LAHS freshman Arjun Ghosh earned first place in the Senior Division of Pharmacology/Toxicology in the 2021 Orange County Science & Engineering Fair. Arjun’s project was titled, “Investigating Effective Alternatives to Silver-based Pressure Sore Treatments and Other Novel Applications of Gold and Copper Nanoparticles.”
His grandfather recently underwent a major surgery and developed a pressure sore on his lower back (tailbone) that dug deep into his skin to the point where the bone was visible. To help treat the pressure sore, his grandfather was prescribed a silver nanoparticle-based medication.
Because silver nanoparticles are known to have cytotoxic and genotoxic side effects, Arjun wanted to find a safe and effective alternative. He found that nanoparticles such as Gold (AuNPs) and Copper (CuNPs) have antibacterial properties and are biocompatible. Arjun’s project looks to address the silver problem in the medical field by testing the effectiveness of AuNPs and CuNPs as an alternative.
