Grade 11 student Marshall Zhang impressed many experts when he used the Canadian SCINET supercomputing network to discover a new and potentially effective drug cocktail to treat cystic fibrosis.
The results demonstrated the usefulness of computer-based approaches to discover drug-like compounds.
"Marshall's findings show that computational methods can drive the discovery of compounds that may offer effective treatment for cystic fibrosis," says his project mentor Dr. Christine Bear, a researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children's Research Institute.
CF is a common genetic disease where the lungs' normal protective coating of thin mucus becomes thick and sticky - an inviting environment for serious, sometimes fatal bacterial infections. A genetic mutation is responsible for most cases of CF. Leading research currently in clinical trials suggests that specific drugs may help correct this defect.
At Dr. Bear's lab at Sick Kids, Marshall used sophisticated SCINET computer modeling to investigate what these drugs might be doing to 'correct' the genetic defect at the molecular level. On the computer, he identified how two drugs each interacted with one specific part of the mutant protein. He then proved his 'virtual' findings were correct using living cells in culture.
Marshall correctly suspected that using two drugs together might prove more effective because they interacted with different parts of the mutant protein.
"The cells treated with the two drugs were functioning as if they were the cells of healthy individuals," says Marshall.
"The thrill of knowing that I was on the forefront of current knowledge was absolutely the best thing about my experience," says Marshall, adding that the lab work and "getting a taste of real research has definitely driven me towards pursuing science in the future."
"I think that Marshall has tremendous potential to be a scientist in the future because of his intelligence, motivation and determination," adds Dr. Bear.
The results demonstrated the usefulness of computer-based approaches to discover drug-like compounds.
"Marshall's findings show that computational methods can drive the discovery of compounds that may offer effective treatment for cystic fibrosis," says his project mentor Dr. Christine Bear, a researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children's Research Institute.
CF is a common genetic disease where the lungs' normal protective coating of thin mucus becomes thick and sticky - an inviting environment for serious, sometimes fatal bacterial infections. A genetic mutation is responsible for most cases of CF. Leading research currently in clinical trials suggests that specific drugs may help correct this defect.
At Dr. Bear's lab at Sick Kids, Marshall used sophisticated SCINET computer modeling to investigate what these drugs might be doing to 'correct' the genetic defect at the molecular level. On the computer, he identified how two drugs each interacted with one specific part of the mutant protein. He then proved his 'virtual' findings were correct using living cells in culture.
Marshall correctly suspected that using two drugs together might prove more effective because they interacted with different parts of the mutant protein.
"The cells treated with the two drugs were functioning as if they were the cells of healthy individuals," says Marshall.
"The thrill of knowing that I was on the forefront of current knowledge was absolutely the best thing about my experience," says Marshall, adding that the lab work and "getting a taste of real research has definitely driven me towards pursuing science in the future."
"I think that Marshall has tremendous potential to be a scientist in the future because of his intelligence, motivation and determination," adds Dr. Bear.
