Student Researcher Published

Student Research Garners National Attention
Posted on 08/26/2020
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Boise School District student Alekya Tanikella, age 15, has garnered national attention for her impressive and unmatched accomplishments in conducting research.  Alekya attended the Treasure Valley Math & Science Center from 2014 (in grade 4) though 2019 ( in grade 9) and is now attending Capital High School in grade 11.
Recently, Alekya had her research work published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences following extensive peer review, as is the process. The article, titled, "Emerging Gene-Editing Modalities for Osteoarthritis" for which Alekya is the first author, has now been published in the open access peer-reviewed scientific journal, IJMS (International Journal of Molecular Sciences), as part of the Special Issue Research of Parthenogenesis and Novel Therapeutics in Arthritis. Alekya is first author.
"This is a testament to Alekya's persistence and commitment to staying on this road of research which she started just as an 11-year old," said Principal Holly MacLean,TVMSC. "Through the intervening years, her efforts have led to her earning the opportunity to represent Idaho at the ISEF in 2018, get selected to present in the regional IJSHS symposium at Montana Tech in 2019, and now this wonderful international recognition as the first author on a peer reviewed publication in a far-reaching publication such as the IJMS."
Below are photos of Alekya's work and certificates that she received on this subject matter through the past 4 years, when she started under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Julie Oxford initially looking at CRISR/Cas9 chondrocytic gene-modifications at a cellular level in mice in-vitro, which she followed the next year with her work at tissues and organ system level looking at cranio-facial development in normal Vs CRISPR/Cas mutated-Zebrafish in the lab, culminating in her work on writing up the review paper over the last couple years on "Emerging Gene-editing Modalities for Osteoarthritis" as a first author that just got published following peer-review in IJMS.
"Through the course of her research, Alekya has been really humbled by the recognition she received at the Western Idaho Science and Engineering Fair as a Best Project in the BioMedical Sciences Category (led her to represent Idaho contingent at the ISEF (Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair) Pittsburgh that May, 2018), award certificate from the Society for In-vitro Biology that same year, selection of her research paper to present in the Intermountain Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (IJSHS) Regional Symposium in Montana Tech last March (March 2019) which was very well received, followed finally by this article publication," explained Alekya's mother, Padma Gadepalli.
 Alekya Tanikella  Alekya Tanikella