Anika Chebrolu is an eighth grader at Nelson Middle School in Frisco and is considered one of the premiere young scientists in the country.
Chebrolu was recently awarded $25,000 after winning the 3M Young Scientist Challenge for discovering a drug that could help treat patients with COVID-19! 3M is an American manufacturing company based in Minnesota.
Chebrolu initially set out to find a cure for infleunza, but shifted gears when the pandemic hit. She said, "I was drawn towards finding effective cures for Influenza disease after a severe bout of the infection last year. I would like to learn more from 3M scientists to pursue my drug development and with their help, would like to conduct in-vitro and in-vivo testing of my lead drug candidate.”
According to the 3M website, Chebrolu used “in-silico methodology for drug discovery to find a molecule that can selectively bind to the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus in an attempt to find a cure for the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Chebrolu was one of ten finalists for the grand prize. Along with the $25,000, she was also awarded an exclusive 3M Mentorship.
Via KSAT