Jack Andraka, 15, a North County High School freshman from Crownsville, Maryland, was awarded first place, receiving the Gordon E. Moore Award, for his new method to detect pancreatic cancer at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
After drawing inspiration from his uncle, who died of pancreatic cancer, Jack created a simple dip-stick sensor to test blood or urine to determine whether or not a patient has early-stage pancreatic cancer.
Andraka's study resulted in over 90 percent accuracy and showed his patent-pending sensor, based on diabetic test paper, to be 28 times faster, 28 times less expensive and over 100 times more sensitive than current tests.
Dr. Anirban Maitra, John Hopkins University, took a chance on Jack and allowed him to develop the sensor in his lab after 200 researchers turned him down.
Nithin Tumma, 17, high school senior of Fort Gratiot, Michigan and first in his class of 332, won the top award from the Intel Foundation at the 2012 Intel Science Talent Search.
Nithin's research could lead to more direct, targeted, effective and less toxic breast cancer treatments, by analyzing the molecular mechanisms in cancer cells and finding that by inhibiting certain proteins, we may be able to slow the growth of cancer cells and decrease thier malignancy.
Source:
Shared with: the healthy home economist
