Canadian Science Prodigy Wins at Prestigious International Competition

by | June 9, 2018

 

By Scott Douglas Jacobsen

A science prodigy in Grade 11 from Waterloo, Ontario, named Sajeev Kohli received the top honours in the Global Healthcare Challenge.

Kohli attends the Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School in Waterloo. He is the 2018 Sanofi Biogenius Canada national champion. Recently, he was the national champion and won the grand prize for the Global Healthcare Challenge.

He won the award at the “prestigious International BioGENEius Challenge in Boston.” It is considered among the preeminent student biotechnology competitions all over the world.

The competition focuses on healthcare and medical biotechnology. With an emphasis on the production of discovery inventions, Kohli was one among 14 finalists from Canada, Germany, and the United States.

The grand prize came with a cash award of $7,500. Kohli earned recognition for excellence with the research initiative entitled “Recruiting Endogenous Proteins for Site Specific Transport: A Novel Workflow for Gene Carrier Design.”

He had important mentorship, which is crucial for the young gifted and talented – unnurtured gifts are small tragedies. The mentor was, and all should be mentioned for their important often volunteer work throughout the country, Dr. Pu Chen.

Chen is a Canada Research Chair in Biomanufacturing at the University of Waterloo. Chen wanted to develop a cost-effective medication in order to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.

One that could “selectively target malignant cells. His project could potentially impact the hundreds of thousands of Canadian patients with cancer, the leading cause of death in Canada,” the reportage explained.

Below is a quote about Kohli:

Sajeev has truly distinguished himself, both as the winner of the 2018 Sanofi Biogenius Canada competition, and now with this well-deserved international recognition. His research and drive to innovate is a true symbol of the depth and calibre of scientific talent in Canada,” said Niven Al-Khoury, President of Sanofi Canada. “Sanofi strongly believes in empowering our country’s next generation of innovators. For almost 25 years, we have been proud to support a program that pairs promising young researchers with mentors who will help them realize their greatest potential and showcase their work on the national and international stage. Congratulations, Sajeev, on this wonderful accomplishment.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. He authored/co-authored some e-books, free or low-cost. If you want to contact Scott: Scott.D.Jacobsen@Gmail.com.

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