangers of pesticides
Northern Manitoba
Emily Klekta, 16, Grade 11, Swan Valley Regional Secondary School, Swan River
Student finds faster way to grow vegetables in short, cold climate growing season
Newfoundland
Hannah Boone, 14, Grade 9, St. Paul’s Jr. High School, St. John’s and Megan Howse, 15, Grade 10, O’Donel High School, Mt. Pearl
Is green tea the ticket to better heart health?
Prince Edward Island, Samuel Mundy, 18, and Hardy Strom, 17, Grade 12, Three Oaks Senior High School, Summerside
Students find fungus that eats oil
Southwestern Ontario
Jessie MacAlpine, 15, Grade 10, Huron Park Secondary School, Woodstock
Turning an noxious weed into a green herbicide
Saskatchewan
Pranay Pratijit, 15, Evan Hardy Collegiate, Prakriti Pratijit, 13, Walter Murray Collegiate, Saskatoon
Students develop wheat with major health benefits
Greater Toronto
Marshall Zhang, 16, Grade 11, Bayview Secondary School, Richmond Hill
Student explores supercomputer network to look for cure for cystic fibrosis

* * * * *
Chaired by Dr. Luis Barreto, former Vice President, Immunization and Science Policy, Sanofi Pasteur Limited, the distinguished national judging panel consists of:
• Dr. Roman Szumski, Vice President, Life Sciences, National Research Council Canada
• Dr. Pierre Meulien, President and CEO, Genome Canada
• Dr. Alain Beaudet, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• Dr. Ron Pearlman, Associate Scientific Director, The Gairdner Foundation
• Dr. Denis Kay, Director, BioTalent Canada
• Dr. Lesley Warren, Professor, Biogeochemistry, McMaster University
• Brian Krug, 17, of John F. Ross C.V.I., Guelph, second place national SABC winner 2010.
Background

The SABC was initiated by Canada’s Sanofi Pasteur Ltd. in 1994 as a regional science competition and has since expanded to national and international levels.

Now in its 18th year, the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge is a high-level event that introduces students to the real world of biotechnology by carrying out research projects of their own design. Each student team works with a mentor in their community, who provides expert advice and access to equipment and supplies. The projects and presentations are judged at the NRC by senior officials of the federal public service and private sector, and by the previous student winner of the SABC national competition.

University-level mentoring is a distinguishing characteristic of the competition, as is the emphasis judges place on the ability of competitors to communicate science ideas.
The competition drives students to broaden their horizons and challenge their intellect. Each of the student teams work with a mentor in their community who provides expert advice and access to equipment and supplies. Many of the students who compete go on to careers in biotechnology, healthcare, agriculture, and the environment.
More than 100 organizations Canada-wide are partnered in this educational outreach initiative.

National competition supporters:
* Sanofi Pasteur and sanofi-aventis
* BioTalent Canada
* National Research Council of Canada
* Genome Canada
* Canadian Institutes for Health Research
* The Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program.
Winning student teams share their cash prize with their school. In some cities, regional winners also receive university scholarships or summer jobs.

The competition mirrors the real world of scientific research by
* Requiring students to submit research proposals for evaluation by a scientific evaluation committee;
* Providing up to $200 in advance funding to approved student projects;
* Assigning mentors to each team to provide expert advice and access to equipment and supplies; and
* Having each student project judged by fellow students (peer review) and by judges representing government, business, academia and the education community.

A distinguishing characteristic of the competition is the emphasis judges place on the competitors’ communication of science ideas.
Many regional competition events include lectures by leading local biotechnology researchers, science workshops for students and teachers, and exhibits on biotechnology.

* * * * *

About Sanofi
Sanofi, a global and diversified healthcare leader, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions focused on patients’ needs. Sanofi has core strengths in the field of healthcare with seven growth platforms: diabetes solutions, human vaccines, innovative drugs, rare diseases, consumer healthcare, emerging markets and animal health.
Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, provides more than 1 billion doses of vaccine each year, making it possible to immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company’s heritage, to create vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more information: www.sanofipasteur.com or www.sanofipasteur.us

About BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada helps Canada’s bio-economy industry thrive globally. As a non-profit national organization of innovators leading our bio-economy, BioTalent Canada anticipates needs and creates new opportunities, delivering human resources tools, information and skills development to ensure the industry has access to job-ready people. BioTalent Canada is a Canadian sector council, one of many partnership organizations created to address skills-development issues in key sectors of the economy. For more information: www.biotalent.ca, BioTalent Canada 613-235-1402 x.229

Mr. Terry Collins
+1-416-538-8712; +1-416-878-8712 (m)

Prince Edward Island: Students find fungus that eats oil

Nova Scotia: Student grows bacteria that could aid oil spill cleanups

New Brunswick: Coming to grips with the health dangers of pesticides

Montreal: Students find vegetable-based stabilizers to remove animal ingredients from sorbet
Coming soon.

Eastern Ontario: What fights bad, antibiotic-resistant bacteria? Good bacteria in fermented milk from Zambia

Greater Toronto: Toronto student “hacks” supercomputer network to find cure for CF
Coming soon.

Southwestern Ontario: Turning an noxious weed into a green herbicide

Northern Manitoba: Student Finds Speed Treatment For Faster Growing Veggies

Manitoba: Grade 12 student opens door to treatment of incurable leukemia
Coming soon.

Saskatoon: Students, 15 and 13, make leap towards developing wheat with fewer calories, other health benefits

Edmonton: Edmonton students’ discovery may go to clinical trial as a new treatment for common hospital infection

Calgary: Towards a new line of treatment for Multiple Sclerosis

British Columbia: BC student uses 3D imaging to show how drinking alcohol shrinks brain cells

For release: 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, April 27, 2010
At 1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday April 27, Canada’s top student projects in biotechnology research will be announced at National Research Council headquarters, 100 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. Media are invited to attend the announcement in person or via teleconference (dial 1-303-664-6043, conference ID 8309014). Short, informal descriptions of each project are available online at http://sanofibiotalentchallenge.ca

• Youngest-ever finalist at national level event takes 1st Place Prize
• Students from Saskatoon, Guelph, Fort St. John, Ste-Foy, Winnipeg and Ottawa collect prizes in Canada-wide high school competition
• Judged by eminent experts at National Research Council, Ottawa

Research by a 14-year-old science prodigy from Saskatoon into the molecular fingerprint of a disease that has devastated lentil crops in Canada, Asia and Africa has earned the top national prize of the 2010 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC).

Grade 9 student Rui Song, the youngest-ever national finalist in the event’s 17-year history, “astonished” nine judges at Canada’s National Research Council with her search for an early way to tell apart two strains of a crop-killing fungus, one strain of which can wipe out half a farmer’s lentil harvest if left unrecognized and untreated.

In addition to the Canadian prizes, Rui and the SABC’s national 2nd place winner, Brian Krug, 16, of Guelph, Ontario, will compete against 12 US and two Australian teams at the International BioGENEius Challenge in Chicago next week.

Brian, a Grade 11 student at John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute, won the 2nd place prize for his project that found a green tea extract offered a potential new treatment for ovarian cancer.

The national final SABC winners were announced at National Research Council Canada headquarters, Ottawa, April 27, at a ceremony attended by the Hon. James Flaherty, Minister of Finance, the Hon. Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour, and other dignitaries.

First and second place winners receive $5,000 and $4,000 respectively.

The other top prizes were collected by:

• 3rd place ($3,000): Katherine Taneille Johnson, 17, a Grade 12 student at North Peace Secondary School in tiny Fort St. John, for a project deciphering DNA mutations that may lie behind an early aging disease.
• 4th place ($2,000): Alexandre Lemieux, 16, of Externat Saint-Jean-Eudes, and Reda Bensaidane, 16, École Secondaire Les Compagnons-de-Cartier, Ste-Foy QB, for a project showing how a coffee extract offers a potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.
• 5th place ($1,000): Binudith Warnakulasooriya, 17, a Grade 12 student from Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg, whose project unlocked the DNA of flaxseed to create potential for healthier food. It is Binudith’s second consecutive year as a national SABC prizewinner.

A special prize ($1,000), awarded for the project with the greatest commercial potential, was won by 16-year-old Grade 10 student Emma Graham of Lisgar Collegiate Institute, Ottawa, who used Indian dill oil to create a more environmentally-friendly insecticide to combat potato beetles.

