Xu’s science star rising

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This article was published 17/09/2014 (4215 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michael Xu has a passion for the sciences, and his dedication has made him one of Canada’s brightest young minds in cancer research.

After picking up gold in his first trip to the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF), Xu, who got the rare chance to go a second time, followed that up with a silver this past May in Windsor, Ont. The silver-medal win came with a $2,000 entrance scholarship to university. Last year, he won gold at the CWSF.

The CWSF brings together Canada’s most ingenious young minds each year. Finalists from regional contests from across the country come out to compete on the national stage.

Not bad for a guy who only got in touch with his passion for science a couple of years ago.

“I was going into my Grade 11 year, that is when I became fascinated and intrigued by molecular biology,” Xu said.

Two of Xu’s projects went to the national level, gaining recognition from some of the country’s top scientists.

According to Xu’s Science Fair page, his current project “isolates circulating tumor cells (CTCs) using a size-based filter device; the captured CTCs undergo three-dimensional (3D) nuclear telomere imaging and automated scanning (Teloscan).”

“It focuses on intermediate risk prostate cancer patients, right now in Manitoba about 700 are diagnosed each year,” Xu said.

Using the quantitative analysis of 3D telomeric signatures of CTCs, it is possible to characterize intermediate risk prostate cancer, identify patient subgroups, and improve individualized treatment in the clinics for prostate cancer patients.

“We isolated and stained the prostate cancer cell’s DNA so we could observe the molecular changes that chromosomes endure,” Xu said. “Our results found trends that suggest variations in the length and number of a specific component in DNA — the telomere — may instigate cancer progression. Knowledge of the cell biology of cancer may develop and improve the prognostication of future patients in clinical management.”

Xu said the process would be helpful in terms of preventative care.

“The medical system is good at helping patients who have a set disease. (This) is aimed to improve preventative medicine,” Xu said. “A problem right now is that doctors aren’t sure to diagnose a patient with a stable cancer or an aggressive cancer. Oftentimes, you have people getting over-treated with a stable cancer and under-treated with an aggressive form.”

At 18 years of age, Xu has already had his work on prostate cancer research recognized by the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists, a national scientific and professional society representing clinical biochemists across Canada.

Xu won the society’s inaugural award given to an individual who has shown excellence in the field of biomedical research.

Now a student at the University of Manitoba after graduating from St. John’s Ravenscourt this past spring, Xu is looking forward to what the future has in store for him.

“After university, my life goal is to get into the field of medical diagnostics,” he said. “I feel that this is my core competency, so I feel I should stretch this as much as I can. Whether it is as a physician or a researcher, I am going to dedicate my life to individualized medicine.”

In his spare time, Xu volunteers at CancerCare Manitoba, the United Way and initiated a clothing drive for RaY (Resource Assistance for Youth) and enjoys basketball.

“Michael is highly motivated and very interested in the research work,” said Dr. Sabine Mai, who Xu has spent the past three summers with at CancerCare, working in Mai’s lab. “He wants to learn and understand both the research and the clinical challenges. He is deeply dedicated to cancer research and enjoys it. He is very talented and, if he continues to deepen his knowledge, can go very far.”