Edward Kang
Bergen County Academies
Hackensack, NJ
RetinaMind: Novel In Silico and In Vitro Retinal Models of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Edward Kang, 17, of Hackensack, developed AI models to screen for neurodevelopmental disorders using images of the eye for his Regeneron Science Talent Search neuroscience project.
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Getting a diagnosis for autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder can take months or years. Because the eye and brain develop from the same tissues, previous studies have shown that these conditions are linked to differences in the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye.
In his project, Edward used retinal images from a large public dataset to train AI models to find these differences. He improved the models by combining several approaches and studying what influenced their predictions. He tested the models as a screening tool and built a prototype, called RetinaMind, to show how it might work. He also created a retinal cell model to study gene changes that may help explain the differences and validated his results in a second cell model.
The child of Eun Young Shim and Sanghyeon Kang, Edward attends Bergen County Academies, where he is a member of his class council and is the safety co-chair and judge for his middle school science fair.
Beyond the Project
Edward earned second place in the International Research Olympiad and co-founded a club where he teaches peers how to interpret research.
FUN FACTS:Edward is a baritone in the New Jersey All-State Mixed Chorus and has performed at Carnegie Hall. He serves as a counselor at a summer camp for homeless children.
