Benjamin Brice Lu

MARYLAND

Benjamin Brice Lu, 18, of Potomac, studied signaling molecules involved in cancer cell growth for his Intel Science Talent Search project in zoology. He particularly focused on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest family of cell surface receptors involved in signal transmission, whose ability to stimulate the expression of certain genes has emerged as a key mechanism in the growth and metastatic spread of many highly prevalent human cancers. Throughout his investigation, Ben followed a multiplicity of experimental approaches, including cell transfection, RNA interference, Western blotting and AP-1 gene reporter experiments. The project not only resulted in the discovery of a novel signaling mechanism by which cell surface receptors regulate gene expression, but also helped identify numerous potential drug targets for cancer therapy. At Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Ben is active in the science, engineering and drama clubs. He is also the inventor - patent pending - of an educational game, using an intriguing story and puzzle to stimulate logical thinking. The son of Bai Lu and Liya Shen, Ben hopes to study biology at Stanford or Harvard.