CGHI has named Michelle Li, a senior at North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia as the winner of the 2023 Georgia BioGENEius Challenge.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES, April 27, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI) has named Michelle Li, a senior at North Oconee High School in Bogart, Georgia as the winner of the 2023 Georgia BioGENEius Challenge, the premier competition for high school students that recognizes outstanding research and innovation in the biotechnology field.

The competition challenges high school students to tackle problems in agriculture, human health, and the environment using biotechnology. This year’s student projects represented a range of biotechnology topics such as healthcare, agriculture, and the environment.

Michelle’s project investigated the effectiveness of enzymes isolated from bacteriophages to fight a type of antibiotic resistant bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae. K. pneumoniae is a common multi-drug resistant pathogen and is responsible for between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths per year. Bacteriophages are naturally occurring viruses that infect bacteria, with specific variants infecting unique types of bacteria. Bacteriophages infiltrate the bacteria using enzymes called depolymerases to break down the bacteria’s outer protective layer, the capsule. Without the capsule, the bacteria lose their antibiotic resistance and can be targeted by antibiotics and the organism’s immune system. Michelle used bioinformatics to identify four potential depolymerases in a bacteriophage that infects K. pneumoniae. The genes that code for the four potential depolymerase proteins were inserted into E. coli cells and expressed. The proteins were purified and tested against live, drug-resistant K pneumoniae. Three active depolymerases were identified, with one having significant activity levels. With the increasing need for novel treatments for antibiotic resistant infections, Michelle’s research highlights the potential use of bacteriophage depolymerases as an effective therapy.

“In the biotech industry, young people are the closest thing we have to a crystal ball. The BioGENEius Challenge showcases scientific innovations that are only possible when young minds are given the freedom and resources to convert their ideas into action,” said CGHI Founding CEO Maria Thacker-Goethe. “CGHI is thrilled to have Michelle represent our state and we are proud to support this Georgia scholar in her future endeavors.”

CGHI also congratulates the Georgia BioGENEius runner-up, Deeksha Khanna, who is a junior at Chamblee High School Chamblee, GA. Deeksha’s research explored the potential use of an epigenetic marker, DNA methylation, as a genomic biomarker for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive disease that leads to the death of neurons in the brain and subsequent brain atrophy and is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. DNA methylation alters whether a gene is turned on or off, and the incorrect methylation of genes could lead to the destruction of proteins involved in the progression of AD. Deeksha isolated cell-free DNA from blood plasma of one patient with AD and one without, sequenced the genomes and analyzed methylation patterns on the samples. Deeksha found that some genes that are critical in brain development had altered methylation patterns in the AD patient, which indicates that this could be a potential biomarker, but further research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm. Cell-free DNA collection is non-invasive, and if this biomarker can be used, it could replace more invasive tests such as lumbar punctures that are currently used to diagnose neurological disorders.

Judging the 2023 Georgia BioGENEius Challenge were Jamie L. Graham, Boehringer Ingelheim; Ralph L. Cordell, CDC; Ian Biggs, UGA; and Alex Harvey, ViaMune, Inc. Cash prizes were awarded to Michelle and Deeksha thanks to a generous donation from Evans General Contractors.

National and International winners will be announced after the competition. See the International BioGENEius website for more information on the 2023 schedule. Winners will receive cash scholarships.

About The Center for Global Health Innovation
The Center for Global Health Innovation (CGHI) is a 501(c)(3) organization that was launched in January 2020 to bring together diverse Global Health, Health Technology and Life Sciences entities to collaborate, innovate and activate solutions to enhance health outcomes around the world.

Ryan Brooks
rbrooks@cghi.org
The Center for Global Health Innovation
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