An inspiring story of youth and determination: 'Worth every sleepless night' is a testament to the power of passion and innovation. Meet Alex Yang, an 18-year-old high school senior from Seoul, who has embarked on a remarkable journey to tackle Alzheimer's disease with AI. But here's where it gets controversial... he's doing it while managing a global team and maintaining his regular school life!
Alex's startup, Reteena, is a global AI research venture with a noble mission: to make early Alzheimer's detection more accessible and affordable. With no prior network, he built his team from scratch, reaching out to collaborators online. His motivation? Growing up with family stories of Alzheimer's left an indelible mark, driving him to seek solutions.
The team, comprising six high school students from different countries, focused on enhancing low-field MRI scans using machine learning. Their aim? To bring diagnostics to underserved regions with more portable and affordable equipment. Managing a team across time zones was a challenge, but Alex introduced structured workflows to keep the research moving forward.
Their hard work paid off when their research paper was accepted at the prestigious IEEE BigData 2024 Conference. The team expanded, and they delved deeper into speech pattern changes and genetic indicators for early detection. Their journey, documented on LinkedIn, caught the attention of researchers, startup founders, and investors, including mentors from Y Combinator and Pear VC.
Reteena's first consumer product, Remembrance, an AI-based therapeutic service, helps Alzheimer's patients reconnect with memories. However, testing it in clinical settings has faced regulatory hurdles, highlighting the complexities of the healthcare sector.
Despite these challenges, Alex believes the experience itself is the real achievement. Learning to navigate failure and build a startup at a young age has shaped both him and his team. For now, Reteena continues its research, with the team exploring real-world deployment options.
As Alex puts it, "That's the real experiment. And it's worth every sleepless night." A powerful reminder that age is just a number when it comes to making a meaningful impact.
