15-Year-Old Just Changed Cancer Detection

15-year-old high school student Jack Andraka has invented a new detection method for pancreatic cancer. His method is to dip coat ordinary filter paper with carbon nanotubes and antibodies, with the concept being that the antibodies that bind to the malignant proteins will interfere with the electrical conductivity between the carbon nanotubes (in this case, mesothelin). Compared to current ELISA diagnostic methods, these sensor strips that Jack invented are 168 times faster (taking 5 minutes to run), 26,667 times less expensive (costs are approximately 3 cents per strip), and 400 times more sensitive (achieving almost 100% accuracy). The test was able to detect mesothelin levels down to 0.156 ng/ml, and may have potential in the detection of other cancers such as ovarian and mesothelioma. He had a great deal of difficulty in getting researchers to take him seriously when he proposed the idea, having contacted 200 professors at Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health with a plan, a budget, and timeline for his project in order to receive laboratory help, but received 199 rejections before getting a positive reply from Dr. Anirban Maitra, Professor of Pathology, Oncology and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Jack's efforts have paid of enormously; he won the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair grand prize, and, among his various prizes, he was awarded a total of $100,500.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnnosta/2013/02/01/cancer-innovation-and-a-boy-named-jack/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2012/06/18/wait-did-this-15-year-old-from-maryland-just-change-cancer-treatment/
http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/