A 16-year-old student has devised a pancreatic cancer early detection system at a cost of three cents (less than 5 euro cents) . The procedure, based on the detection of mesothelin through carbon nanotubes, offers a reliable diagnosis in just five minutes, and is expandable to ovarian and lung cancer.
Jack Andraka is already branded a genius by the scientific community for having developed one of the greatest advances in biotechnology of the century. A scientific paper on carbon nanotubes was the seed of his innovative idea, endorsed only by Johns Hopkins University in Maryland (USA). Initial tests carried out on laboratory rats last December had a positive result, although further experimentation is required for their manufacture.
The system is based on the detection of mesothelin, a biomarker that appears in the bloodstream in abnormal amounts during the early stages of development of various cancers. Andraka incorporated specific antibodies for this protein into a network of carbon nanotubes, so that changes in electrical conductivity reveal the amount of mesothelin present in the plasma. The system is 100% reliable and 168 times faster than the current ELISA, which also costs $ 800.
The initial symptom of pancreatic cancer is weight loss, which makes its early detection very difficult. Doctors usually diagnose it once it has spread to other organs, bringing the mortality rate to 98%.
