Lara and Maya Hammoud

Most of us made promises to our childhood best friend to remain loyal and dependable, but for Lara and Maya Hammoud, sophomores at Detroit Country Day School, the vow to their elementary school companion took it to the next level. The twin sisters made a pledge that when they grew up they would help find scientific answers regarding his neurodevelopmental disorder, autism.

The 16-year-olds from Franklin made good on that promise, and achieved the extraordinary accomplishment of winning First Place in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Regeneron sponsored International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, in May 2024, where they presented their groundbreaking research entitled “Decoding AXSL3: A Novel Biomarker for Neurodevelopmental Disorders.” This year’s ISEF competition featured global talent that included 1,327 research projects from 67 countries, and is the largest annual STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, Mathematics) competition of its kind for pre-college students, owned and administered by the Society for Science, based in Washington, D.C.

Maya explained their cutting edge science entry was driven by the quest to know the “why” of disorders such as autism and Bainbridge-Roper Syndrome, affecting 75 million people globally, so they can help advance potential treatment options. They have focused their research on brain formation, DNA expression, and the mutation of specific genes affecting the brain, said the oldest twin – by twenty-eight minutes.

“Scientists have not really studied the AXSL3 gene and we were dedicated to seeing how this gene potentially correlated with these neurodevelopmental disorders, and figuring out a way to manipulate it,” said Lara, the younger twin. “The fair competition was the most exciting week of our lives because we were competing with the most incredibly advanced and highly technical research projects from all over the world. Even though it was encouraging to keep advancing from regional, state, and finally the international competition, we were most proud to be there with the other students working hard to make scientific advancements that will change people’s lives for the better.”

Their Detroit Country Day teacher and mentor, Lara McMillan, wasn’t surprised they took top honors at the international fair because they did the extraordinary, like making cold calls to University of Michigan professors to gain access to their labs to do their weekly research, and then developed a novel potential treatment for restoring neurotypical brain development, a breakthrough for those with autism spectrum disorder.

Working together has been a highlight for the pair, due to the fact that they have typical “twin telepathy,” making lab work more productive for them.

“I focused my research on brain development and Maya focused on the chemistry aspects, so we are a strong team together,” explained Lara. Along with their own dedication, both girls agree that support from their mother, a fertility researcher and their father, a fertility doctor, helped make their achievements possible.

Life outside of the lab is important to the girls too – both are on the school’s field hockey team and in the orchestra.

“We have a great group of friends who love to get coffee at our favorite places, Commonwealth and Toast, in Birmingham, and we like shopping and music,” said Maya.

The sisters have also co-founded a nonprofit, Perception Foundation, acquiring resources for sensory rooms and educational programs across Michigan, to spread awareness and provide those with any neurodiversity tools and opportunities to reach their full potential.

The twins want to continue their research in the area of neurodiversity after high school. ‘We don’t know what university we will go to yet but we know we will go together,” said Maya.

The dynamic duo clearly agree that as a team they are twice as likely to accomplish all they can to make a positive impact in the world.

Story: Susan Peck

Photo: Laurie Tennent