One of my favorite things about being Chief Medical Officer of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is getting to meet so many bright young people committed to changing the world for blood cancer patients and their families. Whether they’re participating in one of our fundraising campaigns or events, telling their stories to lawmakers as advocates on Capitol Hill, participating in LLS on Campus programs at colleges across the country, or getting involved in any other number of ways, they are taking bold action to help those impacted by cancer live longer, better lives.
At a time when cuts to research and healthcare policies are setting back progress for patients, these impressive young people fill me with hope. They have the potential to be tomorrow’s leaders in cancer care and cures—our future researchers, physicians, legislators, healthcare professionals, and patient advocates—and we at LLS want to make sure they feel encouraged, supported, and connected.
That’s why I’m kicking off this new blog series called Student Trailblazers. In each one I’ll introduce you to a rising young star who is pushing limits and breaking barriers in their quest to drive forward our mission to cure blood cancer and improve the lives of all patients and their families.
I’m inspired by what these young students are doing, and I know you will be too!
Meet Sandeep Sawhney, 18 – Cancer Researcher and Philanthropist
There aren’t too many high school kids who can say they’re cancer researchers, yet Sandeep Sawhney has been conducting oncology research projects since the summer of his sophomore year at Herricks High School in New Hyde Park, New York. “My high school is a guiding force for students,” he says. “They encourage you to go after opportunities. So I reached out to researchers at local universities doing work that interested me. I was basically just a random kid who emailed them, saying I was interested in their work and would love to join them in the lab. The lab at New York University took me on and the researchers there became my mentors.”
This year as a senior, Sandeep was a finalist in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, developing a prototype for a better way to deliver gallium-based drugs, which may show promise in treating cancer. Sandeep also was a 2025 Student Visionaries of the Year candidate, leading twelve of his peers on team Cancer Busters, which collectively raised over $30,000, of which Sandeep personally raised nearly $19,500.
I talked with Sandeep the day after his high school graduation last month, to learn more about his research, his fundraising and what’s next. Here are highlights from our conversation.
How’d you get interested in cancer research?
Many years ago, I lost my grandfather to prostate cancer. It wasn’t actually the cancer that killed him, though—it was the toxicity of the chemotherapy he was treated with. It weakened his body so much. That’s why I wanted to devote my research to advancing more targeted cancer treatments that can kill cancer cells without harming the rest of the body.
You explored something called gallium-based cancer therapy in your bioengineering project for the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Tell me more about that project.
Gallium cancer therapy is a relatively new field. I studied gallium ions, which are metals that are interesting in the way they inhibit and destroy cancerous cells. They block the transport of iron, which is needed for cancer to grow. Gallium also has the ability to enter cells and trigger the process of apoptosis, the body’s way of getting rid of unwanted cells. In cancer, apoptosis doesn’t happen as it should, and abnormal cells are able to divide and multiply rapidly.
Gallium-based drugs have the potential of being used as a targeted cancer treatment if we can figure out a better way to deliver them in the body. The current method uses gel capsules, but these powerful drugs are dissolving the capsules before they reach their target, damaging healthy cells along the way. I wanted to develop a better container for delivering these drugs, using artificial DNA crystals (also known as DNA nanotechnology) to replace the current gel-capsule system.
I was able to design and engineer the first-ever DNA container prototype to hold gallium—a major step towards effective gallium cancer therapy. Though modifications and more research will be needed to give my DNA container the ability to actually target tumors, this has been an important first step.
Congratulations on being a finalist! That’s incredibly impressive to manage while also applying to colleges, doing your other extracurriculars, and leading a Student Visionaries of the Year team. What made you get involved with Student Visionaries?
Last year in 2024 when I was a junior, my friend Pratham recruited me to his Student Visionaries of the Year team, Plasma Partners. Not only was it a really cool opportunity to raise money for cancer research, it was so rewarding and turned out to be one of the biggest extracurriculars on my college applications. So when I had the opportunity to lead a team this year, I formed team Cancer Busters.
