Award-winning teen-age science in action

TL;DR

This content features three young scientists, Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose, and Naomi Shah, discussing their award-winning research projects on the dangers of grilled chicken, resistance to cancer drugs, and indoor air quality.

Transcript

Lauren Hodge: If you were going to a restaurant and wanted a healthier option, which would you choose, grilled or fried chicken? Now most people would answer grilled, and it's true that grilled chicken does contain less fat and fewer calories. However, grilled chicken poses a hidden danger. The hidden danger is heterocyclic amines -- specifically p... Read More

Key Insights

• 🐣 Grilling chicken poses hidden dangers due to the presence of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCA), which can be reduced by marinating the chicken with certain ingredients like lemon juice.
• 🌶️ A 13-year-old girl came up with the idea of studying grilled chicken carcinogens after reading about a lawsuit between the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine and fast food restaurants.
• 🍴🍋 Marinating chicken in lemon juice, brown sugar, or saltwater can decrease the formation of carcinogens by about 98%, 60%, and 60%, respectively.
• 🧪 Finding a lab to work at was a big challenge for the 13-year-old girl, but she persevered and secured one lab that could work with her.
• 🧪🔬 The research on ovarian cancer resistance to the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin showed that blocking the protein AMP kinase may make the cells respond to the drug again, potentially increasing chemotherapy effectiveness.
• 🌬️ Indoor air pollutants have a significant negative impact on the lung health of asthmatic patients, and targeting remediation could improve treatment effectiveness.
• 🌬️ Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in schools, homes, and workplaces have a large negative impact on lung health and should be regulated.
• 🚀 Taking initiative to improve indoor air quality at home, school, and workplace can make a huge difference in respiratory health and overall quality of life.

Questions & Answers

Q: What are heterocyclic amines and why are they dangerous?

Heterocyclic amines are organic compounds that can be found in grilled chicken. They are considered dangerous because they are carcinogens, meaning they can cause abnormal cell growth and potentially lead to cancer.

Q: What did Lauren Hodge's research show about the effect of marinades on reducing carcinogens in grilled chicken?

Lauren Hodge's research showed that certain marinades, such as lemon juice, brown sugar, and saltwater, significantly decreased the formation of carcinogens in grilled chicken. Lemon juice was found to be the most effective, reducing carcinogens by about 98%.

Q: How did Lauren Hodge come up with the idea for her research?

Lauren Hodge was initially inspired by a lawsuit she read about involving carcinogens in chicken. She then noticed that the edges of grilled chicken marinated in lemon juice turned white, which led her to connect the idea of marinades reducing carcinogens. This, combined with her knowledge of denaturing proteins from biology class, formed the basis of her hypothesis.

Q: What did Shree Bose's research focus on?

Shree Bose's research focused on understanding how ovarian cancer cells become resistant to the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin. She wanted to identify the underlying mechanisms that cause this resistance and find ways to prevent it, which could potentially increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer patients.

Q: What did Naomi Shah's research investigate?

Naomi Shah's research focused on the impact of indoor air pollutants on the lung health of asthmatic patients. She developed a novel mathematical model to quantify the effect of four prevalent air pollutants on asthmatic patients' lung health. Her research aimed to find ways to target remediation and improve treatment options for asthmatic patients.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Grilled chicken contains a potentially carcinogenic compound called phenomethylimidazopyridine (PhIP), which is not present in fried chicken.

• Antioxidants are known to decrease the formation of carcinogens like PhIP but there is still no clear understanding of how or why.

• Marinating chicken in lemon juice, brown sugar, or saltwater significantly decreases the formation of carcinogens, while overcooking the chicken increases the amount of carcinogens.