66th Annual STS (2006-2007)
Finalists
Megan Marie Blewett

NEW JERSEY
Megan Marie Blewett, 17, of Madison, entered the Intel Science Talent Search with a medicine and health project that is the biochemical phase of a multi-year effort focused on multiple sclerosis (MS) and potentially related diseases. Through five years of geo-spatial statistical research, she had discovered significant geographic overlap between populations with MS and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and wanted to find a biochemical basis. She chose to study a protein, neuregulin-1 (NRG1), thought to be a susceptibility gene for these disorders. By using small molecule microarray analysis, she discovered five candidate ligands (compounds that bind with the target protein), whose structures could help elucidate NRG1 isoform (protein derivative) function and aid in designing better therapeutic options. The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, where her experiments were conducted, is using her preliminary results to launch additional studies. A frequent award winner, Megan plays varsity tennis at Madison High School. She studies Mandarin Chinese, plays in a flute orchestra and has a brown belt in karate. The daughter of Drs. Charles Blewett and Margaret Kilduff, she hopes to attend Harvard or MIT.