A teenage innovator from Kazakhstan is gaining global attention after developing an AI-powered cancer detection system and winning international recognition in the US.

At the prestigious Regeneron ISEF 2026 in Phoenix, 11th-grade pupil Arnur Artykbay from Nazarbayev Intellectual School in Taraz earned special awards for his project, “Automated Detection System for Malignant Tumors Based on Machine Learning”, The Caspian Post reports via Kazinform.

His artificial intelligence system is designed to help doctors identify cancer earlier and more accurately - a breakthrough that could improve diagnostics and save lives.

Arnur received a $400 cash prize from the MAWHIBA Foundation along with an educational grant to study at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.

This year’s Regeneron ISEF brought together nearly 1,700 young scientists from over 60 countries, making it one of the world’s biggest and most respected student science competitions.

Kazakhstan was represented by seven schoolchildren presenting five projects, highlighting the country’s growing reputation in science and technology education.

The achievement comes shortly after another Kazakh schoolboy, Amirlan Amanzholov, made headlines for securing a full-ride scholarship to Massachusetts Institute of Technology.