Ottawa high school student’s “flu glue” wins national prize

Canadian Biotechnology Education Resource Centre
/ BioTalent Canada

Toronto / Ottawa

7-May-2008

Health Canada’s preliminary test of student’s findings ‘encouraging’

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A ground-breaking study by a 17-year-old Ottawa student that demonstrated the potential of a new way to diagnose, and perhaps prevent, influenza has earned top national honours among 14 regional entries in the 2008 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC), announced today at National Research Council Headquarters, Ottawa.

Grade 12 student Maria Merziotis of Ottawa’s Hillcrest High School won the top $5,000 national prize, plus a $1,000 prize for the project with the greatest commercial potential.

The application of her research related to identifying different influenza types has already been tested by Health Canada with encouraging results.

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