Meet the High School Sophomore Using AI to Revolutionize Cancer Detection
Dear Austin LangChain Community,
Sometimes, innovation comes from unexpected places. At our March meeting, 15-year-old Venika Kakarla, a sophomore at Round Rock High School, stunned our community with her sophisticated AI approach to cancer research.
From Personal Loss to Medical Breakthrough
After losing her grandfather to hepatocellular carcinoma (HTC), a fatal liver cancer that's the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, Vinika set out to make a difference. She combined her interests in artificial intelligence and molecular biology to tackle a challenge that even established researchers find daunting: analyzing how mutations in the P53 protein affect cancer progression.
Extraordinary Results from an Extraordinary Mind
The numbers speak for themselves:
• Traditional methods: $10,000+ in lab costs, 2,500+ hours of computation time
• Venika's AI model: 3 minutes, with 96-99% accuracy
Her innovative approach combines three machine learning techniques:
A Deep Neural Network that classifies whether mutations stabilize or destabilize the protein
An XGBoost model that predicts precise stability values
A Graph Convolutional Network that analyzes how mutated proteins interact with DNA
Built with Accessible Tools
Perhaps most remarkable: Vinika built this entire system using Google Colab—free, cloud-based resources available to anyone. No specialized hardware, no expensive lab equipment.
"You did amazing work with great results on zero resources. So terribly impressive," noted our own Colin McNamara during the Q&A.
What's Next?
Venika plans to create a web-based interface that would make her model accessible to researchers worldwide, potentially accelerating discoveries across multiple cancer types, as P53 is central to many cancers beyond HTC.
Watch the Full Presentation
We encourage everyone to watch Venika's full presentation on our YouTube channel:
It's a powerful reminder of why we do this work—and that groundbreaking innovation can come from anywhere, including the mind of a determined high school student with a personal mission.
Join Us Next Month
Inspired by what you see? Join us for next month's meeting where we'll feature more innovative applications of AI across different domains. Register at https://www.meetup.com/austin-langchain-ai-group/ .
Stay innovative,
The Austin LangChain Team