Fingerprinting a crop-killing fungus
At just 14, Rui Song has become a fixture on the winners’ list in the Saskatchewan regional SABC.

While still at Greystone Heights Public School, she won the Junior Division twice – in 2008 and 2009 – and the streak continued this year, Rui’s Grade 9 year at Walter Murray Collegiate Institute.

Her winning project was an effort to find molecular markers that can tell the difference between two closely related types of the fungus Colletotrichum truncate (Ct), that attacks lentil crops.

Though almost identical genetically, one type attacks lentils far more aggressively, causing 50% losses in some areas. The disease has destroyed crops in many countries beyond Canada, including Bangladesh, Syria, and Ethiopia.

A genetic method of differentiating the two types will save time and money for agricultural researchers, allowing rapid evaluation of lentil fields to warn farmers about the race of Ct in their area, while assisting efforts to develop resistant lentil varieties.

Rui said that while her project did not uncover the definitive identifier that solves the Ct riddle, her research into 50 of the 2,000 potential genetic markers provided a promising direction for more detailed research in future.

And for Rui Song, there’s always next year. “I love the field of molecular genetics and this competition provides a unique opportunity for someone like me to do high-level research guided by mentors who are some of the best minds in their field.”

During her presentation Monday, Rui charmed judges with an admission that she’d read “Genetic Engineering for Dummies.”

And she told her hometown newspaper, the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix: “I think many people think of science as … I don’t know, easy. What I learned from this project is that you have to be patient, it’s not like putting in a chemical and something explodes. In the lab, the most important thing is to understand why you’re doing something.”

14 truly cutting-edge biotechnology projects
“All 14 to 17 years old and enrolled in Grades 9 through 12, remarkable students from every province yesterday presented 14 truly cutting-edge biotechnology projects. They were mentored by university professors and others who volunteer their expertise and many hours each year to assist these young researchers,” said SABC judge Dr. Roman Szumski, NRC Vice President, Life Sciences.

“The National Research Council of Canada welcomes and supports efforts such as this to raise public awareness, especially among students and educators, about emerging sciences and to encourage more students to consider careers in biotechnology science. I extend sincere congratulations to everyone involved in this competition.”

Dr. Szumski also thanked lead competition supporters, Sanofi Pasteur Limited and BioTalent Canada for helping foster an appreciation of science and engineering education.

* * * * *

All national competition finalists (the projects are informally described at http://sanofibiotalentchallenge.ca):

• Newfoundland: Zachary Quinlan, Andrew Lynch, 17, Bishops College High School, St. John’s, who found a drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection may help ex-soldiers with stress disorder;
• Prince Edward Island: Scott Dewar, and Mark Townsend, both 17 in Grade 12 at Three Oaks High School, Summerside, who worked to unravel the black knot problem – scourge of cherry trees;
• Nova Scotia: Adrian Howie, 17, Citadel High School, Halifax, who went searching for medical uses of Arctic algae before they disappear due to climate change;
• New Brunswick: Sarah Sullivan, Elleas ‘Lee’ Nicholas, 17, Southern Victoria High School, Perth Andover, who discovered that carbon emitted from potatoes helps grow oily “pond scum” biofuel;
• Quebec: Alexandre Lemieux, 16, of Externat Saint-Jean-Eudes, and Reda Bensaidane, 16, École Secondaire Les Compagnons-de-Cartier, Ste-Foy, who for a coffee extract offers new potential treatment for Alzheimer’s;
• Eastern Ontario: Emma Graham, 16, Lisgar Collegiate Institute, Ottawa, who used dill oil to create a less toxic insecticide;
• Greater Toronto: Colin Carter, 17, Northern Secondary School, Toronto, whose work opens the door to new diagnosis and early treatment of child heart disease
• Southwestern Ontario: Brian Krug, 16, John F. Ross C.V.I., Guelph, who discovered a green tea extract offers a potential new treatment for ovarian cancer
• Manitoba: Binudith Warnakulasooriya, 17, Fort Richmond Collegiate, Winnipeg, who worked to unlock the DNA of flaxseed to create potentially healthier food;
• Northern Manitoba: Taylor Henkelman, 15, Swan Valley Regional Seconary School, Swan Valley, who found that oil from an invasive “weed” shows promise as transformer lubricant;
• Saskatchewan: Rui Song, 14, Walter Murray Collegiate Institute, Saskatoon, who is looking to genetically fingerprint a lentil-killing fungus that can devastate crops;
• Edmonton: Moses Fung, 17, Old Scona Academic High School, Edmonton, who’s working towards the improved treatment of lung disease;
• Calgary: Nicholas Moore, 17, Western Canada High School, and Debbie Wang, 17, Bishop Carroll High School, who developed a potential new tool to assess nerve damage; and
• British Columbia: Katherine Taneille Johnson, 17, North Peace Secondary School, Fort St. John, deciphering enzyme mutations that may lie behind early aging disorder

