Meet Daniel Zhang, 17, who built a cancer game now reaching 1,500 children

When Daniel Zhang was nine, cancer was something he could not understand. His grandmother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the months that followed were filled with hospital visits, treatments and questions that were difficult for a child to process. Years later, that experience would inspire the San Diego teenager to create something designed to help other children make sense of the disease. Now 17, Zhang is a cancer biology and bioinformatics researcher, educator and co-founder of Tumor Tactics, a 72-card educational game that turns cancer biology and treatment decisions into a strategy game for young learners. His story was recently featured by Young Planet Leaders, which named him its September 2026 Young Planet Leader.From a painful childhood experience to a game about cancerZhang’s connection with cancer began when his grandmother was diagnosed with stage 3 pancreatic cancer.