By IGDVS Staff

Instilling Goodness Developing Virtue School is proud to announce that Katherine Wang was recognized as a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar! Regeneron Science Talent Search is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. The top 40 finalists will be announced on January 24 and compete in Washington, D.C. in March. 

The Regeneron Science Talent Search serves as a national platform for students to present their original research in STEM. This year scholars were selected from 2,162 applications all over the world. Each of the 300 scholars and their schools will receive a $2,000 award in acknowledgment of their achievements. https://bit.ly/3S4ohWX #RegeneronSTS

Katherine’s project title is Whole-Genome Variant Detection in Long-Read Sequencing Data From Ultra-Low Input Tumor Samples. She used computational methods to test a new ultra-low input DNA amplification method (ULI), which uses much less input DNA than standard long-read DNA sequencing. When identifying variants in the genome, ULI was found to rival standard long-read sequencing in accuracy and precision. Katherine used this to analyze tumor samples of a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis, a hereditary type of colon cancer, and identified many variants of interest, including a repeat DNA sequence expansion in a gene linked to tumor suppression. Her findings show ULI’s potential for bridging the gap between research and medicine and improving personalized medicine and accessibility with its accuracy and need for less DNA.

Congratulations to Katherine for her outstanding achievement. Her participation in the Regeneron Science Talent Search has not only showcased her dedication and hard work but also highlighted her exceptional talent as a young scientist. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and the novel discoveries she has brought to the national stage. This recognition is well-deserved, and we look forward to witnessing her continued success in the world of medicine and science.