Shivani Sud, 17, of North Carolina won the the Intel Foundation's top award aimed at honouring the next generation of scientists and innovators in the US.

For her research project, Sud developed a model that analysed the specific ‘molecular signatures’ of tumors from patients with stage II colon cancer.

She then used this information to identify those at higher risk for tumor recurrence and propose potentially effective drugs for treatment, Intel said in a media release.

"That proud feeling comes from doing what I do and not just the acknowledgment of it," Sud, who attends Jordan High School, was quoted as saying by The News and Observer of Durham.

Sud said her interest in cancer research started very early on as a result of a relative developing cancer. "I saw how hard that was for my family.

"I saw how that kind of changed my outlook on life, because when you're 6 years old, you don't think about topics such as death or dying from this type of cancer -- having your life change drastically," she said.