Jack Andraka

{{Short description|American inventor and cancer researcher (born 1997)}} {{pp-pc1}} {{Multiple issues| {{Autobiography|date=September 2018}} {{Update|type=|date=November 2019|reason=Specific references to college likely outdated}} }}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Jack Andraka | image = Jack Andraka 2013.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Andraka in 2013 | birth_name = Jack Thomas Andraka | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|1|8}} | birth_place = [[Crownsville, Maryland]], U.S. | fields = [[Cancer research]], [[medical research]], [[invention]] | workplaces = | known_for = | website = }}

'''Jack Thomas Andraka''' (born January 8, 1997) is an American who, as a high school student, won the Gordon E. Moore Award at the 2012 [[International Science and Engineering Fair|Intel International Science and Engineering Fair]] with a method to possibly detect the early stages of [[Pancreatic cancer|pancreatic]] and other cancers. In 2018, as a junior majoring in anthropology and in electrical engineering at [[Stanford University]], he was awarded the Truman Scholarship for his graduate studies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.stanford.edu/2018/04/13/truman-scholar/|title=Stanford junior wins 2018 Truman Scholarship for graduate studies |last= Sullivan |first=Kathleen J. |date=13 April 2018 |website=Stanford University: News |access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>

=={{anchor|Research|Career}} Pancreatic cancer sensor== [[File:Jack Andraka - Detecting pancreatic cancer at 15.webm|thumb|Andraka talks about his work]]

Andraka's winning project consisted of a sensor, similar to [[glucose meter|diabetic test strips]], for early-stage pancreatic cancer screening. The sensor, consisting of filter paper coated with [[single-walled carbon nanotubes]] and [[antibody|antibodies]] against human [[mesothelin]], was said to measure the level of mesothelin to test for the presence of cancer in a patient.<ref name="smithsonian"/>

The project claimed that tests on human blood serum showed a [[Dose–response relationship|dose-dependent response]], and that his method was 168 times faster, {{frac|1|26667}} times as expensive, and 400 times more sensitive than [[ELISA]], 25% to 50% more accurate than the [[CA19-9]] test,<ref name=SFS>{{cite web |url=http://apps.societyforscience.org/intelisef2012/project.cfm?PID=ME028&CFID=28485&CFTOKEN=10931553 |title=A Novel Paper Sensor for the Detection of Pancreatic Cancer |last=Andraka |first=Jack |publisher=Society for Science & the Public |access-date=August 22, 2012 |work=ME028 (Andraka) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830002658/http://apps.societyforscience.org/intelisef2012/project.cfm?PID=ME028&CFID=28485&CFTOKEN=10931553 |archive-date=August 30, 2012 }}</ref> and over 90 percent accurate in detecting the presence of mesothelin.<ref name=Intel/> However, several years of trials would be needed to determine whether the new device would be [[Sensitivity and specificity#Medical usage|sensitive and specific]] enough as a [[Screening (medicine)|screening test]] for pancreatic cancer.<ref name="FORBES" />[[File:How Open Access Empowered a 16-Year-Old to Make Cancer Breakthrough.ogv|thumb |thumbtime=27|Andraka in an interview with [[Francis Collins]] on [[open access]].]] Andraka has spoken about the inspiration for his work, including the death of a family friend, in forums including [[TED (conference)#TEDx|TEDx]] [[Nijmegen]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW7_cDU7Idk|title=Bring on the medical revolution: Jack Andraka at TEDxNijmegen 2013|author=TEDx Talks|date=April 8, 2013|publisher=[[YouTube]]|access-date=April 13, 2017}}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite web|url=http://live.wsj.com/video/intel-science-winner-develops-cancer-tech/E342B43B-F184-492D-A441-38B28C18D3C1.html#!E342B43B-F184-492D-A441-38B28C18D3C1|title=Intel Science Winner Develops Cancer Tech|publisher=Wall Street Journal Live|access-date=December 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Burris">{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2012/05/24/north-county-student-wins-intel-science-fairs-top-prize/|title=North County student wins Intel Science Fair's top prize|last=Burris|first=Joe|date=May 24, 2012|work=Baltimore Sun|access-date=May 29, 2012|archive-date=March 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320161130/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-05-24/news/bs-ar-student-intel-winner-20120523_1_top-prize-grand-prize-intel-science-fair|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ABC">{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/boy-invents-cancer-test-16624510|title=Boy Invents Cancer Test|author=Dr. Richard Besser|date=June 21, 2012|work=ABC News}}</ref> He conducted his work under the supervision of Anirban Maitra, Professor of [[Pathology]], [[Oncology]], and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at [[Johns Hopkins School of Medicine]].<ref name="smithsonian">{{cite web | last = Tucker | first = Abigail | title = Jack Andraka, the Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer | publisher = [[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian magazine]] | url = http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Jack-Andraka-the-Teen-Prodigy-of-Pancreatic-Cancer-179996151.html | access-date = December 28, 2012 | archive-date = December 31, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131231225443/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Jack-Andraka-the-Teen-Prodigy-of-Pancreatic-Cancer-179996151.html }}</ref>

