Medical Biotechnology Project Ideas

Taking Short Cuts: How Direct Reprogramming Can Transform One Type of Cell Straight into Another
In the first decade of the 21st century, scientists found ways to make one adult cell type turn into a completely different cell type. This has huge implications for the medical field, including being able to take some cells that a person could spare, such as skin cells or blood cells, and turn them into another cell type that might be much more important for that person to have, such as cells to make a new kidney. How are scientists able to… Read more

The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project
Finding a cure for cancer is one of scientists' greatest challenges today. But first, they have to study and understand the disease. In this science project, you will explore the software available on the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) website and use bioinformatics tools to identify genes whose level of expression is higher in cancer tissue. Read more

Creating a Kidney: How Stem Cells Might Be Used to Bioengineer a Vital Organ
The human kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States, numbering more than 17,000 transplants in 2010 alone! But kidney transplantation technology faces a lot of challenges, including a shortage of kidney donors and the need for recipients to take immunosuppressant drugs to keep their bodies from rejecting a transplanted kidney. In this science project, with the help of bioinformatics databases, you will explore how a… Read more