In what is dubbed America's longest-running and most distinguished science and math competition, a 17-year-old has won the third prize.
asserted
old → dub → prize
Iris Shen, a native of Woodlands, Texas, received $150,000 for testing a potential cancer drug in clams to see if they could serve as an animal model for blood cancer drug discovery.
uncertain
they → receive → discovery
In the clams, the drug had a similar effect to what researchers observe in human cells.
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researchers → have → cells
She also tested a mix of other potential cancer drugs, which slowed the clams’ tumour growth, according to a statement by the Society for Science.
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which → test → Science
Shen, a student at The Woodlands College Park High School, studied whether a marine clam with a naturally occurring blood cancer can be used to study human leukaemia drugs for her Regeneron Science Talent Search animal sciences project.
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clam → study → project
Typically, animal models of cancer are costly, time-sensitive and have ethical implications.
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models → have → implications
In her project, Shen tested how clams respond to a potential cancer drug.
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clams → test → drug
She found that in clams, the drug had the same effect it does in human cells: fewer cancer cells stayed alive, tumours had a smaller proportion of cancer cells and the cells' fat levels changed in similar ways.
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levels → find → ways
In a second experiment, Iris tested a mixture of two other compounds in clams.
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Iris → test → clams
She found that it slowed tumour growth without negative effects on non-tumour cells.
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it → find → cells
Iris’s clam model could help make early drug discovery more cost-effective and ethical.
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discovery → help → ?
Animal testing has been a point of heated debate in the last several decades and in the US alone 5 million vertebrate animals are sacrificed for the purpose of animal testing.
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animals → sacrifice → testing
"This becomes especially staggering when you consider the fact that out of all of the drugs that pass through all the stages of animal testing, less than 10% actually find success in human trials due to random side effects like vomiting and nausea that weren't presented in our animal models," said Shen in her video for the project.
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Shen → become → project
When it comes to Leukemia as well, the problem persists and this is where her project comes in.
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project → come → Leukemia
"The interesting thing about marine bivalves is that they can develop a disease called disseminated neoplasia.
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they → develop → disease
This is a blood cancer that occurs in the hemolymph fluid, within their circulatory systems, and it's transmissible," she explained.
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she → occur → systems
Thus, Shen wanted to figure out if the blood cancer in clams and humans overlapped in protein anywhere.
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cancer → want → protein
She focused her research on BCL-2 family proteins, which are emerging targets for cancer therapies since they are overexpressed in over half of all human cancers.
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they → focus → cancers
They are linked to tumorigenesis, increased resistance to chemotherapy and poor prognosis.
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They → link → chemotherapy
"Currently, some treatments being developed for targeting BCL-2 include BH3 mimetics, and that is the cancer drug I worked with in my experiment," shared Shen.
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Shen → develop → experiment
Her project is also accessible, since just like human cells, the tumours can also be identified in clams through tissues and more lipid accumulation.
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tumours → identify → tissues
Beyond the project, Shen is the president of Teach 2 Learn, a nonprofit that hosts biweekly STEM events at local middle schools, ranging from science fair prep to computer science workshops.
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that → host → workshops
Her art has been auctioned to raise funds for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Educational Fund.
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art → auction → Show
As for the Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), it was started in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search.
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it → start → Search
It recognises and empowers America’s most promising young scientists who are developing ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.
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that → recognise → challenges
Each year, nearly 1,900 students enter the Regeneron STS, submitting original research in critically important scientific fields of study.
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students → enter → study
The Aporia