Andraka has applied for a provisional patent for his method of sensing pancreatic cancer and as of 2012 was communicating with companies about developing an over-the-counter test.<ref name="WO2013172866A3">{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2013172866A3|title=Sensors for detection of mesothelin WO 2013172866 A3}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-19291258|title=US teen invents advanced cancer test using Google|date=August 20, 2012|work=BBC}}</ref>

In October 2013, Andraka appeared as a guest on ''[[The Colbert Report]]'' to talk about his work.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Jack Andraka|episode-link=List of The Colbert Report episodes (2013)|url=http://www.cc.com/video-clips/7frodo/the-colbert-report-jack-andraka|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824174119/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/7frodo/the-colbert-report-jack-andraka|archive-date=August 24, 2015|access-date=2017-04-13|series=The Colbert Report|series-link=The Colbert Report|last=Colbert|first=Stephen|author-link=Stephen Colbert|network=[[Comedy Central]]|date=October 30, 2013|season=10|number=15}}</ref>

[[Ira Pastan]], who discovered mesothelin, said that Andraka's method "makes no scientific sense. I don't know anybody in the scientific community who believes his findings."<ref name="The Sydney Morning Herald">{{cite web|last1=Bryant|first1=Nick|title=The prodigy invention|url=http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/the-prodigy-invention-20150527-ghax2d.html|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=May 28, 2015|access-date=16 November 2016}}</ref> [[George M. Church]], professor of genetics at [[Harvard University]], also raised concerns about the cost, speed, and sensitivity claims.<ref name=FORBES /> The novelty of Andraka's work has also been questioned. In 2005, seven years before Andraka won the [[Intel International Science and Engineering Fair|Intel ISEF]], a group of researchers at [[Jefferson Medical College]] and the [[University of Delaware]] reported a carbon-nanotube based sensor for use in breast cancer diagnostics that uses a methodology nearly identical to Andraka's purportedly novel methodology.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Student Science|url = https://apps2.societyforscience.org/abstracts/project.cfm?PID=ME028&Year=2012|website = apps2.societyforscience.org|access-date = 2015-09-25|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150610230924/https://apps2.societyforscience.org/abstracts/project.cfm?PID=ME028&Year=2012|archive-date = June 10, 2015}}</ref> In addition, a carbon-nanotube based sensor similar to Andraka's was reported in 2009 by Wang et al., a group of researchers at [[Jiangnan University]] and [[University of Michigan]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Libing|last2=Chen|first2=Wei|last3=Xu|first3=Dinghua|last4=Shim|first4=Bong Sup|last5=Zhu|first5=Yingyue|last6=Sun|first6=Fengxia|last7=Liu|first7=Liqiang|last8=Peng|first8=Chifang|last9=Jin|first9=Zhengyu|date=2009-12-01|title=Simple, rapid, sensitive, and versatile SWNT-paper sensor for environmental toxin detection competitive with ELISA|journal=Nano Letters|volume=9|issue=12|pages=4147–4152|doi=10.1021/nl902368r|issn=1530-6992|pmc=2793542|pmid=19928776|bibcode=2009NanoL...9.4147W}}</ref> and a carbon-nanotube based sensor for applications in cancer diagnosis was reported in a 2008 paper by Shao et al. that used a methodology similar to Andraka's.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Shao|first1=Ning|last2=Wickstrom|first2=Eric|last3=Panchapakesan|first3=Balaji|date=2008-11-19|title=Nanotube-antibody biosensor arrays for the detection of circulating breast cancer cells|journal=Nanotechnology|volume=19|issue=46|article-number=465101|doi=10.1088/0957-4484/19/46/465101|issn=0957-4484|pmid=21836232|bibcode=2008Nanot..19T5101S|s2cid=1224252 }}</ref> In an explanation for why he was not on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, ''Forbes'' editor [[Matthew Herper]] said that he overrode an expert judging panel to keep Andraka off the list was because his work was not published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and because experts saw holes in his work.<ref name=FORBES>{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2014/01/08/why-biotech-whiz-kid-jack-andraka-is-not-on-the-forbes-30-under-30-list/#ebe1e266f88f |title=Why Biotech Whiz Kid Jack Andraka Is Not On The Forbes 30 Under 30 List |last=Herper |first=Matthew |date=8 January 2014 |website=Forbes Media LLC |access-date=2 February 2019}}</ref>

