PMIL Student Claims 4th Place at International Science and Engineering Fair
ZiXiuan (Angel) Xin, a standout student from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, is making waves in the world of biomedical innovation. Her project, titled “An End-to-End AI Hardware Solution for Ophthalmic Diagnostics: Retinal Vessels as a Morphological Target for Segmentation and Early Detection”, earned national recognition at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s most prestigious STEM competition for high school students.
Watch the video recap of her project here:
🎥Angel Xin Regeneron ISEF 2025 Project
Tackling a Growing Global Health Crisis
Angel’s work addresses a dire and growing concern: the global increase in vision impairment caused by diseases like diabetic retinopathy (DR), glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). With over 700 million people projected to be at risk of vision loss by 2040, early and efficient diagnosis has become a critical need; one that traditional eye exams struggle to meet due to high costs and limited accessibility.
A Technological Breakthrough in Ophthalmology
Her project introduces a comprehensive hardware and software solution that integrates artificial intelligence with portable diagnostic tools. Here’s how it works:
Automated DR Classification using retinal vessel segmentation for accurate and non-invasive diagnosis.
Enhanced Visualization Tools to assist ophthalmologists in identifying vascular abnormalities with greater precision.
Portable Fundus Imaging Device that significantly reduces diagnostic costs while increasing reach—especially in low-resource settings.
AI-Compatible Imaging that generates disease-aligned image data, improving interpretability for clinical use.
Angel’s innovation represents a seamless blend of hardware engineering and AI model development, all aimed at democratizing early-stage diagnostic care.
Independent, Impactful, and Certified
As indicated in her official Regeneron ISEF abstract, Angel’s project is the result of independent research and builds upon previous investigation. She also worked directly with human participants and ensured regulatory compliance with federal and state laws through proper institutional protocols. The project’s certification, dated May 10, 2025, attests to the rigor and originality of her work.
Lighting the Way for Future Healthcare Solutions
Angel Xin is not just a high school innovator, she’s a future leader in the biomedical engineering field. By tackling a significant challenge in global health through scalable, AI-driven hardware, she offers a vision for healthcare that is both more accessible and more intelligent.
To learn more about her work and explore other groundbreaking projects from Regeneron ISEF 2025, visit the Society for Science.
