MFS Junior Edward Gelernt was recently recognized by the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) with a 2015 Cogito Research Scholarship Award, which conferred upon him $599 as recognition for his scientific research. Gelernt is one of only ten students chosen nationwide to receive the prestigious grant.

Gelernt was interning in his father’s cardiological research lab this past summer when he “came across the grant program online… I did a whole bunch of research on the biomedical aspect of the heart, devised an experiment, and happened to win.” His award-winning proposal is entitled, “Effects of PON1 and ApoA-I Variants on Antioxidant Ability of HDL.” Gelernt simplified this to layman’s terms: “There are three proteins in particular that I’m going to need for this experiment—PON1, ApoA-I, and LCAT. I’ll use the money I got to purchase those and conduct the experiment.” The three proteins are important in protecting against the development of heart disease. The experiment could help doctors determine patients’ susceptibility to heart disease.

Although Gelernt is very pleased at receiving the grant, he cautions, “$600 is probably not going to cover [the costs of the experiment]. Luckily the MFS Science Department has voiced interest in contributing monetarily to my research, as have my parents.” Edward hopes that with this additional funding, he can “determine another biomarker in which a patient’s susceptibility to heart disease can be determined.” If he succeeds in his quest to combat cardiovascular disease, he will doubtless be owed hearty thanks.