Maharishi School · ISEF 2026
Detecting Neurodegeneration
From Tears
How one graduating senior’s research could transform Alzheimer’s detection for millions
🥈 2nd Place · ISEF 2026 -Translational Medical Science
Every year, millions of families watch a loved one slip away to Alzheimer’s disease — a thief of memory and self that affects approximately 55 million people worldwide. The tragedy is compounded by the reality of diagnosis: detecting neurodegeneration typically requires expensive neuroimaging or painful cerebrospinal fluid collection, procedures that are out of reach for many communities, particularly those in rural or underserved areas. A Maharishi School graduating senior decided that wasn’t good enough.
At the 2026 International Science and Engineering Fair, she earned 2nd Place in Translational Medical Science for her project, Detecting Neurodegeneration From Tears — research that proposes a radically simpler, cheaper, and more accessible path to early Alzheimer’s detection: a test strip that reads your tears.
“Standard detection methods often require specialized facilities and painful procedures, which can be costly, making early detection and treatment inaccessible to many.”
ISEF Project Summary · TMED043 – The Science: What Tears Can Tell Us
At the heart of the research is a biomarker called tau protein. In diseases like Alzheimer’s, tau proteins accumulate abnormally in the brain — but crucially, they also appear in tears. This opens a remarkable non-invasive window into what is happening neurologically, without a single needle or scanner.Rather than using traditional antibodies to detect these proteins — which are expensive and unstable — the project engineered molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), synthetic molecules designed to bind specifically to tau proteins through a carefully controlled polymerization process.
These MIPs were then embedded into nitrocellulose membrane strips, creating a lateral flow assay similar in concept to a home pregnancy test, but capable of identifying tau protein concentrations at the nanomolar level.The result is analyzed using a colorimetric reaction and processed through imaging software — making it readable without laboratory infrastructure or specialized training.How It Works — The Science Unpacked
🧬 Tau Proteins
Proteins linked to Alzheimer’s pathology that appear in tears, serving as accessible biomarkers for neurodegeneration without invasive procedures.
🔬 Molecularly Imprinted Polymers
Synthetic receptors engineered to recognize and bind specific target proteins — offering stability and specificity comparable to antibodies at a fraction of the cost.
📋Lateral Flow Assay
A strip-based testing format — similar to a rapid antigen test — that allows results to be obtained quickly without laboratory equipment or trained technicians.
🎨 Colorimetric Detection
A BCA colorimetric reaction produces a visible color change that can be analyzed with standard imaging software, making results accessible anywhere in the world.
Why It Matters
The numbers speak for themselves. This assay is 96% more cost-effective than amyloid PET scans — currently one of the gold standards for Alzheimer’s detection. It requires no trained technicians, no advanced facilities, and no invasive procedures. For families in rural Iowa, for communities in the developing world, for the millions who cannot afford the diagnostic status quo, this kind of innovation isn’t incremental — it’s transformational.96% More cost-effective than amyloid PET scans — the current standard55 M People worldwide living with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s0↑ Specialized facilities, trained technicians, or painful procedures required.
A Legacy of Science, Year One — The Beginning
A Maharishi School student first walks into the International Science and Engineering Fair, one of the world’s most prestigious pre-college science competitions, joining a field of over 1,800 finalists from 60+ countries.
Years Two through Six — A Pattern of Excellence
Year after year, she returns. Year after year, she earns recognition. Each project builds on the last — a researcher honing her curiosity, deepening her methodology, and expanding her understanding of what science can do in service of human health.
Year Seven — ISEF 2026, 2nd Place, Translational Medical Science
As a graduating senior, she presents research with real-world implications for Alzheimer’s detection — and earns one of the top honors at the world’s largest pre-college science fair. A final bow. An extraordinary one.
What a Maharishi Education Makes Possible
The project — project code TMED043 — is a testament not just to scientific talent, but to what becomes possible when a student is given the time, support, and environment to develop their full potential. At Maharishi School, students are encouraged to pursue curiosity deeply, not just broadly. The kind of sustained focus required to return to ISEF seven times, to push a single field of inquiry further with each passing year, is cultivated — not accidental.
As our community celebrates her achievement and her upcoming graduation, we are reminded of why this work matters. Science is not just about discovery. It is about service — to people we will never meet, in communities we may never visit, who deserve access to the same quality of care as anyone else. She understood that from the start.
The world is ready for you.
Congratulations to our graduating senior on an extraordinary seven-year journey at ISEF, and on earning 2nd Place in Translational Medical Science at ISEF 2026. We have no doubt that the research you’ve done here is only the beginning. Go change the world.
Read the full project profile at ISEF.net →
Published by Maharishi School · Fairfield, Iowa · maharishischool.org
ISEF 2026
Medical Science
Alzheimer’s Research
Student Achievement
STEM
Class of 2026
Maharishi School