New Brunswick's BioSciences CommunityCompaniesResearch OrganizationsDevelopment OrganizationsTechnology transfer, allied industry and scientific associations Other Canadian BioSciences Associations and Commercialization Agencies Research on Bisphenol A in fruit flies earns Grade 11 Fredericton student top prize in the 2009 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) for New Brunswick
April 23, 2009Fredericton, NB - Research by Yoojin Kim, a 17-year-old Fredericton High School student, examined the effects of Bisphenol A on fruit flies, earning her first place prize in the 2009 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) for New Brunswick. Bisphenol A, an additive found in plastics, was in the news last year when many manufacturers stopped using it in the production of water and baby bottles. Kim's project studied the effects of the chemical on fruit fly mortality and reproduction. Due to similarities of the genetic codes in fruit flies and humans this research may lead to a toxicity screen for humans.
Other prizes were awarded in the competition for projects on an attempt to synthesize novel antiviral compounds; the effect of climate change on the relationship between mycorrhiza and trees; the role of oats and broccoli in inhibiting late blight on potato; and the use of lipids (oils) from algae.
The SABC is a challenging annual competition held in all regions of the country. Begun in the Toronto area in 1994, these annual science competitions are intended to raise awareness among students, educators and the public about the emerging science of biotechnology and its applications in health care, agriculture and the environment. It enjoys national support from the following organizations: Sanofi Pasteur Limited; Human Resources and Social Development Canada; BioTalent Canada; Genome Canada; the National Research Council (NRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); the Canadian Louis Pasteur Foundation; and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). In New Brunswick, the competition is delivered via Science East and BioAtlantech.
The project mentor was Dr. Denise Clark of UNB's Biology Department. Dr. Clark belongs to a family of scientists who use the fruit fly (aka Drosophila) as a model system for humans and other animals. Another New Brunswick scientist, Dr. Vett Lloyd, of Mount Allison, also uses Drosophila as a model organism, in the fascinating field of epigenetics, which deals with the impact of environment on gene expression.
Drosophila research can't be taken lightly, as US Vice-President hopeful Sarah Palin learnt when she received the ire of the US scientific community, whom she vilified for supporting work on fruit flies.
To learn more about this year's winner, the SABC, as well as New Brunswick researchers working with Drosophila, please visit the following websites:
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/front/article/648258
http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/biology/Faculty/Clark.html
http://www.mta.ca/faculty/science/bio/BIOSITE/FACULTY/vettlloyd.html
Curious about what Sarah Palin said?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wezdbLqRnzs
Want to know a little more about the importance of Drosophila research?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDS5Pa-UARc
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