Genetic Engineering as an Effective Cancer Therapy: A Research Paper Focused on CRISPR

Project description
Cancer is ranked as one of the top 5 lethal diseases and there is a forty percent probability that an individual will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Statistics clearly demonstrate that stronger and efficient treatment methods must be developed, and one such powerful tool is CRISPR. It is a gene editing tool, that could serve to promote single nucleotide or even exogenous gene expressions of one's DNA. Through her research, with the guidance of her mentor, Sai found and compiled 30 putative CRISPR targets for three lethal cancers: triple negative breast cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, and glioblastoma multiforme. Taking ethical considerations into account, Sai spent 6 months researching and was eventually able to deduce that while CRISPR is a promising tool for its precision and accuracy, it still has yet to be approved for the public by the FDA and more research must be done to isolate the right targets for it.

Project outcome
Sai wrote a research paper that is set to be published in the High School Journal of Research. Further, she presented in the Polygence's 6th Rising Scholar's Symposium and won the Most Popular Presentation Award
