Young Scientist Brings Space Healing Home

Leanne Fan, an 18‑year‑old senior from Westview High School in San Diego, has turned her bedroom into a mini laboratory. She built a low‑cost device that spins samples to mimic the weightlessness astronauts feel in orbit, allowing her to study how living cells respond when gravity is absent. Instead of sending expensive experiments to space, Fan uses this “clinostat” to keep her planarian worms – tiny freshwater creatures that can regrow lost body parts – in a constant state of free‑fall. The worms’ cells are kept guessing, which makes them ideal for testing new therapies. Her main focus is a type of red‑light treatment known as photobiomodulation. In Earth‑like conditions, the light helps worms regrow their heads 40 % faster. When she spins them in her device, the regeneration speed nearly doubles. She also observed that human skin cells move 30 % quicker across a simulated wound under the same light, hinting at faster healing for astronauts who can’t get regular medical care.

Fan’s curiosity started during the pandemic when she built a blue‑light box to disinfect groceries. She then wondered what the opposite end of the spectrum could do, leading her to research red light and its effects on living tissue. Her science teacher praised her self‑taught skills, noting that Leanne already knew how to communicate and inspire classmates because she edits the school newspaper. When she hit roadblocks – from finding a lab to buying 200 worms – she pivoted, using household items and discarded furniture parts to craft her device. Now she is one of 40 finalists out of more than 2, 600 entrants in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. The competition will take place next month in Washington, where she can meet scientists and present her work. A prize of $25, 000 is awarded to each finalist, with a grand total of $250, 000 for the winner. If she wins, Leanne plans to use the money to study her light therapy on real human cells in low‑Earth orbit, a step toward her goal of becoming both a medical doctor and a researcher.

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