« Prev Next »
Out of thousands of applicants from across the globe one teenager was chosen as the 2013 Google Science Fair grand prize winner. San Diego high schooler Eric Chen is the lucky receiver of the coveted title. His project? Using computers to aid the discovery influenza virus inhibitors to develop new antiviral flu medicines.
The Google Science Fair is an international annual competition for students ages 13 - 18. Candidates can enter in a variety of topics ranging from physics to biology. The goal of the competition is to promote both ideas and budding scientists who will one day "change the world."
Inspired by the growing problem of drug resistant flu strains, Eric utilized computer technology to discover inhibitors of the protein Influenza endonuclease. Influenza endonuclease is necessary for viral replication and so its inhibitor "would effectively kill influenza viruses." Currently, it takes several years of research before an antiviral can be released on the market. At the rate at which new viruses are being discovered, the drug development process needs to be expedited to prevent outbreaks. Eric was able to access a supercomputer at the University of California, San Diego to carry out his study. On the computer Eric made 3-D replications of Influenza endonuclease. He then used the computer to screen half a million compounds to see which ones could be possible inhibitors. Of those, 237 compounds had similar traits to known Influenza endonuclease inhibitors. Eric tested all 237 possible inhibitors to determine which were "actually effective in stopping the flu." Six new inhibitors were found as a result of his study. Eric hopes to modify the characteristics of the compounds to make them more drug-friendly. In antivirals one trait researchers look for is compounds with high potency and low toxicity. In other words "you don't want your drug killing people rather than the flu," says Eric.
Eric showed that the combined use of computers and biological assays to screen for compounds is more efficient and less expensive than the traditional method of testing the effectiveness of compounds in a lab. Eric has also filed for a patent for his new method.
Thanks to his fantastic project, Eric won a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands sponsored by National Geographic, a chromebook, a tablet, a Lego Mindstorm kit, and a subscription to National Geographic and Scientific America. Not too shabby.
If you are interested in participating in Google's Science Fair check out this link for more info.
Refrences:
Google Science Fair. Computer-aided Discovery of Novel Influenza Endonuclease Inhibitors to Combat Flue Pandemic (2013).
O'Connor, L. "Eric Chen, 17-Year-Old Google Science Fair Winner, Introduces New Flu-Fighting Drug." Huffington Post. September 24, 2013.
Roach, J. "Teens Face Down Flu Viruses, Energy Crises in Winning Google Science Fair Entries." NBCNews. September 24, 2013.
Roach