* * * * *

Chaired by Dr. Luis Barreto, Vice President, Immunization and Science Policy, Sanofi Pasteur Limited, the distinguished national judging panel consists of:

• Dr. Roman Szumski, Vice President, Life Sciences, National Research Council Canada
• Dr. Denis Kay, Board of Directors, BioTalent Canada
• Dr. Prabhat D. (Pete) Desai, Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, Genome Canada
• Dr. Mark Lagacé, Senior Programs Officer, Canada Foundation for Innovation
• Dr. Marc Ouellette, Scientific Director, Institute of Infection and Immunity, CIHR
• Dr. John Dirks, President, The Gairdner Foundation
• Dr. Lesley Warren, Professor, Biogeochemistry, McMaster University
• Mr. Scott Adams, 2009 SABC national 1st place winner, Saskatchewan

Background
Now in its 17th year, the Sanofi-Aventis Biotalent Challenge is a high-level event that introduces students to the real world of biotechnology by carrying out research projects of their own design. Each student team works with a mentor in their community, who provides expert advice and access to equipment and supplies. The projects and presentations are judged at the NRC by senior officials of the federal public service and private sector, and by the previous student winner of the SABC national competition.

University-level mentoring is a distinguishing characteristic of the competition, as is the emphasis judges place on the ability of competitors to communicate science ideas.

The competition drives students to broaden their horizons and challenge their intellect. Each of the student teams work with a mentor in their community who provides expert advice and access to equipment and supplies. Many of the students who compete go on to careers in biotechnology, healthcare, agriculture, and the environment.

More than 100 organizations Canada-wide are partnered in this educational outreach initiative.

National competition supporters:

• Sanofi Pasteur and sanofi-aventis
• BioTalent Canada
• National Research Council of Canada
• Genome Canada
• Canadian Institutes for Health Research; and
• Canadian Foundation for Innovation

The project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program.

Winning student teams share their cash prize with their school. In some cities, regional winners also receive university scholarships or summer jobs.

The competition mirrors the real world of scientific research by:

• Requiring students to submit research proposals for evaluation by a scientific evaluation committee;
• Providing up to $200 in advance funding to approved student projects;
• Assigning mentors to each team to provide expert advice and access to equipment and supplies; and
• Having each student project judged by fellow students (peer review) and by judges representing government, business, academia and the education community.

A distinguishing characteristic of the competition is the emphasis judges place on the competitors’ communication of science ideas.

Many regional competition events include lectures by leading local biotechnology researchers, science workshops for students and teachers, and exhibits on biotechnology.
* * * * *

About Sanofi Pasteur and sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone.

Sanofi-aventis is represented in Canada by the pharmaceutical company sanofi-aventis Canada Inc., based in Laval, Quebec, and by the vaccines company Sanofi Pasteur Limited, based in Toronto, Ontario. Together they employ more than 2,000 people across the country. With combined R&D investments of $181.6 million in 2009, they are leaders in Canada’s biopharmaceutical sector, a critical knowledge-based industry that generates jobs, business and opportunity throughout the country.

Sanofi Pasteur has a long history of supporting science education at the post-secondary level in Canada. In 1994, it recognized the need to engage younger students in biotechnology education, and the initial SABC program was born. Since then, the program has expanded to 14 events across Canada and has involved thousands of students. As lead sponsors of the SABC, sanofi pasteur and sanofi-aventis is proud to collaborate with partners in government, industry and academia to get high school students engaged in biotechnology. For more information: www.sanofi-aventis.ca or www.sanofipasteur.ca

About BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada helps Canada’s bio-economy industry thrive globally. As a non-profit national organization of innovators leading our bio-economy, BioTalent Canada anticipates needs and creates new opportunities, delivering human resources tools, information and skills development to ensure the industry has access to job-ready people. BioTalent Canada is a Canadian sector council—one of many partnership organizations created to address skills-development issues in key sectors of the economy. For more information: www.biotalent.ca or Colette Rivet, Executive Director, BioTalent Canada 613-235-1402 x 226; coletter@biotalent.ca

Like many cancers, ovarian cancer involves the inexplicable runaway growth of blood vessels and cells. Finding a way to slow or stop that runaway growth is something that fascinated and challenged Guelph’s Brian Krug.

