12-year-old girl from Knoxville Tennessee has devised a computer programme which could help doctors prevent a dangerous reaction to medicines. Sofia Tomov is one of the finalists in the 2016 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a prestigious science competition for middle school students. Tomov’s algorithm can be used by doctors as they screen patients to find out whether a particular patient is reactive to medicines as part of their routine medical care. The program’s purpose would be to identify any genetic mutations which could trigger a dangerous or possibly fatal reaction to prescribed drugs. According to the latest figures adverse reaction to drugs is the fourth most common cause of death in the United States. Sofia, whose ambition is to get a doctorate in computer science and start her own company, admits that there is more work to be done before her initiative can be implemented. “So far [scientists] have not found a feasible solution because the algorithms are taking too long to run on a 6 billion base-long genome,” she explains on A Mighty Girl’s Facebook page. “For patients in emergency situations such as a heart attack or a seizure, this is a huge health risk.” This is not even Sofia’s first invention. She has already filed a provisional patent for a device to prevent disposed drugs entering the water supply.
