Discovery of herbal remedies’ effect on cancer wins Nova Scotia high school students first place in annual science competition
Top Regional Winners to Compete in National Final, Ottawa, May 6

Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 24, 2008 “Two grade 12 students from Citadel High School in Halifax took home top honours in the Nova Scotia Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC), held at the IWK Health Centre on Thursday.”

Mohanad Khairy and Eleizer Marval won first place for their research into the effects of herbal remedies on the spread of cancer cells. Since last fall, Mohanad and Eleizer have been working under the mentorship of Dr. Kenneth West from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie University. On Thursday, they presented their project to a group of judges comprised of representatives from Nova Scotia’s scientific community. As first-place winners, the students and their school shared a cash prize of $2,200 and they will go on to represent Nova Scotia at the national SABC final competition.

“It is a real pleasure to host this program in Nova Scotia,” said Marli MacNeil, CEO of BioNova. The enthusiasm and creativity these students bring to their projects put us in good stead for future leaders of the province’s life sciences industry.

This is the tenth year that Nova Scotia has hosted the regional SABC, which is coordinated annually by BioNova and is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council program. The competition invites high school students to learn about biotechnology by allowing them to conduct research projects of their own design. All of the students in the competition were mentored by professional scientists, with access to labs and equipment normally reserved for graduate level research. The SABC’s primary objective is to encourage more students to pursue studies and employment in the life sciences.

The 2008 runners-up were:

Second Place Ruth Laing
School: Sir John A. MacDonald High School
Project: Environmental Applications of Leptothrix Bacteria
Mentor: Dr. Graham Gagnon, Dalhousie University

Third Place Joseph McNeil
School: Richmond Academy
Project: Camellia Sinensis as an Aid in Regenerative Nerve Therapy
Mentor: Dr. Victor Rafuse, Dalhousie Univeristy

Fourth Place Alexandra Blay and Cheong-Min Baek
School: Sacred Heart School of Halifax
Project: Ducking the Problem using duckweed to remove ammonia from water sources
Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Blay

All 14 regional winners from across Canada will present their projects for judging by federal public service and private sector experts in Ottawa on May 6. For the first time, the national competition will be done face-to-face, with regional finalists flown to Ottawa for the event.

Awards for the Nova Scotia SABC were presented by BioNova President Jean-Paul Deveau, Jason Locklin of sanofi-pasteur and Quy Ha of BioTalent Canada during BioNova’s annual Celebration of Research Excellence.

BioNova represents the more than 3,400 men and women working in the province’s life sciences community. Members include companies, universities, hospitals, research institutions, government agencies, suppliers and students. BioNova provides leadership and support to its members while advocating for the continued growth of life sciences industry in Nova Scotia. BioNova has as part of its mandate to promote and encourage careers in life sciences through programs like the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge. For more information: www.bionova.ca; www.sanofibiotalentchallenge.ca

For more information, please contact:
Rocky Hynes
Director of Education and Communication
BioNova
902-425-4993 (office)
rhynes@bionova.ca