CSEF Project Listings: 2018
Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology

Senior Division

S0501

Reva Agashe, Grade 11
Aadil M. Rehan, Grade 11
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: A Biochemical Pathway for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease
Advisor: Mr. Ariel Haas
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0502 — Honorable Mention

Ruchi P. Agashe, Grade 10
Kaitlyn M. Wang, Grade 10
Analyzing the Effects of Interferon Signaling as a Novel Approach to Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Therapy
Advisor: Mr. Ariel Haas
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0503

Benjamin S. An, Grade 12
Lawrence K. An, Grade 12
Frank M. Liu, Grade 12
Using CRISPR-Cas9 to Elucidate the Role of p53 Functional Status in Modulating Impact of Telomerase Inhibition Treatment
Advisor: Ms. Katherine Ward
School: Aragon High School, San Mateo, San Mateo County

S0504

Aadithya R. Anumala, Grade 11
Effects of tp73 Insertion on Cisplatin-Induced Mortality in a Mutated p53-Type Cancer Model
Advisor: Ms. Renee Fallon
School: Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, Santa Clara County

S0505 — Fourth Place

Elaine Chan, Grade 11
Effect of Omega 3 Fatty Acid Precursor 17-HDHA and Its Lipid Mediator Metabolite RvD1 in Planaria Regeneration
Advisor: Dr. Anuran Chatterjee
School: Irvington High School, Fremont, Alameda County

S0506

Benjamin N. Cheng, Grade 11
Madeleine N. McGlynn, Grade 11
Augmenting Expression of Gene Editing CRISPR-SaCas9 through Codon Optimization to Boost in vivo Therapeutic Application
Advisor: Mr. Luke De
School: The Nueva School, Hillsborough, San Mateo County

S0507

Eden Z. Deng, Grade 11
Molecular Changepoints in the Aging Human Brain
Advisor: Mr. Ariel Haas
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0508

Jeremiah K. Hoppe, Grade 11
Mia Isabel M. Rodrigo, Grade 11
Jupneet K. Singh, Grade 11
Neutralizing the Effects of Alcohol In the Body Using Citric and Acetic Acid
Advisor: Dr. Rano Sidhu
School: Rio Mesa High School, Oxnard, Ventura County

S0509 — Honorable Mention

Allen Huang, Grade 11
Targeting eIF4A3 by RNA Interference: A New Strategy for Breast Cancer Therapy
Advisor: Dr. Jun Ling
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0510

Tracy X. Huang, Grade 11
Identifying the Mechanisms of Liver Cancer Cell Drug Resistance
Advisor: Dr. Juan Du
School: Glendora High School, Glendora, Los Angeles County

S0511

Maanasi R. Kademani, Grade 10
Structure and Sequence Conservation of Rhodopsin across Ectothermic and Endothermic Vertebrates
Advisor: Mrs. Michele Hampton
School: King (Martin Luther, Jr.) High School, Riverside, Riverside County

S0513

Morgan M. Kopecky, Grade 11
Optimizing Long-term Gene Expression Using Chromatin Insulators in Stably Integrated Multi-gene Constructs
Advisor: Ms. Crystal Cooper
School: Woodbridge High School, Irvine, Orange County

S0514

Andrea Z. Liu, Grade 11
Repurposing FGFR Inhibitor AZD4547 for Neuroblastoma
Advisor: Mr. Ariel Haas
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0515

Nitya P. Mehrotra, Grade 12
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Inhibitors in Reducing Lipopolysaccharide Induced Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Expression
Advisor: Mr. David Knight
School: University High School, Irvine, Orange County

S0516

Kalyan Nath, Grade 12
Phasor Characterization of "Hidden" Huntington Inclusions
Advisor: Mr. Tim Smay
School: University High School, Irvine, Orange County

S0517 — Third Place

Mallika R. Pajjuri, Grade 11
Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Derived Hepatitis B Core Virus-Like Particles: Designing a Thermostable Therapeutic Scaffold
Advisor: Ms. Julie Fogarty
School: Dublin High School, Dublin, Alameda County

S0518

Rebekah J. Park, Grade 11
The Biological Function of Menthol, a Urinary Odor Compound Specific to Chronic Inflammation in Interstitial Cystitis
Advisor: Dr. Jayoung Kim
School: Beverly Hills High School, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County

S0519

Laya S. Pullela, Grade 9
The Effect of Colored LED Lights on the Respiratory Patterns in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Advisor: Mr. Donald Buckley
School: Woodbridge High School, Irvine, Orange County

S0520

Passa Pungchai, Grade 12
THY-1 Antibody Fragment Dye Contrast Agents for Novel Pancreatic Cancer Detection
Advisor: Dr. Katheryne Wilson
School: Mountain House High School, Mountain House, San Joaquin County

S0521 — First Place

Sagar R. Pyreddy, Grade 12
Jayasuriya Senthilvelan, Grade 12
In Vitro Analyses of Trace Element Composition in a Metastatic Breast Cancer Model Using X-Ray Fluorescence
Advisor: Dr. Jason Bush, Ms. Kendia Herrington
School: Buchanan (Floyd B.) High School, Clovis, Fresno County, Clovis North High School, Fresno, Fresno County

S0522

Aida Razavilar, Grade 11
The Application of Exosomes for Diagnostics and Prognostics in Brain Tumors: Medulloblastoma and Glioblastoma
Advisor: Mr. Ariel Haas
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0523 — Honorable Mention

Ruhi Sayana, Grade 11
A Precision Medicine Approach: Epigenetic Inhibitors Induce Highly-Specific Apoptosis in High Risk Acute Leukemia
Advisor: Mr. Chris Spenner
School: Harker (The) School, San Jose, Santa Clara County

S0524

Emma R. Schaefer-Whittall, Grade 11
Alkaloid Quantification of Catharanthus roseus and Vinca major and Its Effects on Cell Viability
Advisor: Mr. Eric Byrd
School: Scotts Valley High School, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County

S0525

Julia Situ, Grade 11
Identification and Functional Characterization of Circular RNAs in Drosophila
Advisor: Dr. Rui Zhou
School: Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, San Diego County

S0526

Yukino Torrey, Grade 12
The Effect of the Phytoestrogen Genistin Replacement Therapy on the Reproductive Rate of Fragile-X D. melanogaster
Advisor: Mrs. Cathy Messenger
School: Los Gatos High School, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County

S0527

Alexander B. Vu, Grade 12
Cholesterol Control: The Effect of Bisphosphonates on Cellular LDL Uptake
Advisor: Mr. Scott Vander Veen
School: Valley Christian High School, San Jose, Santa Clara County

S0528

Amy X. Zhong, Grade 11
Plastics Destroying Your DNA: An Inquiry into the R-Loop Inducing Behaviors of Bisphenol A and Its Implications
Advisor: Dr. Phang-Lang Chen
School: University High School, Irvine, Orange County

S0529 — Second Place

Anthony Y. Zhou, Grade 11
Enhancing Gene Therapy through Targeted Delivery of CRIPSR/Cas9 in a Novel, Inexpensive Lipid Nanoparticle
Advisor: Mr. Eric Harness
School: Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, Alameda County