Alex Bytheway takes part in national final
Year 13 scientist Alex Bytheway has been speaking about his experience at the National Science and Engineering final, which took place at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham:
"It was a great experience and one that I enjoyed immensely.
“Although I didn’t win the competition I got a lot out of it and I had a lot of fun throughout the whole event.
“It is currently estimated that over half a million people die of malaria every year and this figure is expected to rise.
“The current medications that we use to treat malaria are becoming ineffective due to a problem known as malarial resistance (similar to antibiotic resistance) and the number of mosquitoes that carry the parasite are on the rise.
“The project I was part of has found a method for extracting haemanthamine from daffodils, making the manufacture cost effective.
“This means that it is now possible for the drug to be used as a cure for malaria.
“Samples are currently under clinical investigation, with the hope that it will be soon a new anti-malarial drug on the market to replace the current ones.”
In addition to taking part in the competition, Alex was part of a successful world record attempt with Water Aid, which also included Gadget Show presenter Jason Bradbury.