Linda Zhou
New Jersey
Linda Zhou, 18, of River Edge, studied drug resistance in breast cancer for her
Intel Science Talent Search biochemistry project. She examined the effects of
turning off a gene that codes for a protein called hTERT and found that
silencing the gene reduced the drug resistance and migration of cancerous cells.
The results of her research reveal previously unspecified functions of hTERT
involvement in the development of drug resistant tumors and in the metastasis of
breast cancer. She believes that the additional findings of her study involving
cancer cell growth signaling suggest both a possible treatment for drug
resistant tumors and a new explanation for the mechanism of hTERT regulation. A
co-author of a published research paper in Journal of Cancer Molecules, Linda
attends the Academy for Medical Science Technology in Hackensack. She fences,
plays lacrosse and competes with the Academic Decathlon Team. Linda volunteers
weekly with the youth council, is EMT-certified and holds a regular part-time
job. The recipient of many academic awards, Linda is the daughter of Dong Huo
Zhou and Ying Liu. She hopes to pursue a career as a neurologist
or forensic pathologist.
|
