A middle school student team from the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA), working in collaboration with CerFlux has been recognized with a $1,000 Promising STEM Innovation Award in the 2025-2026 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow national competition.

 

Selected from thousands of submissions from all 50 states across the U.S, the ASFA middle school team was honored for its innovative STEM project focused on improving cancer treatment outcomes through precision medicine. The students are tackling one of the most complex challenges in oncology: understanding how the structure of tumors influences why treatments succeed for some patients but fail for others.

 

The project entitled “Human-Relevant Method to Match Cancer Treatments to Tumors” combines biochemistry, digital pathology, and artificial intelligence to analyze the tumor microenvironment using advanced imaging, computational tools, and AI. By studying how tumor structure relates to treatment response, the team aims to contribute to future human-relevant approaches that better match cancer treatments to individual patients.

 

“This recognition shows what’s possible when students are introduced to complex scientific problems early and are trusted to solve them with their natural curiosity and out of the box thinking” said Dr. Walter Uhoya, Math Science Instructor at the Russell Mathematics and Science Center at ASFA and mentor to the team. “These middle school students are engaging with cutting-edge cancer research concepts and applying STEM in a way that mirrors how real biomedical innovation happens.”

 

Beyond its scientific and educational impact, the project addresses a significant economic challenge. Cancer is estimated to cost the global economy over $1 trillion annually in healthcare spending, lost productivity, and ineffective treatments. A major driver of this cost is treatment failure – when patients receive therapies that do not work for their specific tumors. By advancing human-relevant approaches that help match treatments to tumor biology earlier, innovations like this have the potential to reduce wasted healthcare spending, improve workforce productivity, and strengthen the economic sustainability of cancer care.

 

“This project demonstrates the power of early exposure to meaningful, real-world STEM experiences,” said Dr. Karim I. Budhwani, CEO-Scientist of CerFlux and research advisor to the ASFA middle school team. “That science and new knowledge is about making a difference in the lives of real people – a means to serve others and make a real impact in the world.”

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This ASFA-CerFlux collaboration reflects a shared commitment to innovation, education, and improving outcomes in Alabama and around the world.

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About the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA)

ASFA is a state-funded public 7-12 grade school that provides an intensive specialty-focused education in the arts, math, and science to students with outstanding talent from across Alabama. Its mission is to nurture impassioned students by guiding and inspiring them to discover and fulfill their individual creative abilities in an atmosphere distinguished by the fusion of fact and feeling, risk and reward, art and science, school and society. ASFA’s Math Science specialty program is home to some of Alabama’s most promising emerging STEM-focused scholars.

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About CerFlux

CerFlux, a Birmingham (Alabama) based cancer biotech company, is creating advanced, personalized precision medicine solutions, including its patented SMART biopsy-on-a-chip and human-relevant New Approach Methods (NAMs) designed to better reflect human tumor biology and improve how cancer therapies are evaluated, prioritized, and matched to patients. By combining tissue-engineered tumor models, advanced imaging, and AI-driven analytics, CerFlux aims to reduce treatment failure, improve clinical trial success, and accelerate the development of more effective cancer therapies. By building solutions that quickly and clearly separate optimal from ineffective options, we will improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for cancer patients. Learn more at www.cerflux.com.