17-year-old wins $100k for creating cancer-killing nanoparticle

[jimmy olsen]

Amazing!

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/17-year-old-wins-100k-for-creating-cancer-killing-nanoparticle-2011128/

17-year-old wins 100k for creating cancer-killing nanoparticle
Dec. 8, 2011 (8:30 am) By: Matthew Humphries

At the age of 17 I was paying attention in college, but still enjoying the student life as much as studying towards my career goals. What I wasn't doing was working at the cutting edge of cancer treatment and developing a potential cure.

Angela Zhang is, and she's just been awarded the $100,000 Grand Prize in the Individual category of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. Her project was entitled "Design of Image-guided, Photo-thermal Controlled Drug Releasing Multifunctional Nanosystem for the Treatment of Cancer Stem Cells."

Her creation is being heralded as a "Swiss army knife of cancer treatment." Zhang managed to develop a nanoparticle that can be delivered to the site of a tumor through the drug salinomycin. Once there it kills the cancer stem cells. However, Zhang went further and included both gold and iron-oxide components, which allow for non-invasive imaging of the site through MRI and Photoacoustics.

As to why she chose this as her project, Zhang explains that she was surprised when looking at the survival rates of patients receiving cancer treatment. As cancer stem cells are resistant to many forms of cancer treatment, it seemed like an area worth focusing on. Her nanoparticle is award-winning due to the fact it has the potential to overcome cancer resistance while offering up the ability to monitor the effects of the treatment in real-time using existing imaging techniques.

Zhang's achievement is impressive considering she is only 17 years old, but also due to the level of understanding required to create such a nanoparticle in the first place. She has spent over 1,000 hours since 2009 researching and developing the particle, and wants to go on to study chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, or physics. Her dream job is to be a research professor.

The Siemens Competition is in its 13th year and aims to highlight talent at the high school level for those interested in science research. Last year 15-year-old Benjamin Clark won the Individual category for his work into how stars are born. In 2009 Ruoyi Jiang won for his research into chemotherapy drug resistance.

I think we can all agree this is a very worthwhile competition, and long may it continue if it pushes young minds to create solutions to some of our biggest problems.

[Ed Anger]

Her parents did the project for her.

[MadImmortalMan]

That prize might pay for a year of her school. Now she just needs to win it three more times and she'll be good.

[fhdz]

That prize might pay for a year of her school. Now she just needs to win it three more times and she'll be good.

I'm going to guess she's got some scholarships and grants.

[KRonn]

Quite impressive for anyone, never mind a 17 year old! 

[PDH]

Yeah, but can she cook dinner and iron the clothes?

[Ed Anger]

I bet her school papers are full of citations to wikipedia.

[MadBurgerMaker]

$100,000?  Cheapasses.   I think it was last week during one of the conference championship games, I watched some kid win a hundred grand for throwing more footballs into a giant Dr. Pepper can than his female opponent.

[Ed Anger]

$100,000?  Cheapasses.   I think it was last week during one of the conference championship games, I watched some kid win a hundred grand for throwing more footballs into a giant Dr. Pepper can than his female opponent.

Texas can sign him up. They need a QB.

Sorry, had to do it. 

[hotshot]

Zhang's achievement is impressive considering she is only 17 years old, but also due to the level of understanding required to create such a nanoparticle in the first place.

Now this made me think, what the hell was I up to when I was 17?

[Valmy]

Texas can sign him up. They need a QB.

Sorry, had to do it. 

Oh man.  Texas totally should.  I will call Mack.

[Valmy]

I like this article.  They do not even bother to mention where this girl is from or what school she goes to.

[Caliga]

I bet she has a Tiger Mom. 

[Valmy]

I bet she has a Tiger Mom. 

A Tiger Mom allowing creativity and non-required work on a contest?  Maybe she convinced her mom it would help her get into a top college.

[Malthus]

Zhang's achievement is impressive considering she is only 17 years old, but also due to the level of understanding required to create such a nanoparticle in the first place.

Now this made me think, what the hell was I up to when I was 17?

I know what I was up to. Getting high and attempting to get laid.