Sarah Hassan Habib Al-Abdullatif and Rand Essam Zain Al-Abidin are still in the prime of their lives. They are almost no more than 18 years old. Their beginning was an ambitious dream between two friends, and their end was participating in a global event the size of Intel ISEF!

They were able to invent a promising method to fight cancerous tumors, with which they participated in the National Olympiad for Scientific Creativity “Ibd’a”, as a result of which they were nominated by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity “Mawhiba” to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which was held in the United States of America in 2012.

I became more interested in science, searching for answers and conducting experiments.

Sarah and Rand Project:

 Sarah and Rand began researching the possibility of suppressing cancerous tumors that contain the p16 gene, which is the gene that inactivates the enzyme cyclin-D-cyclin dependent kinase 4 or 6 and the retinablastoma protein that causes cell division, and removing the mutated gene with restriction enzymes and injecting a virus containing the normal gene in order to modify the cell cycle, thus preventing the development of cancer cells. They indicated that they took steps to verify the validity of their idea, by researching the specifications and function of the gene, restriction enzymes, methods of injecting the gene, analyzing similar research, consulting scientists, and conducting an experiment in a virtual laboratory.

Continue and continue:

Despite the difficulties that Sarah and Rand faced, this did not prevent them from continuing their path in the field of research, with the support of their families, their school, and scientists specialized in this field, in addition to the sponsorship of “Mawhiba”, which nominated them to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

We will develop our thinking skills if we question everything around us.

A turning point, and the beginning of a bigger leap:

 Sarah and Rand confirmed that working on preparing this innovation and participating in it globally was a turning point in their scientific career. Sarah said: “It was a wonderful experience during which I was able to meet distinguished people and read interesting research, which increased my self-confidence and made me more interested in science, searching for answers and conducting experiments.” Rand confirmed that her participation in the “Intel International Exhibition” changed her way of thinking, and she began to look at everything around her, wonder about the details of everything that happened, and think of ways to solve the problems around her. Rand did not forget the moment when the Saudi flag was raised at the exhibition, and she said: “It was a participation filled with joy, especially when I stood on stage and raised the Saudi flag in front of all the attendees, and I felt so proud of my Saudi sisters and brothers when they won.”

 Every problem has a solution. Discovery is to look for these solutions.