STUDENT RESEARCH SHOWCASE 2019 PRESENTATIONS

Microbiology and Molecular Biology

 

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Can You Use Hyperspectral Interferometry to Identify Fungal Spores on the Bodies of Bark Beetles?
Jessica Ahl, Auburn University

Bark-feeding beetles continue to play a major part in tree health and decline, introducing pathogens into tree tissues. Some ophiostomatoid fungal pathogens restrict water-uptake and stain wood, reducing lumber value and killing trees prematurely. Current methods of fungal identification involve collecting samples, growing on media plates, and conducting DNA sequencing, requiring 3-6 weeks. In the meantime, further damage and mortality of trees can occur. A method of identification by spores could cut time considerably and quicken management implementation, saving trees and expenses. Based on previous work, hyperspectral interferometry has been shown to be able to locate and size microscale features on the surface of these beetles in the near-infrared range, with oscillations created by the reflected light spectra. This paves a way for the hypothesis to determine if it is possible to identify fungal spores to genus-species based on their reflectance. Using three fungal species naturally found on a beetle of concern, we set out to answer this question, using black seed beads and actual beetles as substrate for spores. We found that two of our three species can be differentiated from each other using hyperspectral methods. Additional work is needed to determine a more autonomous method for identifying species.

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Endothelial Cells of B-cell Lymphoma and Their T(11,14) Expression: An In Vitro Study
George Aquilino e Silva, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

Website detailing George Aquilino's research.

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Breast Cancer: Identification of GREB1 as a Potential Coactivator
Esther Chai, Townsend Harris High School

This project focused on identifying the role of GREB1 in the mutant Estrogen Receptor pathway.

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Harnessing Tardigrade Proteins to Enhance the Robustness of Living Medicines
Daniel Collins, Newton South High School

In this presentation, I describe my synthetic biology project in which I show that that the expression of tardigrade proteins within bacterial probiotic models can be used to enhance the ability of the probiotics to survive freeze-drying. These developments could eliminate the need for refrigeration for  distributing and storing natural and engineered probiotics, which are increasingly being used as living medicines to treat a variety of diseases.

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Adult Stem Cells for Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration
Jared Gould, Pine Crest School

My research presentation focused on identifying the subset of a type of stem cells known as mesenchymal stem cells that are most effective at responding to inflammation. This is important as it measures the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to respond to an post-injury site environment in the body.

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The Connection Between Rhes And Mitochondria In Huntington’s Disease Affected Models
Katherine Heatzig, Pine Crest School 

This presentation analyzes the mitochondrial shape in Huntington's Disease and how to maximize the mitochondrial efficiency. When the mitochondria is more elongated, it maximizes the surface area, thus producing more ATP and allowing the cell to carry out its cell's function. When the mitochondrial shape is rounded, it does not produce a sufficient amount of ATP and impairs the cell function.

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Investigating the Relationship Between Symbiotic Actinomyces Bacteria in Leaf Cutter Ant  Colonies on the Inhibition of Growth of Competing Species
Noreen Hossain, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

This is a literature review project investigating the research and investigations on the recent finding that certain leaf cutter ant species in tropical rainforests have a symbiotic relationship with bacterial species that allow them to maintain healthy, uninfected fungus farms. These bacteria have been found to be unusually effective at fending off harmful bacteria from the ants' food supply, and  many have postulated that their antimicrobial properties can be used to develop treatments for bacterial infections in humans.

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The Antibacterial Effects of Allium Sativum on Candida Albicans
Maryam Imran, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

The purpose of this project was to test whether or not garlic could inhibit the growth of C. Albicans, which is a yeast that causes many yeast infections such as oral thrushes, oropharyngeal candidiasis, vaginal candidiasis, etc. This project explores natural medicine and is an alternative to man made/synthetic medicine.

 

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Expression of SLC25A46 in Knockout Zebrafish
Henry Ingham, Pine Crest School

SLC25A46 is a gene associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a common hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. This research examines the expression of the gene in zebrafish when knocked out with CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing.

 

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The Effects of Microwaves on BPA Levels
Rhea Iyer, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

This experiment tested how different bottles with different BPA levels reacted, specifically with their BPA levels, after being microwaved for various times.

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The Effects of Meat Preservation Methods on Antibiotic Residues
Sruthi Karanam, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

The purpose of this research was to see which meat preservation method was most effective in decreasing the amount of antibiotic residues in different types of meat consumed on a daily basis in today’s society.

 

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Evaluation of the Antibacterial Efficacy and Cytotoxicity of a Novel Chitosan-Based Drug Delivery System
Sanjana Konda, Lake Highland Preparatory School

This study aimed to target the drawbacks of the conventional drug delivery system: untargeted delivery of the drug, toxicity, and poor patient compliance. Developing an alternative form of drug delivery to optimize the pharmaceutical action of the drug while minimizing the toxicity was the ultimate goal of the project.

