JACK ANDRAKA : A 15 YEAR OLD INVENTED A SIMPLE AND MUCH CHEAPER WAY TO DETECT CANCER.

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Jack Andraka is a 15 year old school boy from  Crownville , Maryland. He has invented a simple test to detect pancreatic cancer. The test is  proven to be 28 times faster (168 times faster than the standard test according to Jack in the video), also 28 times less expensive than the current available testing methodologies. Pancreatic cancer is often easier to detect at late stage of the cancer and so higher death rate. His invention can detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage and is patent-pending. His invention is also applicable to other types of cancer such as ovarian and lung cancer ,  and can provide early detection of diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and contaminants such as E. Coli and salmonella. Jack's uncle actually died of pancreatic cancer and this is how he got interested in the detection of this disease.

Without knowing too much of the Biology behind it , this is my understanding of his test:

When someone such as Steve Jobs has pancreatic cancer , his blood and urine contain a biomarker called Mesothelin. His test involves coating single-walled nanotubes on paper with mesothelin-specific antibodies. Under normal circumstances, the nanotubes are closed together and conduct electricity (electric current flows)  but when mesothelin is present in the blood or urine, the mesothelin-specific antibodies on the nanotubes will bind to the mesothelin in the blood and will expand, this will spread the nanotubes apart. Spreading the nanotubes apart will reduce the conductivity and therefore reducing the electric current. The higher the concentration of mesothelin in the blood (i.e. patient has pancreatic cancer) , further apart are the nanotubes , lesser the electric current. This is how pancreatic cancer can be detected even at an early stage.


Jack contacted 197 scientists and was rejected by all of them , telling him his test would not work, until he met Dr. Anirban Maitra , a professor in pathology and oncology at Johns Hopkins University. Dr Maitra gave him lab space and mentored Jack to develop his test. Jack is the recipient of Gordon E. Moore Award with the grand prize of 75,000 US at the 2012 Intel Science Fair.


This nanotubes-on-paper sensor costs only 3 cents. Cheap, effective and efficient.

Jack at Intel Science Fair 2012.



I wonder why all those 197 scientists telling Jack that his test would not work!? Probably because Jack's invention will destroy their business and therefore taking away their incomes. Capitalism is all about greed (of money invented by human!).

This planet needs more useful people such as Jack and instead of people like Donald Trump  , bankers , lawyers and other useless people just taking up oxygen!



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