Audrey Zheng
North Allegheny Senior High School
Pittsburgh, PA
Isolating Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles With Magnetic Nanosphere Cocktail for PDAC Diagnosis
Audrey Zheng, 17, of Wexford, developed a way to detect pancreatic cancer for her Regeneron Science Talent Search bioengineering project.
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Pancreatic cancer is asymptomatic in its early stages and is difficult to diagnose early. Most cells regularly release packets of information called vesicles into the blood. In her project, Audrey focused on vesicles as a way to detect pancreatic cancer earlier. She used a set of three antibodies that bind cancer-linked molecules as a way to separate cancer vesicles from normal ones. She then analyzed DNA from these vesicles to identify KRAS mutations, which are common in pancreatic cancer.
Her method correctly identified 87% of people who had pancreatic cancer and 87.5% of people who did not have pancreatic cancer. Early diagnosis could lead to better patient outcomes.
The child of Ming Ni and Siyang Zheng, Audrey attends North Allegheny Senior High School, where she is the co-president of the math and physics club and a captain of the tennis team.
Beyond the Project
Audrey is the founder and president of nonprofit The Food Lounge Pittsburgh, where she has organized over 50 events to gather volunteers at food banks and food kitchens.
FUN FACTS: Audrey is developing a portable device using magnetic nanosphere technology to detect food allergens.
