Student’s $200 device for space wound healing is finalist

Leanne Fan, an 18-year-old from San Diego, has been named a finalist in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search for her research on using red light therapy to heal wounds in microgravity. The Westview High School student built her own device for about $200 to simulate microgravity, instead of using a NASA clinostat that costs $50,000.

Fan treated injured flatworms in simulated microgravity with 660-nanometre red light. The treatment increased tissue regeneration by 95.2%. Tests on human cell wound models showed that the light increased cell migration by 29.4% under normal gravity. The Society for Science said the work could help develop treatments for remote areas, natural disasters, and space missions.

Fan's project was chosen from over 2,600 entries, the largest applicant pool for the competition since 1967. She plans to continue the research to understand how photobiomodulation works at a biological level. Her earlier projects include using AI and blue light to detect and treat ear infections.