2025 PUGS Case Competition: Age-Related Diseases

The 2025 PUGS Case Competition is the first-ever research case competition organized by the Physiology and Pharmacology Undergraduate Society (PUGS) at Western University. This competition served as an opportunity for competitors to gain critical research analysis skills. Teams of two to four undergraduates were paired with a graduate student mentor and presented a novel research proposal that aligned with the competition’s theme: Age-Related Diseases (ARD). The competition spanned from March 14, 2025 to March 24, 2025, culminating in a case competition day, where top teams presented their solutions. Abstracts and presentations explored innovative approaches to diagnosing or treating an ARD of choice, which may include modifying existing disease treatment or incorporating a novel component to overcome its shortcomings. Over 100 participants submitted abstracts proposing solutions across interdisciplinary fields, including Physiology and Pharmacology, Synthetic Biology, Pathology, Health Sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular Biology and Genetics, and Artificial Intelligence. The top 50% of winning submissions are featured in this conference abstract booklet, with the top six teams delivering additional oral presentations. Awards were presented to the top three teams. Abstract and presentation scoring was facilitated by a panel of faculty judges from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.