Peter Danming Hu
Texas
Peter Danming Hu, 18, from Denton, created a mixture of nanoparticles that turns
into a gel at body temperature in his materials science project for the Intel
Science Talent Search. Therapeutic proteins are critically important in treating
diseases (for example, insulin for diabetes and interferons for cancer), but
traditional delivery methods result in protein degradation and rapid release.
Peter synthesized four series of polymer nanoparticles and combined them in
varying ratios to create a mixture that had the best thermogelling properties.
This formulation can be mixed with the protein and injected; when it warms to
body temperature, the fluid gels, allowing slow, sustained release of the
protein. He believes this would allow anticancer drugs injected into a tumor to
remain there. Peter is vice president of the engineering society at Texas
Academy of Mathematics and Science. He was involved in Amnesty International's
campaign for human rights, plays piano, was first violin in the Texas All-Region
Orchestra, and was an Intel ISEF finalist in 2009. The son of Zhibing Hu and
Guonan Wang, Peter hopes to attend MIT or Cornell to study chemical or
biological engineering.
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