17-year-old Iris Shen uses clams to test blood-cancer drugs, wins $150,000 prize

Iris ShenPhoto: Society for Science Iris Shen, a 17-year-old student from The Woodlands, Texas, has earned third place and a $150,000 award in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search for an unusually creative approach to blood-cancer research. Instead of relying only on conventional laboratory models, Shen tested a potential cancer drug in clams to determine whether these animals could serve as an animal model for blood-cancer drug discovery. According to Society for Science and Regeneron, the drug produced an effect in the clams similar to that observed in human cells, while a combination of other potential cancer drugs slowed the clams’ tumour growth.Her work stands out because it connects marine biology, cancer biology, and drug testing in a way that could eventually help researchers screen treatments more efficiently. The award recognises not only a promising result, but also the originality of asking whether an unexpected organism could help answer an urgent medical question. Read more details about Iris and her discovery here:A young researcher with a bold ideaShen’s project began with a practical challenge in cancer research: scientists need reliable models to test whether ...