In 2012, Andraka filed a "World Patent" under the [[Patent Cooperation Treaty]],<ref name=WO2013172866A3/> which resulted in a preliminary search to determine patentability.<ref>{{Cite web|title = US2012068589 SENSORS FOR DETECTION OF MESOTHELIN|url = https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2013172866|website = patentscope.wipo.int|access-date = 2016-09-03}}</ref> The examination found "a lack of inventive step"<ref>{{Cite web|title = WO2013172866.pdf|url = https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/docs2/pct/WO2013172866/pdf/f1iZi998XuLdLJ8oFpNWlLMj8XYj4_4TKY1u4T_OQ5o|website = patentscope.wipo.int|access-date = 2025-06-16}}</ref> and [[prior art]] in US Patents 7824925 and 8110369. No subsequent patent has been filed in any of the patent offices under the PCT and a "[[Code 122]]" (European Patent not filed) was issued on June 3, 2015.<ref name=WO2013172866A3/>

While being an advocate for [[open access]], he was criticized for not publishing his discovery openly for anyone to use and build upon, and then trying to file a patent for it.<ref name=BBC/>

==Personal life== [[File:Jack Andraka Capital Pride.jpg|thumb|Andraka at [[Capital Pride (Washington, D.C.)|Capital Pride]] in 2014]]

Jack Andraka was born in [[Crownsville, Maryland]] and is of Polish ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2012 |title=Congratulations to Jack Andraka The Beginning of a Great Career |url=http://www.polishamericancenter.org/PANews/August12/page01.pdf |access-date=June 10, 2024 |website=Polish American News}}</ref> Andraka enrolled as a freshman at [[Stanford University]] for the 2015–2016 academic year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/jack-andrakas-parents-on-raising-a-science-whiz-kid-1446562556|title=Jack Andraka's Parents on Raising a Science Whiz Kid|first=Seth|last=Stevenson|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=November 3, 2015|access-date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>

Andraka has been openly gay since he was 13.<ref name="MW">{{cite news|url=http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=8561|title=Maryland's Gay Wunderkind|last=Riley|first=John|date=August 29, 2013|publisher=MetroWeekly, Washington, D.C.'s Gay & Lesbian News Magazine}}</ref><ref name="Newcivilrightsmovement">{{cite web | last = Stuart | first = Wilber | title = Standing on the Right Side of History: 16 Year Old Jack Andraka Is 'The Edison Of Our Times' | publisher = The New Civil Rights Movement (online news site) | url =http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/standing-on-the-right-side-of-history-16-year-old-jack-andraka-is-the-edison-of-our-times/news/2013/03/23/61683 | access-date = December 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Edwardes | first = Charlotte |date=June 14, 2013 | title = He's 16, still in braces and by the way he's invented a test for cancer | publisher = [[London Evening Standard]] | url = https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/hes-16-still-in-braces-and-by-the-way-hes-invented-a-test-for-cancer-8658882.html}}</ref> When asked to be interviewed about his sexual orientation, Andraka responded, "That sounds awesome! I'm openly gay and one of my biggest hopes is that I can help inspire other [[LGBTQ]] youth to get involved in [[STEM fields|STEM]]. I didn't have many role models [who are gay scientists] besides [[Alan Turing]]."<ref name="Newcivilrightsmovement"/>

