Pittsburgh-Area High Schooler Awarded For Pancreatic Cancer Research

PITTSBURGH, PA — A Pittsburgh-area high school senior who has developed a blood test for detecting pancreatic cancer has been awarded a $50,000 scholarship for her work.

Zheng, a North Allegheny High School student, is receiving the Davidson Fellows Scholarship for the science project, titled Targeted Isolation of Tumor Derived Extracellular Vesicles Using a Cocktail of Magnetic Nanospheres for Minimally Invasive Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis.

“Being named a Davidson Fellow is an incredible honor,” Zheng said. “I’m immensely grateful for this opportunity and excited to join such a passionate community of young innovators who share that same curiosity and drive. This recognition inspires me to continue taking on challenging problems that can improve people’s lives.”

Zheng's project uses magnetic nanospheres equipped with three cancer recognizing antibodies to selectively capture extracellular vesicles released by pancreatic cancer cells. Her findings potentially could contribute to earlier and more accessible pancreatic cancer detection.

That's important because pancreatic cancer rarely is diagnosed until it has spread to other organs. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate of pancreatic cancer patients is just 13 percent.

Science for Society reported that Zheng's method correctly identified 87 percent of people who had pancreatic cancer and 87.5 percent of people who were not afflicted by it.

In addition to her scientific endeavors, Zheng is the founder of The Food Lounge, a nonprofit organization formed in 2021 with the goals of reducing food waste in the United States and distributing food freely to families and individual in need.

Zheng plans to attend Stanford University.