Emma Lee Wen
John L. Miller Great Neck North High School
Great Neck, New York
AUM-302, a Novel Triple PIM/PI3K/mTOR Inhibitor
Emma studied a new drug for pancreatic cancer, an aggressive cancer with limited treatment options.
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Emma Lee Wen, 17, of Great Neck, studied a new pancreatic cancer treatment for her Regeneron Science Talent Search medicine and health project. Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late, has limited treatment options and has a poor five-year survival rate of under 13%. As a cancer survivor herself, Emma searched for better treatment for this aggressive cancer.
She used pancreatic cancer cell lines to create 3D organoids, miniature structures of cancer cells. Emma studied AUM-302, a drug that targets three pathways of cancer progression. She tested it against other possible compounds used to treat pancreatic cancer, which target just one. She showed that AUM-302 killed more cells with smaller doses than current treatments. It shows promise for better pancreatic cancer treatment and possibly improved survival.
Emma, the child of Chihi Lee and Hung Yang Wen, attends John L. Miller Great Neck North High School, where she is a Science Olympiad officer. Emma also volunteers at North Shore University Hospital and the Little Neck-Douglaston Community Ambulance Corps.
Beyond the Project
Inspired by her own battle with cancer, Emma has worked on several projects and attended the International Young Researchers’ Conference in 2022, where she published research on acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
FUN FACTS: Since age 3, Emma has loved to dance. She enjoys portraying emotions and stories through perfected techniques in volunteer performances at nursing homes, museums and street fairs.