The Teen Prodigy

His Simple Idea beat Out Billion Dollar Pharmaceutical Companies in Cancer.

A high school sophomore won the youth achievement Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for inventing a new method to detect a lethal cancer

Andraka's biochemical test can detect a protein in blood linked to pancreatic cancer.

"My inspiration came from the most unlikely place for innovation — high school biology class, that absolute stifler of innovation,” says Jack, to big laughs from the audience.

Quick Facts of a paper censor:

"Through this journey, I’ve learned an important lesson — that anything is possible with the internet,” says Jack. “You don’t have to be a professor with multiple degrees to have your idea work.”

Jack Andraka had made a revolutionary discovery in the field of cancer detection. Relying on the same thing everyone has access to, the internet.

Jack learned that Pancreatic cancer is devastating. Only 5.5% of those diagnosed with the disease survive past five years, because — once it’s diagnosed — it generally has already spread around the body. And that’s where 15-year-old high school student Jack Andraka sees a major opportunity for change. 

Think Maverick: If we find cancer early, 90% survive. if we find cancer late, 10% survive. Why is early detection the best way to beat cancer, and what inspired you to take it on all by yourself?

Jack Andraka: Early detection is a very important way to beat cancer. The cancer has not spread to other important organs around the body yet and is still contained in the original organ. Also the cancer is quite small still and has not damaged the organ. Since the cancer is small, it can more easily be removed through laparoscopy and not a large incision. It is more easily removed or burned away since it is so small

I was inspired to attempt to find a new way to detect pancreatic cancer after a close family friend I called uncle, died from pancreatic cancer. I didn't even know what a pancreas was! I turned to the internet to find out more and what I discovered shocked me! The current method of detecting pancreatic cancer is over 60 years old, misses 30% of cancers, cost US $800 per test and results are not available for weeks. I knew there had to be a better way!

The US spends billions of dollars to save late-stage cancer patients, trying to devise better drugs and chemotherapies that might kill a cancer at its strongest. Will you work on this cure-driven approach in the future?

Right now I'm still very interested in diagnosing diseases. I'm working with a team of teens to work on the Tricorder X Prize. Even if we don't win, we will have learned a lot.

The National Cancer Institute spends just 8 percent of its research funds on early detection. Why do you think it is so?

The NCI works really hard on fundamental basic research. The scientists there are very fo-cused on the biochemistry of cancer and the ways cancers grow and communicate and the biomarkers the cells put out. They are doing amazing work and are the foundation of a lot of the research going on elsewhere. For instance, I would not have known of the biomarker mesothelin without research coming out of their funding and work.

Your simple but highly effective method of detection is revolu-tionary, is there any room for further improvement in your area? if yes, can you elaborate on it?

My sensor needs lots more experi-mentation and work.  It needs to be produced in large quantities for the commercial market. It needs work to see what it's shelf life is and it needs more clinical trials.

 It is said that there has been some conspiracy to suppress cancer cures because it is a $160 Billion industry , are you able to comment on that?

I am not a big conspiracy theorist. If companies can make money detecting diseases, I'm sure they will. Just think how much more money they can make by testing everyone, rather than treating a small percentage of the population.

As an inventor, scientist and researcher, Who are your heroes and why?

My mentor, Dr. Maitra, is one of my heroes. He has patience, compassion, intelligence and energy and is a great leader who brings out the best in his team. I'm also a big fan of Elon Musk, the millionaire who is revolutionizing private space travel and invented the Tesla car. He has big dreams and the ability and persistence to make big dreams come true.

What is the single most important factor that you can attribute to your achievement and success?

I think the fearlessness of just having a big dream and working to see where the idea would lead is the most important factor. Perhaps because of my age I can dream big and try things and fail and try again. If my ideas fail, it's not like I have to worry about supporting a house or a family. I can just learn from my mistakes and move on.

What’s the biggest mistake you made in your life and what did you learn from it? 

Luckily because of my age I haven't made any big mistakes that I cant recover from. I've learned to be more prepared for tests because I get busy and dont study as much as i should have. But I'm learning better and more realistic time management !

What motivates you and what doesn’t?

I'm motivated by big challenges. I love to sink my teeth into big problems and think of connections I can make. Every year my science fair projects have gotten more ambitious. I also love to work with a great team of people and brainstorm ideas and make and receive and then test suggestions and hypotheses. I love the feeling of energy when an idea is moving forward. I'm not too motivated by staying within my limits. i like to push and see what I can learn and do!

What do you think will be the biggest challenges you will face in your future pursuits?

I have an idea book with lots of great ideas but I don’t know the science and math and computer programming needed to work hard on them...yet! So I want to learn so much  and yet also keep working on the ideas I already have started. It's a balancing act!

Courtesy - Image: TED, TM  and transcript: Think Maverick Magazine