Photo by V. Miller
June 1, 2005
Treating Fungal Illnesses
Psoralen's Effect on Yeast
Michael L. Rutenberg-Schoenberg, 14, Portland, Ore.
Department of Commerce Award for Youth Technology
Blake Gordon Zwerling, 15, Portland, Ore.
Discovery Health Channel "Science Camp" Award, Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, 2004
Project background: Psoralens are photosensitive chemicals that help certain plants ward off fungus. Blake and Michael hypothesized that psoralens could also kill yeast—a proxy for other types of fungus, including those that cause health problems.
Tactics and results: Many fruits and vegetables, such as limes and celery, produce psoralens. Blake and Michael grew and observed yeast grown in the presence of psoralens. They prepared 15 beakers with water, sugar, and yeast. Five contained untreated yeast, five contained yeast mixed with lime juice, and five contained yeast mixed with celery juice. The treated yeast colonies expanded much more quickly, but the individual cells soon became grossly misshapen. The treated cells' nuclei also darkened and expanded.
Blake and Michael concluded that psoralen caused several mutations in yeast cells and slowed colony growth. They suggested psoralens could be developed into useful treatments for psoriasis and other fungal illnesses.
Read the latest science fair news
Get a science fair tip
Browse a list of science fair topics
Talk Back:
Do you have any comments about this ScienceFairZone? Send them
to us using the form below.
|
SNK RSS Feed 
