62nd Annual STS (2002-2003)
Finalists
Anupama Kotha

FLORIDA
Anupama Kotha, 17, of Tampa, was named a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for her medicine and health project, studying resveratrol (RES)-a natural antioxidant found in grapes and red wine-and its potential anticancer properties. In research performed at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center over a 3.5-year period, Anu worked on both lab-supplied mouse fibroblast cells (containing a gene that induces cancer) and human cancer cells. Through various methodologies, including flow cytometry analysis and immunohistochemical staining, she concluded that RES induces "cellular suicide" in cancer cells by inhibiting the signaling pathways necessary to induce cell growth and prevent cell death. She hopes her research has the potential to help prevent cancer and other tumor-related diseases. A student at C. Leon King High School, and a Girl Scout since the first grade, Anu is the winner of numerous honors, including three awards at the Intel ISEF. She has also won statewide competitions in Indian classical dance. Born in India and the daughter of Drs. Kotha and Madhavi Sekharam, she plans to study molecular biology at Harvard.

NOTE: According to Anu, Seventeen Magazine has run a two-page feature recognizing her scientific work and achievements.