After extensive review of scientific literature, Brian learned that catechin, a plant compound found in green tea, is known to inhibit cell growth and has had some positive results on other cancers.

Brian tested the effectiveness of various concentrations of catechin on rats with ovarian cancer. After careful measurements of the tumours, blood vessels and other indicators, he discovered the highest doses of catechin increased the growth of cancer cells, something which had not been seen before.

“I was very surprised to learn that high doses of catechin could have opposite effects from low doses in regards to blood vessel growth,” he says.

However he did determine that lower doses — 20 mg of catechin per kg of body weight (one fifth of the highest doses tested) — do indeed have preventative effects for ovarian cancer and could be useful in the treatment of advanced tumors.

Destined for medical research, Brian says the competition has been an excellent preparation for university and a future career in research.

While still at Greystone Heights Public School, she won the Junior Division twice – in 2008 and 2009 – and the streak continued this year, Rui’s Grade 9 year at Walter Murray Collegiate Institute.

Her winning project was an effort to find molecular markers that can tell the difference between two closely related types of the fungus Colletotrichum truncate (Ct), that attacks lentil crops.

Though almost identical genetically, one race attacks lentils far more aggressively, causing 50% losses in some areas.

A genetic method of differentiating the two races will save time and money for agricultural researchers, allowing rapid evaluation of Saskatchewan lentil fields to warn farmers about the race of Ct in their area, while assisting efforts to develop resistant lentil varieties.

Rui said that while her project did not uncover the definitive identifier that solves the Ct riddle, her research into 50 of the 2,000 potential genetic markers provided a promising direction for more detailed research in future.

And for Rui Song, there’s always next year. “I love the field of molecular genetics and this competition provides a unique opportunity for someone like me to do high-level research guided by mentors who are some of the best minds in their field.”

The number of Canadians with Alzheimer’s disease may double to 1 million by 2025, according to predictions.

That’s motivation enough for two science prodigies from Ste. Foy to test a new treatment based on a coffee extract called SIG 1012.

One cause of Alzheimer’s is thought to be an excess of phosphate attached to a protein that forms an important part of brain and nerve tissue.

Through a series of complex tests, Reda Bensaidane and Alexandre Lemieux, both 16, determined that the coffee extract reduced the amount of phosphate attached to the proteins, opening the door to a potential new Alzheimer’s treatment.

Challenges were many: Alex and Reda attend different schools (Jean-Eudes and École Secondaire Les Compagnons-de-Cartier, respectively), and a 30-minute drive separates their homes.

One of the best parts of SABC was the judging process, they said, and the opportunity to discuss their projects with experts in the field. “The questions they ask are really interesting and sometimes lead to discussions where there is no good or bad answer,” says Reda.

Both teens say they are destined for careers in medicine or medical research. “This experience gave us a heads up to what is waiting for us. And we love it.”

His interest began with an investigation into the effect of increased carbon dioxide levels on microalgae, a project that won 2nd place in last year’s Nova Scota regional SABC.

This year, the Grade 11 student at Citadel High School, Halifax, identified compounds in various Arctic algae species that can benefit human health, winning the chance to represent his province at the 2010 national finals.

“Climate change is having profound impacts on the Arctic environment,” said Adrian, 17. “We don’t really know what affect the warming oceans will have on Arctic algae so we should be moving quickly to identify species that can benefit humanity before the environment is permanently altered.”

Working with mentor Dr. Stephen Ewart of the NRC Institute for Marine Biosciences in Halifax, Adrian tested 10 Arctic algae species for compounds with health-promoting properties — antioxidants, anti-diabetics, immunomodulators, anti-inflammatories and anti-carcinogens.

