We are delighted to announce that Serena Jacob’s (Year 9) project, DM2.Prevent, has reached the finals of the Big Bang Competition 2021, and will now compete for the prize of GSK UK Young Engineer of the year 2021.

Serena has been working extremely hard on creating an app to stratify risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes in individuals, with strategies about how to reduce risk and even prevent the condition if diagnosed early. She has undertaken extensive research and received advice and support from former BGS parent, Mrs Charlotte Lucas, during the course of the year via video conferencing. Mrs Lucas is a pharmacist and researcher with a specialty in Diabetes 2 prevention.

Serena reflected on the project: “I have created an app to prevent or even treat the commonest metabolic disease worldwide, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. My app targets reversible risk factors for this disease and provides ways to reduce those risks. Based on data inputted by the user, the app calculates personalised risk scores and generates a user-specific plan to reduce their risk. I have also added links to useful websites for individuals to seek out more information as needed.

“I believe this app can make a noticeable difference to our generation, especially given the soaring rates of obesity, and will help improve people’s lifestyles, ultimately lowering their risk of getting a variety of other diseases that are associated with diabetes, such as blindness, strokes, heart attacks and cancer.

“Science has always fascinated me. In this project I have been able to combine my love for human biology with furthering my tech and coding skills. When a close family friend was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, I wanted to learn more about how it could be tackled. I became curious about whether it could have been prevented in the first place and did lots of research into the topic. I was wowed by what I discovered: that not only can Type 2 Diabetes be prevented but it can even be reversed if people change their lifestyles significantly. Apps provide a powerful way to motivate and empower people. In this way, I believe my app is a unique product which can make a real difference to the lives of many.”

Serena is supported by Dr Swope (Physics Teacher and STEM Coordinator). The DM2.Prevent app is a work in progress. and will contribute to Serena’s STEM Crest Award Project.  At this stage, Serena has used her Python programming skills to create a working version of her app on a web-based browser. The next stage of the project will be to migrate this work to portable Android and IOS devices.