This year, you were fundraising as a Student Visionary of the Year candidate at a time when NIH research was being massively cut. Were you able to leverage your research experience in your personal fundraising pitches?
Yes. I was able to establish credibility because I already had a lot of experience in oncology research. I’ve done it, and I know how expensive it can be. It was a persuasive way to show how donations help research and patients. Every dollar counts!
What was the most challenging thing about being a Student Visionaries of the Year candidate?
Time management—especially in my senior year when I was making sure my grades were good, juggling other activities, and going to research competitions. I just had to embed LLS into everything else I was doing. Anytime I interacted with anyone, I talked about my campaign, and the value of donating to LLS.
What’s next for you? Do you think you’ll stay in the drug development arena in college, or are you going to keep your options open?
I’m going to the University of Michigan School of Engineering. I’m going in with an open mind because I just don’t know if I want to go into biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or some other type. I am a person who loves to keep my options open. Michigan has so much to offer across so many disciplines.
How are you planning to continue your research at Michigan? Do you have a connection there? Or are you going to take your first semester of course work and talk to folks to find out who’s a good mentor? What’s your plan?
A lot of kids from my high school go to Michigan, so I’ve talked to a lot upperclassmen already there about how to get a mentor. And I’ve personally contacted some mentors, but they basically all say the the same thing: “Get here and then we’ll talk.” As far as continuing my current research, I don’t know if I can do that yet, but I can definitely propose the idea again and hopefully get the ball rolling. But first I really want to see what research projects are already going on at Michigan and see if I can get involved in the ones that interest me.
That’s exactly what I did when I was a student. You want to get there and meet people and get the lowdown on different labs and what they’re doing and see what gets your juices flowing. But before that, what are you going to do this summer before you head off to college?
I’m going back to the lab at NYU where I’ve done my research. I’m training new high school students there and sharing my story. Many of them would like to enter research competitions too, so I give them tips and tricks. And I’m also doing a DNA crystal engineering project in the lab to see what else can be done with DNA nanotechnology. The lab has become my second home at this point. I just love it.
You’re continuously learning, and that’s terrific! When you get to college, I hope you’ll consider getting involved in our LLS on Campus program. It’s a great way to stay connected with all types of students on a big campus like Michigan and meet some other people who aren’t scientists. I remember that being one of my toughest problems at college—meeting other people who weren’t doing the same thing as me. It’s hard to do when you’re in the lab all the time. So, I certainly recommend it.
With the engineering school being all the way on north campus, we’re definitely isolated so that sounds like a great opportunity!
Thanks so much for your time, Sandeep, and good luck to you. I hope that in four or five years we can be giving you an LLS research grant!
That would be a dream!
PHOTO COURTESY OF: Society for Science/Chris Ayers Photography
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As LLS's Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Gwen Nichols, M.D., plays a critical role in advancing cures through a unique combination of clinical, academic and pharmaceutical experience. She oversees LLS's scientific research portfolio, patient services and policy and advocacy initiatives. Dr. Nichols leads an international team of preeminent leaders in pediatric acute leukemia to conceive, develop and implement LLS PedAL, a first of its kind global master clinical trial and a key component of the Dare to Dream Project, transforming treatment and care for kids with blood cancer.
A physician and scientific researcher, Dr. Nichols has dedicated her career to advancing cures for cancers. Before joining LLS, she was oncology site head of the Roche Translational Clinical Research Center, where she worked to develop new cancer therapies, translating them from the laboratory to clinical trials. Prior to joining Roche in 2007, Dr. Nichols was at Columbia University for more than ten years, where she served as the director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program.
While at Columbia University, Dr. Nichols maintained an active clinical practice and received the prestigious honors of "Physician of the Year" from Columbia University and the "Humanism in Medicine Award" from the American Association of Medical Colleges.