A Poly student is presenting her research at a big biotech conference

The next generation of Baltimore biotech innovators continues to show promise.
A student from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute is heading to San Diego, Ca., this weekend to compete in the International BioGENEius Challenge.
High school junior Rebecca Brody is one of 15 finalists to compete in the competition, which is held during the BIO 17 conference.
Brody’s research is focusing on producing cells that could be used to replace blood vessels that were damaged by injury or disease.
“I am looking at how to grow blood vessels in a lab from a changeable cell type. I am specifically looking at how this cell type functions in low oxygen environments. This could be used in the future to create blood vessels grafts for people with damaged blood vessels,” she wrote in response to our request for a description in layman’s terms.
The students are competing for $7,500 in prize money. The competition begins Sunday.