Hydro-Québec First Prize - Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec, 2014 Québec Final

Gabriel Dayan and Noah Abitbol, from Montreal Regional Science and Technology Fair, win the top honour at the Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec, 2014 Québec Final for their experimentation project, Fight Fire with Fire

MONTRÉAL, April 13, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Gabriel Dayan, 14 years old, and Noah Abitbol, 15 years old, students in grade 3 at Herzliah High School (Snowdon Campus), won over the hearts of the public and the jury at the Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec, 2014 Québec Final with their experimentation project titled "Fight Fire with Fire". For this project, Noah and Gabriel worked under the supervision of Réjean Lapointe at CRCHUM to test a surprising idea : use a modified version of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), causing AIDS, to fight cancer ! The novelty of this approach allowed them to win the Hydro‑Québec First Prize, the highest honour at the Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec, 2014 Québec Final, awarded to the best project in all categories and accompanied by a scholarship of $3000 and a trip to James Bay.

Summary of project

Noah and Gabriel are working on a long-term project. For the first step of this project, they successfully transformed the HIV to make it harmless. They then used specific cell components to modify the structure of the virus in order to enable it to recognize specifically immunological cells. In a forthcoming stage of their project, they will try to assess the impact of this modified virus on cancer cells.

The judges recognize the impressive scientific skills of Noah and Gabriel, as well as the accuracy of their experimental method. But above all, it is the originality of their approach, perseverance and communication skills that distinguished them from the other young scientists.

In addition to the Hydro-Québec First Prize, Gabriel Dayan and Noah Abitbol won other prizes:

• Participation à l'Expo-sciences pancanadienne
  (Windsor, Ontario du 10 au 17 mai)
• Médailles SYNAPSE-IRSC - Intermédiaire – OR
• Prix «Têtes chercheuses» Merck

Numerous participants were also recognized at the awards ceremony for their hard work, receiving a total of nearly $270,000 in prizes, scholarships and cash. In addition, 40 of these young people were chosen to represent Québec at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, being held from May 10 to 17 in Windsor, Ontario (the Québec delegation is being sponsored by Merck Canada). Five entrants were also chosen to participate in the MILSET nternational Science Fair, taking place in Brussels, Belgium, in July 2015. Photos of the winners at the Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec, 2014 Québec Final, along with a summary of their projects, are available at exposciences.qc.ca, in the Awards and Winners section.

Thanks to our partners

The Super Expo-sciences Hydro-Québec is an event organized by the Conseil de développement du loisir scientifique (CDLS) in partnership with theConseil du Loisir Scientifique (CLS) de la région Métropolitaine, both members of the CDLS-CLS Network, and the Cégep régional de Lanaudière in Terrebonne. The event is made possible with support from presenting partner Hydro-Québec, as well as major financial partners including the Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie du Québec, the Alcoa Foundation and Merck Canada Inc., official partner in the Science Fair Experimentation category. La Presse+ is the media partner of Hydro-Québec Science Fairs.

About the CDLS-CLS Network

In every one of Québec's regions, the partners of the CDLS-CLS network produce the Science Fairs along with the Défi génie inventif and the Junior Tech Challenge, and co-ordinate facilitation activities for the Club des Débrouillards. Other projects specific to different regions are also organized all across Québec.

SOURCE: Conseil de développement du loisir scientifique

Media relations: Andrée Peltier, Tel.: [phone], Cell.: 514 944-8689, [email protected]; Maude Péloquin (CDLS), Tel.: [phone], Cell: 514 772-3460, [email protected]