Jonathan Yan
Sage Hill School
Newport Beach, CA
Bioinformatic Discovery of the Transsulfuration Pathway in Metastatic Cancer
Jonathan Yan, 18, of Irvine, studied how cancer cells spread to other organs (metastasize) for his Regeneron Science Talent Search computational biology and bioinformatics project.
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When cancer spreads, it becomes more difficult to treat. In his project, Jonathan built a data integration and analysis workflow to analyze data from 479 human cancer cell lines about how the cells use energy and nutrients and whether these cancer cells spread. He found that cancer cells that metastasize use energy and nutrients differently and that the transsulfuration pathway was highly active in metastatic cancers.
This pathway converts one amino acid into another to make antioxidants and protect cells. When he blocked it in cancer cell lines, the cancer cells didn’t spread. Understanding how cancer spreads and how to stop it can lead to more effective treatments.
The child of Hua Yan and Mei Kong, Jonathan attends Sage Hill School (Newport Coast), where he plays ice hockey and flute. As president of his school’s DreamCatchers Foundation chapter, he helps fulfill end-of-life wishes for hospice patients.
Beyond the Project
Jonathan is passionate about cyclist safety. He created an app and hardware prototype that alerts cyclists about dangerous objects like cars approaching from their blind spots.
FUN FACTS: Jonathan has played ice hockey for more than nine years. Since he started the sport, he has played over 300 games.