===Family=== Andraka's father, Steve, is a [[civil engineer]] and his mother, Jane, is a [[Anesthesiologist assistant|Certified Anesthesiology Assistant]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Joe Burris|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/bs-xpm-2012-05-24-bs-ar-student-intel-winner-20120523-story.html|title=North County Student Wins Intel Prize|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=May 24, 2012|access-date=February 24, 2013|archive-date=March 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320161130/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-05-24/news/bs-ar-student-intel-winner-20120523_1_top-prize-grand-prize-intel-science-fair|url-status=live}}</ref> Andraka's older brother, Luke, won $96,000 in prizes at the [[Intel International Science and Engineering Fair]] in 2010, with a project that examined how [[acid mine drainage]] affected the environment. In 2011, Luke won an [[Traditions and student activities at MIT#THINK Competition|MIT THINK]] Award.<ref name="Burris" />

==Awards and recognition== * 2012 [[Gordon E. Moore]] Award<ref name=Intel>{{cite web|url=http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/corporate-responsibility/foundation-gordon-e-moore-award.html?wapkw=andraka|title=Innovative Cancer Test Garners Gordon E. Moore Award|publisher=[[Intel]]}}</ref> * February 12, 2013, he was one of the guests seated in the First Lady's Box at the State of the Union Address.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guest List for the First Lady's Box at the State of the Union Address |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/guest-list-first-ladys-box-state-union-address |website=whitehouse.gov |language=en |date=12 February 2013}}</ref> * 2013 [[Intel International Science and Engineering Fair]], Fourth-place, Chemistry.<ref name=Burris/> * 2014 National Jefferson Award Recipient, Samuel S. Beard Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual Thirty-Five Years or Under<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/230251929/42ND-JEFFERSON-AWARDS-CELEBRATE-THE-IMPACT-OF-PUBLIC-SERVICE#scribd|title=42ND JEFFERSON AWARDS CELEBRATE THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC SERVICE - Volunteering|access-date=April 13, 2017}}</ref> * 2015 [[Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation]] Coca-Cola Scholar<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/2015-coca-cola-scholars/|title=2015 Coca-Cola Scholars|access-date=September 14, 2016|archive-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919083756/http://www.coca-colascholarsfoundation.org/2015-coca-cola-scholars/}}</ref> * 2012 Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award<ref name="Ingenuity Awards 2012">{{cite web |title=2012 American Ingenuity Award Winners |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ingenuity/ceremonies/2012-winners/ |website=Smithsonian Magazine |publisher=Smithsonian |access-date=October 11, 2018 |archive-date=August 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814132329/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/ingenuity/ceremonies/2012-winners/ }}</ref>

==Publications== *Huang, T., Chen, C. Z., Andraka, J., & Heydari, D. (2018). [https://snfexfab.sites.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj8726/f/sections/diplayfiles/finalreport_cc_dh_ja_th_revised.pdf Two-photon lithography for dielectric structures and electroplating molds for retinal prostheses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929013456/https://snfexfab.sites.stanford.edu/sites/g/files/sbiybj8726/f/sections/diplayfiles/finalreport_cc_dh_ja_th_revised.pdf |date=September 29, 2022 }}.

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading== * [http://mag.amazing-kids.org/amazing-kids-of-the-month1/amazing-kids-of-the-month-april-2013-jack-andraka/ Jack Andraka: Amazing Kid! of the Month, April, 2013, Amazing Kids! Magazine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814141230/http://mag.amazing-kids.org/amazing-kids-of-the-month1/amazing-kids-of-the-month-april-2013-jack-andraka/ |date=August 14, 2014 }} * [http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130701-perfecting-early-cancer-detection BBC Article with Video (2013) of Jack Explaining Cancer Detection Sensor]

==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Official website}} * {{TED speaker}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andraka, Jack}} [[Category:American people of Polish descent]] [[Category:American cancer researchers]] [[Category:Gay scientists]] [[Category:American LGBTQ scientists]] [[Category:LGBTQ people from Maryland]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1997 births]] [[Category:People from Crownsville, Maryland]] [[Category:21st-century American inventors]]