The Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio) has nominated Kenneth Lee, a 12th grade student at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (Los Angeles County) and Jiho Park, a 10th grader at University High School (Orange County) to represent Southern California at the U.S. National BioGENEius Challenge, where they will have a chance to advance to the International BioGENEius Challenge in Boston on June 18th.
Mr. Lee and Mr. Park are among four California nominees (the other two are from the San Francisco Bay Area) who will compete with students from throughout the U.S. for the National BioGENEius Challenge. The top 10 winners will be announced on June 17, 2012 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, and will join nominees from Canada, Europe and Australia to advance to the International BioGENEius Challenge held the following day (June 18) in Boston in conjunction with the BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization) Annual International Convention.
Now entering its 14th year, the BioGENEius Challenge is a competition for high school students who demonstrate exemplary understanding of biotechnology through science research projects. The competition is sponsored by the nonprofit Biotechnology Institute.
Mr. Lee and Mr. Park were selected by SoCalBio to represent Southern California from a pool of hundreds of students representing high schools at science fairs held across Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, Mono and Inyo Counties.
"We are delighted to partner with the Biotechnology Institute to recognize these Southern California high school students for their amazing research and potential to improve the world through science," said SoCalBio President and CEO Ahmed Enany. "Competing in the BioGENEius Challenge encourages these gifted young minds to focus on research that can solve real-world problems."
SoCalBio's involvement in the screening and selection process is part of its commitment to foster innovation and excellence in science education throughout Southern California. "A lot of effort went into identifying the Southern California nominees for the BioGENEius Challenge Award, but spearheading the effort was a profound honor," said SoCalBio V.P. for Academic-Industry Relations A. Stephen Dahms, Ph.D., who supervised the screening and selection process.
"Mr. Lee and Mr. Park were selected not only for the quality of their research, but also for their understanding of the need to apply that research to solve real, everyday human problems such as liver disease and breast cancer," added Willie Zuniga, president of Grifols Biologicals, and co-chair of the SoCalBio Workforce Development Committee.
About Kenneth Lee's Winning Research Project:
Kenneth Lee's research project titled "The Role of Testosterone in Hepatocyte Apoptosis in High Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease" was conducted under the supervision of teacher/mentor Peter Starodub at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. It studies a process related to the dramatic increase in obesity in the Western world over the past 20 years. One common manifestation of obesity is a type of liver disorder called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is characterized by increased programmed liver cell death (apoptosis). Mr. Lee's project examines the effect of testosterone and its reduction of the apoptotic effects induced by high-fat diets in rats. The results may forge a path towards developing new approaches to eventually attenuate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
About Jiho Park's Winning Research Project:
Jiho Park's project titled "Modeling Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Membrane-Bound Aromatase Reveal Novel Druggable Sites" was supervised by teacher/mentor Shannon Bunch at University High School. It uses time-resolved, high resolution computer graphic approaches to understand the molecular motions and interactions of a key protein target for breast cancer drugs. This approach allows the identification of further sites (druggable sites) on this enzyme for other potential next-generation drugs to impede and defeat hormone (estrogen)-dependent breast cancer.
More information about the BioGENEius Challenge is available at http://www.biotechinstitute.org/node/1440 (U.S. National) and http://www.biotechinstitute.org/programs/9 (International).
About the Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio):
The Southern California Biomedical Council is a nonprofit, member-supported trade association that promotes life-science research, development, manufacturing, job creation and overall economic growth in the six counties of the Greater Los Angeles region (Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernardino).
The Council's programs help local firms gain access to capital, potential partners and business support services. The annual SoCalBio Investor & Partnership Conference has grown to become the region's premiere showcase for emerging life-science companies and technologies. SoCalBio also promotes technology transfer and workforce training, while informing policy makers and the public at-large about the benefits of the region's life-science industry.
SoCalBio is open to membership by firms and organizations engaged in life-science technology development and commercialization. More information is available at www.socalbio.org.
About the Biotechnology Institute:
The Biotechnology Institute is an independent, national nonprofit organization dedicated to education about the present and future impact of biotechnology. Its mission is to engage, excite and educate the public, particularly students and teachers, about biotechnology and its immense potential for solving human health, food and environmental problems. For more information, visit www.biotechinstitute.org.
Contacts:
Media Contact for SoCalBio:
ExcelPR Group
Erik Deutsch,
323-851-2300 x112
erikd[at]excelpr[dot]com
or
Contact
for the Biotechnology Institute:
Janelle Curtis, PhD, VP
202-312-9266
Jcurtis[at]biotechinstitute[dot]org
