VIDEO: REGENERATING MEDICAL INNOVATION

A 17–year–old high school student, Indrani Das, has made significant advances in finding a possible solution to brain injuries. She is now studying the process that causes the actual brain damage at the Academy for  Medical science Technology in New Jersey. She has closely researched the process called astrogliosis which simply means that there is an increase in a toxin called glutamine, that in excess, damages the neurons in the brain. 

Das' research aims at preventing and stopping the damaging effects of this process by creating a better chemical environment for the neurons to grow and regenerate. Basically, she wants to force the brain's astrocytes to uptake more glutamine so that it doesn't damage the neurons. 

Her treatment has been tested on mice, which was successful, but it is yet to be tested on a human brain. This innovative discovery has led to her winning a prize at the Regeneron Science Talent Search which she plans to use to get herself into medical school. 

Soon a 17–year–old could be saving your life and with such a bright future, many more patients.