Rising stars of 2017: research scientist Krtin Nithiyanandam

Throwing around phrases like “chelating agents” and “quantum dots”, Krtin Nithiyanandam is confidently explaining his research, barely batting an eyelid as the laboratory argot trips off his tongue. The project, an award-winning approach to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease years before the telltale amyloid beta plaques appear in the brain, would be admirable in itself. But it is made even more impressive by the fact that Nithiyanandam is just 16.

The Surrey schoolboy is no stranger to the press, having scooped headlines with his work, and there’s already a hint of the showman about him. “I had always wanted to do a research project really just because I thought doing something new would be quite cool,” he says. “At school you do experiments, but most of the time you are repeating experiments that have been done thousands of times before so it is difficult to get excited by it.”

It was some time before Nithiyanandam started to pursue his idea in earnest. Playing squash – he is an avid player – he broke his pelvis. Twice. It was a calamity, but also an opportunity. Laid off from sports he set to work contacting researchers in universities around the country for help with his project. “There was a lot of rejection at first,” he says. Eventually, a researcher from the University of Surrey offered to give him a hand, leading to the development of an antibody that could help detect early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The work earned Nithiyanandam the $25,000 Scientific American Innovator award at the Google Science Fair last year.

And there’s more attention coming his way. His latest idea, in collaboration with researchers at Cambridge University, is aimed at making hard-to-treat breast cancers more receptive to common drugs. The work has already swept him to the final of the UK’s National Science and Engineering Competition to be held in March 2017. “I’ve been there for the last two years as a finalist and haven’t won anything yet, so hopefully this year…” he says.

While neither of his parents have a scientific background – his mother is an accountant-turned-secretary and his father is an IT consultant – both follow his projects closely. His friends offer their own form of support. “There are the odd jokes that fly here and there but I think they think it’s quite cool,” says Nithiyanandam, adding that he is now part of a small research group at his school.

He is currently studying for his A-levels, and thoughts about his career have understandably been affected by his success. “I was pretty determined I was going to study medicine at university,” he says. “Now I am not sure whether I want to go into medicine, research or computer science.”

Ultimately, he says, no one is too young to delve into research. “A degree is undoubtedly helpful and so is a PhD,” he says. “But coming up with the idea itself, anyone can do that – it is just whether you want to go for it.”

Three more to watch

■ A stem cell scientist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, Dr Kathy Niakan made the Time 100 list after gaining permission to use genome-editing tool Crispr-Cas9 on human embryos to understand early human development.

■ Sheffield teenager Sarah Sobka made headlines after winning the 2015 National Science and Engineering Competition, earning her the title UK Young Scientist of the Year for her research into a potential drug for cystic fibrosis.

■ Co-founder, with Joel Gibbard, of Bristol-based robotics company Open Bionics, Samantha Payne is developing low-cost, custom-made prosthetics for children using 3D printing. The hands come in a range of styles, from Frozen to Iron Man.

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