Taiwanese student's arthritis project wins gold at engineering fair

Taipei, Dec. 3 (CNA) A Taiwanese high school student's science project on arthritis medication won a gold medal at the Izmir International Innovation Science Energy Engineering Fair (IISEEF) held in Turkey from Nov. 28 to Dec. 3, the National Taiwan Science Education Center said Tuesday.

Chung Chiao-yun (鐘巧芸), a student in her third year at Taipei First Girls High School, won the gold in biology for her study that found itraconazole, a medication currently used to treat fungal infections, has the potential to treat arthritis, the Taipei-based education institute said in a statement.

Chung used itraconazole, which has anti-inflammatory properties, to further her understanding of how the C1GALT1 gene causes arthritis symptoms, like inflammation and pain, the statement said.

Citing the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, Chung said she decided to study the disease that mainly affects people over the age of 40 because of the impact it has on their ability to move and their mental health.

The 2019 study found there were around 528 million people with osteoarthritis and 18.60 million people with rheumatoid arthritis globally, 20 times higher than total cancer cases, Chung said.

Itraconazole can inhibit the C1GALT1 gene which causes inflammation and "potentially alleviate arthritis in vivo," Chung concluded in her article.

In addition to Chung, three Turkish students were awarded gold for their respective projects.

Meanwhile, the other project selected for the IISEEF event, which explored how Taiwan's topography affects typhoons, earned a bronze medal in physics, according to the education institute.

The project was showcased at the 2024 Taiwan International Science Fair held from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2.

The project, titled "Simulation Experiments on the Flow Regime Evolution of Westward Typhoons Near Taiwan," was carried out by senior high school students Huang Yu-han (黃玉涵) and Chiang Yen-tzu (江妍慈) from Kaohsiung.

Using a self-developed airflow field device and styrofoam, they analyzed the paths and development of 24 typhoons, according to the education institute.

A total of 143 high school students in grades 9-12 took part in the annual fair in Turkey this year, the education institute said.