Mission high school student investigates role of CVB3
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Updated: September 15, 2009 9:54 AM
Before schools opened this month, Marie Low had already put in some serious study time doing cardiovascular research in Vancouver this summer.
The Grade 12 Mission student was one of 10 young people chosen to participate in the 15th annual High School Summer Research Program with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. & Yukon.
Low was investigating the role of the Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) in heart failure at the iCapture Centre at St. Paul's Hospital. CVB3 is one of the leading causes of viral myocarditis, an inflammation of a muscle in the heart.
"I loved the entire experience. Everything was incredible," said Low. "I will definitely never forget the open-heart surgery. It was a two-month old baby, and its veins weren't connected to the heart properly. We got to watch the surgery live on a TV screen at the Children's Hospital, just down the hall from the surgery room. We saw everything, it was so cool."
The summer program is open to Grade 11 students in B.C. and the Yukon, and is designed to encourage those with a strong interest in biology or medicine to consider a career in cardiovascular research.
Students lived on campus at the University of British Columbia while working individually with a cardiac researcher and each attended an open-heart surgery.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. and Yukon is a leading funder of heart and stroke research in B.C., supporting university and hospital-based cardiovascular research through province-wide fundraising and campaigns.
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