Montreal, QC, April 2, 2013 – As part of the regional final of the BioGENEius Sanofi Canada Challenge, which took place Thursday, March 27 in the Agora Morris et Rosalind-Goodman of the Pavillon Jean-Coutu of the Université de Montréal, three prizes were awarded to the most deserving teams.

First prize was awarded to Julien Sénécal, a second-year student at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, who used the Streptococcus pyogenes CRISPR/Cas9 system to inhibit HIV-1 replication. His results suggest that Cas9 is a promising tool for new HIV treatments. His project was awarded first prize due to the quality of his presentation and to his innovative approach.

Second prize went to Nivatha Balendra, a 2nd year student at Marianopolis college, who studied the three P. fluorescens strains (NB1, NB5, NB4) and their genetic variants as a valuable alternative in the future of bioremediation.

Third prize was awarded to Eugène Brailovski, a student at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, who studied the potential complications resulting from inadequate stent placement or thrombosis following an angioplasty to treat atherosclerosis. He proposed a layer-by-layer coating that would combine the properties of heparin, which reduces platelet aggregation, and poly-D-lysine, which promotes endothelialisation.

The mission of Projet SEUR, sponsored by the Université de Montréal, is to encourage high school and CÉGEP students to follow the curriculum, gain scientific literacy, awareness of technical and science careers, as well as encouragement to pursue higher education. Created in 2000, the agency offers various activities: lectures in high schools, specialized meetings with a professional or researcher; mentoring of youth who have lost their motivation in school; accompanying groups of students to companies and visits to university campuses to explore education and career options.
The Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada (SBCC) is a national competition that has aimed to expose students and teachers to biotechnology for the last 20 years and fosters the development of the next generation of scientists in three areas of this new science: health, agriculture and the environment.

The organizers of the SBCC hope to direct students towards studies and careers in biotechnology, an exciting, fast-growing field.

As part of its “Sensibilisation aux Études, à l’Université et à la Recherche” mission, Projet SEUR has organized the Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada as a provincial coordinator since 2010. Inspired by the question “How will you change the world?”, the young participants, in mentorships with university students and top-notch scientists, have had less than a year to work on amazing scientific discoveries with the potential to change the daily lives of many Canadians.

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For more information, please contact:

Élodie Bouchard
Chargée de projet – Défi BioGENEius Sanofi Canada Projet SEUR – Université de Montréal

Tel.: 514-343-6111 ex. 3365

e-mail: elodie.bouchard@umontreal.ca
Website: www.seur.qc.ca