Nuffield students Ameeta and Aneeta Kumar win the UK Young Scientist of the Year competition

18 March 2014

Congratulations to Nuffield Research Placement students, Ameeta and Aneeta Kumar, who were named joint winners of the UK Young Scientist of the Year competition at the Big Bang Fair at Birmingham NEC on Friday.

Ameeta and Aneeta, twin sisters who attend The Abbey School in Reading were awarded the prize for their project to develop a diagnostic tool for identifying cancerous tumours at an early stage of development. They undertook their project while on Nuffield Research Placements at the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology at the University of Oxford.

Reflecting on their win, Ameeta and Aneeta said: “One in four people are affected by cancer every year in the UK and it is the cause of over 150,000 deaths every year. With early diagnosis and initiation of treatment, the mortality and morbidity rate could be reduced. This inspired us to take a Nuffield Research Placement to study the possibility of developing an early diagnostic tool.”

Many cancerous tumours create acidic conditions around them as they grow and develop. Ameeta and Aneeta produced 3-D spherical particles which served as models for tumours. They then introduced a molecule known as ‘pHLIP’ which is able to chemically bind to the surface of acidic cells, enabling them to ‘tag’ the tumour models. Using an imaging technique known as confocal microscopy, the sisters were then able to visualise the cancerous particles. 

Video and images courtesy of the National Science + Engineering Competition.

Other prizes won by students for their Nuffield Research Placement projects