Diabetes affects over 500 million people worldwide, making it one of the most pressing health challenges of our time. Despite major advances in medicine, for decades testing has meant invasive, painful, and discouraging finger pricks—a daily burden that many patients describe as both physically uncomfortable and emotionally draining. For Muhammad Rean, a student at New Utrecht High School and a proud YRI Fellow, this wasn’t just a statistic—it was family.
He grew up watching his mother and uncles prick their fingers every day, living under the constant weight of fear, complications, and stress. For them, testing wasn’t just a medical necessity—it was a reminder of vulnerability. For Rean, witnessing this routine sparked a determination to create something better. That personal pain turned into purpose when he entered the YRI Fellowship, where he gained the mentorship, resources, and structure to transform a bold idea into groundbreaking science.
Rean’s project, “AI-Powered Non-invasive Diabetes Diagnosis and Prediction using Sweat Biomarkers,” is nothing short of revolutionary. Instead of relying on blood, he tapped into sweat as a diagnostic fluid—a source that scientists have long considered promising but underutilized. Sweat carries a wealth of biomarkers such as glucose, sodium, pH, and lactate, all of which correlate with metabolic and diabetic conditions. By combining these signals with artificial intelligence, Rean created a system that doesn’t just diagnose diabetes—it predicts future risk and even generates personalized lifestyle recommendations.
That’s the kind of ambitious, world-changing research the YRI Fellowship at yriscience.com was built to nurture.
The system Rean designed integrates advanced machine learning models like Random Forest, XGBoost, and Support Vector Machines, each chosen for its ability to handle complex biomedical data. His pipeline even includes a risk prediction module powered by Gradient Boosting Regressor, which generates continuous risk scores for diabetes onset. Going beyond diagnostics, Rean added a personalized recommendation engine that translates AI outputs into practical lifestyle guidance—such as adjustments in exercise, diet, or rest.
Imagine a world where patients don’t just react to complications after they occur, but instead receive early warnings and actionable advice to prevent them before they even begin. This is exactly the future that YRI Fellows are trained to create: one where science doesn’t just describe the world but reshapes it.
Rean’s passion was fueled not only by science but also by empathy. “When I learned that sweat could be used instead of blood to detect biomarkers linked to diabetes, it felt like a breakthrough,” he shared. “I wanted to build something that would make testing simple, painless, and accessible while giving people hope and a better chance at taking control of their health.”
This kind of personal drive, when combined with YRI’s PhD-level mentorship and world-class structure, leads to projects that don’t just win science fairs—they stand on the edge of real-world deployment. YRI coaches its Fellows to think beyond the lab bench, asking not only, “Can this work?” but also, “How can this change lives?”
Future plans for Rean’s project reflect this vision. He intends to pursue real-world data collection, integrate his pipeline with wearable devices, and push toward clinical validation—all steps necessary for mass deployment on mobile health platforms. If successful, his innovation could put painless diabetes testing into the hands of millions, turning smartphones and wearables into life-saving diagnostic tools.
In the words of YRI leadership, this is precisely why the Fellowship exists: to empower high schoolers to tackle challenges that even seasoned researchers sometimes shy away from. By providing elite mentorship, accountability systems, and a global research community, YRI transforms raw ambition into world-class innovation.
Rean’s story illustrates the magic formula in action: one determined student, one painful personal story, and the right ecosystem—the YRI Fellowship—that transforms vision into impact. It’s a pattern echoed across YRI: students who start with curiosity or personal motivation end up producing research that lands in journals, conference stages, and even global headlines.
For diabetes patients worldwide, the promise of Rean’s work is profound. No more painful finger pricks. No more hesitating to test. Instead, a painless, accessible, AI-powered system that can diagnose, predict, and guide. For families like his own, that could mean less fear and more control.
The bigger message is clear: the next generation of scientists isn’t waiting to contribute. With the right mentorship and support, high schoolers like Muhammad Rean are already designing the future of medicine.
If you want your student to break barriers, publish research, and make history while still in high school, the next step is simple: apply to the YRI Fellowship today at yriscience.com.
