Jack Andraka

{{Short description|American inventor and cancer researcher (born 1997)}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{Update|type=|date=November 2019|reason=Specific references to college likely outdated}}

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{{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 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair with a method to possibly detect the early stages of 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.{{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}}

{{anchor|Research|Career}} Pancreatic cancer sensor

File:Jack Andraka - Detecting pancreatic cancer at 15.webm

Andraka's winning project consisted of a sensor, similar to diabetic test strips, for early-stage pancreatic cancer screening. The sensor, consisting of filter paper coated with single-walled carbon nanotubes and antibodies against human mesothelin, was said to measure the level of mesothelin to test for the presence of cancer in a patient.

The project claimed that tests on human blood serum showed a 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,{{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) |url-status=dead |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 |df=mdy-all }} and over 90 percent accurate in detecting the presence of mesothelin. However, several years of trials would be needed to determine whether the new device would be sensitive and specific enough as a screening test for pancreatic cancer.File:How Open Access Empowered a 16-Year-Old to Make Cancer Breakthrough.ogv on open access.]]

Andraka has spoken about the inspiration for his work, including the death of a family friend, in forums including TEDx Nijmegen in 2013.{{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}}{{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}}{{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}}{{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}} 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.{{cite web | last = Tucker | first = Abigail | title = Jack Andraka, the Teen Prodigy of Pancreatic Cancer | publisher = 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 | url-status = dead }}

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.{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2013172866A3|title=Sensors for detection of mesothelin WO 2013172866 A3}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19291258|title=US teen invents advanced cancer test using Google|date=August 20, 2012|work=BBC}}

In October 2013, Andraka appeared as a guest on The Colbert Report to talk about his work.{{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|url-status=dead|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}}

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."{{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}} George M. Church, professor of genetics at Harvard University, also raised concerns about the cost, speed, and sensitivity claims. The novelty of Andraka's work has also been questioned. In 2005, seven years before Andraka won the 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.{{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|url-status = dead}} 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,{{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}} 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.{{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|pages=465101|doi=10.1088/0957-4484/19/46/465101|issn=0957-4484|pmid=21836232|bibcode=2008Nanot..19T5101S|s2cid=1224252 }} 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.{{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}}

In 2012, Andraka filed a "World Patent" under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, which resulted in a preliminary search to determine patentability.{{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}} The examination found "a lack of inventive step"{{Cite web|title = WO2013172866.pdf|url = https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/docservicepdf_pct/id00000027060831/WOSA/WO2013172866.pdf|website = patentscope.wipo.int|access-date = 2016-09-03}} 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.

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.

Personal life

File:Jack Andraka Capital Pride.jpg in 2014]]

Jack Andraka was born in Crownsville, Maryland and is of Polish ancestry.{{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}} Andraka enrolled as a freshman at Stanford University for the 2015–2016 academic year.{{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}}

Andraka has been openly gay since he was 13.{{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}}{{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}}{{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}} 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. I didn't have many role models [who are gay scientists] besides Alan Turing."

=Family=

Andraka's father, Steve, is a civil engineer and his mother, Jane, is a Certified Anesthesiology Assistant.{{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}} 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 MIT THINK Award.

Awards and recognition

2012 Gordon E. Moore Award{{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}}
February 12, 2013, he was one of the guests seated in the First Lady's Box at the State of the Union Address. {{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}}
2013 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Fourth-place, Chemistry.
2014 National Jefferson Award Recipient, Samuel S. Beard Award for the Greatest Public Service by an Individual Thirty-Five Years or Under{{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}}
2015 Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Coca-Cola Scholar{{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/|url-status=dead}}
2012 Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award{{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/ |url-status=dead }}

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].