The tests revealed four compounds with the potential for health benefits as well as one extract that affects both the nervous system and heart function. Experiments on cancer cells and zebra fish discovered two species of algae with the ability to kill cancer cells while not harming healthy cells.

Says Adrian: “With so many positive results from such a small number of species, I think this is an area that definitely deserves further study before we start to lose some of these potentially valuable resources.”

Taylor Henkelman, of Swan River, Manitoba, however, sees a valuable resource.

Camelina is drought resistant, doesn’t mind the cold, needs virtually no pesticides to thrive, crowds out weeds and could have a variety of uses as an edible oil with high nutritional and other health benefits and / or as a bio-fuel.

Taylor, 15, a Grade 10 student at Swan Valley Regional Secondary School earned a ticket to the 2010 SABC national finals by examining the potential of camelina oil as a coolant in electrical transformers.

Today the majority of transformers are cooled by a nasty mix of petroleum products and harmful chemicals – though many companies are beginning to switch to soy oil as an eco-friendly alternative.

Soybeans don’t grow well in northern Manitoba, however, and are relatively expensive. Taylor decided to test oil from camelina, under the mentorship of Ralph Wegner, an engineer at Carte International of Winnipeg, which makes electrical transformers.

Transformer coolant oils need to resist electrical arcing.

Says Taylor: “We placed two electrodes fairly close together in the oil and ran electricity into them. We kept increasing the voltage to see if the oil was sufficiently resistant (to arcing).”

More tests are needed but Taylor’s results were promising and he plans further tests to see how it stands up to the cold.

“My twin brother, Joshua, was always the science guy,” says Zachary, 17. “I’m more interested in writing and communications – I’ve always wanted a career in public relations.”

All that changed last year when Zachary and his friend Andrew Lynch, looking for a challenge to enliven their final year at Bishops College High School in St. John’s, Newfoundland, entered the SABC. They investigated whether the drug Rapamycin, normally used to help prevent the body’s rejection of organ transplants, could help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Zachary became interested in treating PTSD because “it is a very common disorder often hidden in the shadows,” particularly in his province, which has the highest per capita enrolment in the armed forces.

The students’ tested rapamycin as a possible PTSD treatment through experiments on lab rats to measure their levels of hyperarousal, a symptom of PTSD that can cause reduced pain tolerance, anxiety, an exaggerated response to sudden noise, insomnia and fatigue. They found that rapamycin dramatically reduced the rats’ levels of hyperarousal.

“Overall, this research suggests that rapamycin might be used in the future as a treatment for people suffering from PTSD,” said Zachary.

“I fell in love with everything about it,” he said of the SABC experience, “the reading, the laboratory experiments, working with our mentor, presenting the results to the judges.”

As for whether it suggests a future in science for the young researcher, Zachary is not so sure, “but after this experience, I’d like to do PR for a major laboratory or science project.”

For Lee Nicholas, 17, there never was a time when the three R’s of reduce, reuse, recycle, weren’t a part of his natural way of thinking. He was raised in a First Nations environment that stressed harmony with the world. Sarah Sullivan, 17, Lee’s partner on the project, also came to the project with a strong personal interest: both sides of her family have farmed potatoes and she has worked on the land since she was 13.

Not only were the Grade 11 students at Southern Victoria High School in Perth-Andover keen to do real science with an accredited mentor, they were excited to work on something that could make a real impact on their community and many others.

Perth-Andover is the world’s french-fry capital, with hundreds of tons of potatoes in storage barns waiting to be processed at any one time. Stored potatoes emit CO2, which can quickly degrade them and so typically is vented outside.

Sarah and Lee essentially fertilized cyanobacteria using CO2-rich air from sealed containers of potatoes and measured their results against a control. “It was awesome,” says Sarah, “the amount of cyanobacteria doubled in some cases.”

The project holds special interest for mentor David Wattie, a potato pest specialist with New Brunswick’s Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture.

“It’s well established that cyanobacteria need CO2 to live, but nobody has tried to use the CO2 given off by stored potatoes to see if it had any effect on it,” he says.

It’s too early to say definitively that vented CO2 from potato bins can be used to grow cyanobacteria on a commercial scale or even that pond scum is a viable biofuel.

Right now it is enough to say that Sarah and Lee have contributed to those possibilities. And both say they now consider bioscience a viable career option due to the SABC experience.