By: Salamat Ibrahim, Capital Preparatory Bronx Charter School

Healthcare disparities continue to negatively impact underrepresented and low socioeconomic communities, particularly in access to early cancer detection. Cancer remains a leading cause of death in the United States, and delayed diagnosis often results in poorer outcomes due to limited access to affordable and timely screening methods. Biosensors have emerged as a promising solution to address these challenges by enabling early detection of cancer biomarkers through cost-effective, portable, and rapid diagnostic tools. These devices function by converting biological reactions into measurable signals, allowing for the identification of biomarkers such as tumor proteins, nucleic acids, and extracellular vesicles. Recent advancements in biosensor technology, including electrochemical biosensors, biochips, and nanotechnology, have improved sensitivity and accuracy in detecting cancer at earlier stages. While biosensors offer significant advantages, such as affordability and fast response times, challenges remain due to tumor heterogeneity, which can lead to diagnostic inconsistencies, including false positives or negatives. Despite these limitations, continued research and the integration of nanomaterials show strong potential to enhance biomarker analysis and reliability. Biosensors represent an innovative approach to reducing health disparities by increasing access to early cancer detection. Their development may help bridge gaps in cancer diagnosis for underserved populations and improve long-term healthcare outcomes through equitable, accessible diagnostic solutions.

By: Afsa Tassnim, GEMS Our Own English High School, Sharjah

Early life trauma leaves a biological “memory” in the brain and immune system that persists across the lifespan. By priming microglia, disrupting HPA axis regulation, and reprogramming stress-immune pathways, trauma establishes a heightened inflammatory baseline that increases vulnerability to later insults. In women, these effects are amplified bysex-specific neuroimmune differences and the loss of estrogen’s protective role during menopause or surgical interventions. Together, these processes accelerate neuroinflammation, synaptic dysfunction, and neurodegenerative cascades, helping to explain why women disproportionately suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and other inflammation-driven disorders. The evidence reviewed here highlights neuroinflammation as the final common pathway where biology (microglial priming, hormonal changes) and lived experience (early adversity) converge. Importantly, it underscores the need for sex-aware neuroscience and medicinefrom basic research that incorporates female models, to clinical strategies that account for women’s trauma histories and hormonal transitions.