 

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Organs on Chips: Engineering Physiologic Barrier Functions
Raj Kumar, Pine Crest School

My research focuses on tackling the problem of Diabetic Kidney Disease by recapitulating the environment of a functional glomerular filtration barrier on a microfluidics chip that allows drug testing.

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Developing an Oxygen Generating Scaffold Based in Bacterial Cellulose Waste Products for Diabetes 
Angelin Mathew, American Heritage School Plantation

Welcome to my site! This past year, I was inspired by the advent and promise of islet cell translation. Islet cell transplantation is a possible cure for Type 1 Diabetes but remains highly inefficient. Needless to say, diabetes affects many people globally (385 million) but for me, it's a very personal issue as my family has a history of this disease and many of my close relatives have been diagnosed. 

 

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3D Printed Polymer Blend Nano-Composites Enhanced with Growth Factor Doped Halloysite Nanotubes
Antwine McFarland, Louisiana Tech University

We 3D printed a nano-composite using a blend of bioresorbable polymers that have been enhanced with halloysite nanotubes that were doped with TGF B3. This product is being studied to offer an alternative to titanium surgical plates and screws that will not only fixate bones, but promote bone growth.

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Correlation between Liquid Viscosity and Effectiveness of Ultrasonication Sterilization
Angelina Ning, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

Ultrasound treatment of food products has been an area of research in recent years due to its many advantages over the more traditional heat treatment. The effectiveness of ultrasonication varies depending on the characteristics of the food and the treatment conditions. In this project, the impact of the viscosity of the food product being treated on the effectiveness of ultrasound treatment was investigated. The three liquids: maple syrup, glycerin, and light corn syrup were tested. Their viscosities were measured, and each was exposed to ultrasound treatment. Analysis of the results collected after the experiment showed that there did not appear to be a relationship between viscosity and effectiveness of ultrasound treatment.

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Developing a Red/Far-Red Light Responsive and PLEKHA7-Expressing Plasmid to Repress the Proliferation and Metastasis of Anchorage-Independent Colorectal Cancer Cells
Valentina Ortega, American Heritage School Plantation

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of death among men and women in the United States whose survival rates exponentially decrease as it progresses and metastasizes without diagnosis or treatment. By genetically re-engineering cancerous tissue, gene therapy seeks to revert its malignant status and reestablish proper functionality.

This study aimed to reestablish the integrity of the zonula adherens in colorectal cancer cells through the re-introduction of the deficient PLEKHA7 protein, a key regulator of anchorage-independent growth. To do this, this study implemented genetic engineering to transfect targeted colorectal cancer cells with the PLEKHA7 gene and compensate for its down-regulated state during cancer. To minimize potential medical complications and maximize the manipulability, cost-efficiency, and site-specificity of gene expression, a red-light inducible and far-red-light repressible plasmid with the PLEKHA7 gene was constructed to restore the PLEKHA7 concentrations in the colorectal cancer cells, and ultimately thwart their proliferation and metastasis.

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Enhancing Understanding of CRESS Viral Diversity through Development of a Computational Tool for Replication-associated Structure Identification
Alyssa Pratt, Westview High School

The project is centered around the development a tool to identify replication-associated stem-loop secondary structures in CRESS DNA viruses as well as its application towards an analysis of stem-loop type diversity in cruciviruses and similar viral families.

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The Development of a Two Pronged Treatment Targeting the NF-kB and MGMT Pathways by Creating a Novel Drug Cocktail Using Temozolomide, Disulfiram, and Zinc for Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma
Albert Ting, American Heritage School Plantation

Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive and common malignant primary brain tumors in adults, with a patient prognosis of around 14.6 months. Current barriers to successful treatment include their complex tumor heterogeneity, diffuse invasiveness, and the presence of a subpopulation of glioma cells with stem-like properties that have been shown to confer resistance to conventional therapies. This project's objective is to therapeutically enhance glioblastoma's current treatment while keeping it cost efficient.

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The Effects of Curcumin on Tau and Amyloid Beta Aggregation in C. Elegans
Anjali Vadlamudi, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

In this experiment, I researched to find an alternative medicine approach to preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Using C Elegans as animal models, I tested the exposure of different bioavailability levels of curcumin on the behavioral aspect of c elegans to look for cognitive development.

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Effect of Genetic Variations on E. Coli Growth under TBHP Induced Stress
Michael Yao, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

This is about the effect of TBHP induced stress on the growth of two E. coli cultures: Wild type and one lacking pnp,pap genes.

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The Effect of Ionic Solutions on the Efficiency of EcoRI
Sophia Zheng, American Heritage School Boca/Delray

This experiment analyzed the effects of the presence of ionic solutions on the efficiency of the restriction enzyme EcoRI. Na+ and Mg2+ were the ionic solutions tested and incubated with the uncut lambda DNA, buffer, distilled water, and restriction enzyme EcoRI.

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