Jack Andraka
Who is Jack Andraka?
Jack Thomas Andraka is an openly gay American scientist, inventor, and cancer researcher.
Early Life
Jack Thomas Andraka was born on January 8, 1997 in Maryland
When he was 13, a close relative friend died of pancreatic cancer
At the time: Over 85% of all pancreatic cancers were diagnosed late, when one has less than a 2% chance of survival
At the time: There was a 30% chance of missing the cancer.
His invention
Strip of paper laced with antibodies and a network of carbon nanotubes that react to mesothelin
The nanotubes change their electrical properties based on the amount of protein present
Comparison
He claims that his method will be...
168 times faster
over 26 000 times less expensive
over 400 times more sensitive
than our current standard for pancreatic cancer detection!
How did he do it?
Researched 8000 different proteins to determine a bio-marker for pancreatic cancer
Received 199 rejection emails from lab professors
Addressed and filled many holes in his original procedure for his invention to work theoretically
Jack Andraka faced bullying for his sexuality as well
He immersed himself into his work and what he was passionate about
After his Invention
Won many more awards since then, such as the Gordon E. Moore Award.
Was a speaker on TED Talk
Interviewed by The Washington Post, Time Magazine and more!
In 2015, he enrolled as a freshman in Stanford University, majoring in electrical engineering and anthropology.
What's Ahead?
There are many years, clinical trials, and improvements ahead before the test can be used by the general public.
However...
A freshman was able to create a biosensor despite:
The bullying he faced for his sexuality
His inexperience
His very young age
“Different strategies work for different people; however, what worked for me was focusing on the positives in my life and to work on improving myself by committing myself to my research as well as sticking with the few friends I had ... So I would advise finding something you’re passionate about and working hard on that as well as hanging out with those that love and care about you” — Jack Andraka, 2017
“I’m openly gay and one of my biggest hopes is that I can help inspire other LGBT youth to get involved in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.] I didn’t have many [gay] role models [in science] besides Alan Turing.”