| Biographies |
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| David - I am a dedicated lifelong learner who has a passion for technology and computer science. I have been developing software for a variety of platforms since 2010, and I own and operate my own software development company, Moore Development. While my true passion lies with the technology industry, I believe that extending my reach to include various other fields can have a profound effect on my ability to positively impact people's lives. Cancer has affected a significant portion of the human population over many years, with the majority of people being impacted by its effects. Therapeutic cancer treatments have advanced significantly recently, although there still remains no optimal broad-based treatment for patients. Seeing this dilemma, I was inspired to contribute to the pool of knowledge and research surrounding cancer. After discovering the treatments we developed were able to effectively inhibit telomerase, I quickly discovered areas of the research that could be improved. For example, performing a telomerase assay, using cultured human cancer cells instead of T. thermophilla, performing a Southern Blot, and increasing the sample size. All of these adjustments will have an impact on the significance of the experimental results. | | Hanna - My name is Hanna Schaefer. I am a grade 12 student attending St. Joseph Scollard Hall CSS in North Bay, Ontario. This past year I was involved in the AP biology program at my school. I have always had a strong interest in science and STEM. I am also a member of my school's science club and drumline ensemble. Outside of academics, some of my interests are the outdoors, reading, and dancing. The past two years I have been invited to national dance competitions. I also have a strong interest in languages. This summer will be my second year attending a five-week French immersion program. Next year, I will be attending Dalhousie University for Integrated Science. This is my first CWSF, and I am very excited to have this opportunity. My partner and I had inspiration for our project when we can across an interesting topic while studying for our Biology exam. We had much success with the work we carried out, however, in the future it would be interesting to test our methods on specific human cancer cell lines as well, determining the possibility of clinical applications. My advice for future participants is to start your project early! |
| David Moore, Hanna Schaefer
Inhibition of Telomerase by Antisense Therapy in Tetrahymena thermophila
| Challenge: | Health | | Category: | Senior | | Region: | North Bay | | City: | North Bay, ON | | School: | St. Joseph-Scollard Hall | | Abstract: | Telomerase is an enzyme that can repair telomeres, protective caps for chromosomes. Normal human cells usually have little to no telomerase, while human cancer cells often have large amounts of telomerase. By using antisense oligonucleotides, telomerase was inhibited in Tetrahymena thermophila. This indicates thats targeted cancer treatment using antisense therapy may be effective and more accurate than current methods. |
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