Teen scientist invents life-saving cancer test

When he was 15, Jack Andraka developed an early detection test for pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers. He won the top prize in the 2012 Intel Science Fair for his invention — which costs only three cents and works in five minutes — and has since been recognized around the world for his accomplishment. Jack wrote to NewsHour Extra about how he came up with his idea and how other students can get involved in scientific research:

When a close family friend who was like an uncle to me passed away from pancreatic cancer I was sad and confused. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was so I turned to any teen’s go-to sources: Wikipedia and Google. There I learned that 85 percent of pancreatic cancers are diagnosed late, when people have a two percent chance of survival. The current blood test for pancreatic cancer costs $800 and misses 30 percent of cancers – reading this, I knew there had to be a better way!

Armed with teenage optimism, I began reading everything I could online about pancreatic cancer and how it is detected.

Learn more about Jack’s story here.

H/T Allison McCartney