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Eric Sherman, 16, is one of three recipients of the $50,000 grant, given to top scholars nationally.
The process, designed by the grand champion of the Lancaster Science and Engineering Fair in 2006 and 2007, allows scientists to find donors in a more efficient way and at a fraction of the cost.
"The old method is very expensive and very time-consuming," Sherman said. "The technique I developed ... looks at the patient's DNA sequence, and it takes 24 hours at most to do it. "
Sherman said his test can be done for about $600, compared to the $3,000 to $10,000 cost of the traditional DNA test.
Sherman was quick to share the credit for the development of his technique, which potentially could be used to identify donors for transplantable organs such as a kidneys, livers and lungs.
"I can't take all the credit for this," he said. "The doctors Erik Buffenberger and D. Holmes Morton of the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg helped get the idea going. I just developed the protocol to get the DNA sequence."
As a Davidson Fellow, Sherman will receive the $50,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a national nonprofit organization that supports gifted youths.
"I was not expecting to get a top award — not at all," Sherman said. "But the most important part of being recognized is not the scholarship; it is knowing that my research has been scrutinized by professionals in the field and they concluded that my research has great potential to benefit society."
Sherman, the son of Donald and Donna Sherman of Ephrata, is attending Swarthmore College and pursuing a career in the field of genetics.
E-mail: ebetancourt@lnpnews.com
