据美国媒体、英国《每日邮报》报导，美国马里兰州克朗斯维尔市15岁男孩杰克?安德拉卡痛感一名家庭朋友患胰腺癌去世，竟研究出了一种早期胰腺癌的测试方法！他发明的早期测癌法比当前的医学检测法敏感有效400倍，然而花费只需3美分！杰克的测癌方法能让『癌症之王』----胰腺癌潜在患者在自身癌细胞尚处于萌芽状态时就发出『警报』，从而使他们的术后生存率几乎达到100%！杰克的测癌方法同样适用于卵巢癌、肺癌等其他众多癌症！

一滴血知癌变

根据现代快报导，现年15岁的杰克?安德拉卡是美国马里兰州克朗斯维尔市的一名普通中学生，杰克是在一名朋友患胰腺癌去世后，暗暗立下了要攻克癌症的志向。他从一份科普杂志上读到了一篇关于碳纳米管的文章后，产生了灵感，摸索到了一个发现早期癌细胞的革命性方法！

杰克想出的是一种测试人体血液内『间皮索』含量的方法----『间皮索』是早期胰腺癌患者的血液和尿液中常有的一种生物指标。杰克用『间皮索』抗体和碳纳米管制成一种特殊材料，然后覆盖在普通滤纸上，做成一种『测癌试纸』。测试者提供一滴血测试，透过试纸上的一些色调变化，就能精确测出自己血液中的『间皮索』含量程度。

求助连连遭拒

然而一开始，由于杰克没有高科技实验工具来制造这种『碳纳米管』试纸，以及检测他的神奇测癌方法，所以杰克只好向多名美国科学家求助，希望他们能让他使用实验室来优化和验证他的神奇测癌方法。然而令人难以置信的是，杰克的求助遭到了一个又一个美国科学家的拒绝，最后，总共有197位科学家都拒绝帮助和指导杰克进行他的测癌方法研究，一些科学家甚至还给杰克泼冷水，坦率地称他的早期测癌方法完全『不可行』，压根不可能实现。

直到杰克向第198个科学家、美国约翰?霍普金斯大学的病理学和肿瘤学教授安尼尔班?迈特拉博士求助时，迈特拉教授才终于同意帮助他，允许他在自己的实验室中进行研究，迈特拉教授还帮助杰克一起优化他的测癌方法。

精度超90%

杰克在约翰?霍普金斯大学中的实验证明，他的神奇测癌方法不但完全可行，并且几乎比现在所有的癌症测试方法都更加先进和快速！如今杰克发明的神奇早期测癌法已经申报了美国专利。杰克发明的早期胰腺癌的测试方法，要比目前医学界流行的检测方法速度快上168倍、价格便宜26667倍，并且敏感度和有效度更是高达400倍！

据悉，用杰克的神奇测癌法检测一次血液的代价，只需3美分，并且5分钟就能得知测试结果，而测癌精确度更是超过90%！不过更令医学界深感兴奋的是，杰克发明的简单测癌方法可以用来检测其他各种癌症！因为只需对这种神奇『测癌试纸』上的检测材料做些不同的改变，就能轻易检测出各种不同癌症的生物标记！

获得两项大奖

目前许多美国科学家都已经认同杰克的神奇发明，还有人宣称这项医学发明甚至有望改变整个医学史的进程。去年11月，美国《史密森学会杂志》在华盛顿市向15岁的杰克颁发了一年一度的美国青少年成就创意奖；上个月，在美国2012年英特尔科学节上，杰克又获得了75000美元的奖学基金，用来奖励他的发明和成就。

据悉，杰克现在计划将他发明的『神奇测癌试纸』向公众进行大规模市场推广，他相信不用多久，全世界的药店都可以买到他的『神奇测癌试纸』，任何人都可以用它来检测自己的身体是否拥有癌细胞征兆，一旦发现早期征兆就立即就医，从而就能将癌症成功扼杀于萌芽状态！

Extra : Young Scientists

Speedy cancer detector

New technique quickly, cheaply identifies a particularly dangerous form of cancer

By Sid Perkins / May 23, 2012

A new type of sensor that looks for a certain chemical in blood could help doctors quickly and easily detect one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The sensor so impressed the judges at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair that it won the $75,000 top prize, awarded on May 18.

The pancreas is a large organ that sits just below your stomach. It secretes a number of chemicals called hormones, including insulin, which helps regulate how the cells in your body process carbohydrates, or sugars, and fats. The organ also releases enzymes, which help digest food. Pancreatic cancer is particularly deadly. Only about 1 in every 20 people who develop this type of cancer lives more than 5 years after being diagnosed, notes Jack Andraka.

This 15-year-old freshman at North County High School in Glen Burnie, Md., became interested in developing a way to detect pancreatic cancer for a couple of reasons. Early diagnosis of the disease helps boost survival rates, he observes. But perhaps more importantly, his uncle died of pancreatic cancer that wasn’t detected until after it had spread to other parts of his body.

Blood tests are perhaps the best way to find the disease early. One particular substance — a protein called mesothelin — shows up in large amounts in the blood of people who have pancreatic cancer. So Andraka sought to develop a sensor that would detect this protein.

To make his sensor, he soaked small strips of paper with a solution of tiny tubes of carbon (called nanotubes). He also added antibodies (part of the human immune system that helps fight disease). These antibodies react with mesothelin, and as that reaction occurs, it changes the amount of electricity that can be conducted along the sensor. With the right electronics, that electrical change can easily be detected.

The new sensor can provide results in 5 minutes, much more quickly than the current type of blood test for the cancer, which takes 14 hours. The device is also much cheaper, costing only 3 cents; the current test costs about $800. Finally, Andraka’s sensor is much more sensitive than the current test — a fact that should allow doctors to detect the disease earlier than is now possible.

Andraka has applied for a patent on his sensor. He described the new system on May 17 at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pa. This event is sponsored by Intel Foundation and run by the Society for Science & the Public (which publishes Science News for Kids).

 

Andraka describes his work in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9mutro7h7k&feature=player_embedded