SAN DIEGO, CA - Student board member Leanne Fan has been named a finalist in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s most prestigious science competition for high school seniors. Selected from more than 2,600 entrants (the largest applicant pool since 1967) Leanne now stands among a small group of students recognized nationally for the originality, creativity, and impact of their scientific research.
Leanne’s project tackles a challenge first identified by NASA: wounds don’t heal properly in space, putting astronauts at risk during missions where medical supplies are limited. “I tested photobiomodulation, a technique that uses red or near-infrared light to trigger biological effects,” she explained. “Since I couldn’t test in actual space, I needed to simulate microgravity.” Instead of using NASA’s $50,000 clinostat, Leanne engineered her own version for just $200.
Using planarians (flatworms capable of regenerating body parts) as a wound model, Leanne measured healing rates under different light treatments and also studied human cell migration to ensure her findings could translate to people. “I found that just five minutes of daily photobiomodulation accelerated healing by 47% in normal gravity, 95% under simulated microgravity, and 29% in human cell models,” she said. The implications are far-reaching: “This technology would enable us to build wound healing interventions that cost under a dollar, weigh less than a gram, and require minimal power… even beyond space, photobiomodulation can address critical global health needs.”
The moment she learned she was a finalist was unforgettable. “It’s incredibly exciting and my mind was blown when I got the announcement phone call,” Leanne shared. “I spent months… measuring and decapitating worms late into the night after finishing hours of schoolwork, so… being a finalist makes it feel like my effort paid off.”
Looking ahead, Leanne plans to continue her research to better understand how photobiomodulation works at a biological level. “It’s such an amazing feeling to be able to build and research something with your own two hands that has the potential to help countless people,” she said. “Research has come with so many difficulties… but the more I overcome them, the more comfortable I feel with exploration and pushing the bounds of my comfort, in research but also in life.”
We congratulate Leanne on this remarkable achievement and can’t wait to see where her passion for science leads next.