With only "free" journal articles, 15-year-old Jack Andraka improves diagnostic testing for pancreatic cancer, improving speed and cost. Hopefully it's as reliable as the gold-standard test.
Quite marvellous what he's done. I'd be interested in where he turns out in the future. I've got myself some other thoughts on this but I though you should know; that's all for now.
The prize was from at least a month or more back, but awesome stuff.
He got a BRILLIANT idea for a practical, fast cancer screenin test from reading journal articles and information that's out there.
Then he submitted his proposal to multiple labs and was rejected by over 100, until a JHU cancer researcher said yes, and let him work on it in his lab.
Really, just a great thing.
It will be interesting to see how something like this will be implemented in practice. The test would cost 3 cents a stick to make... And it's sensitive... But pancreatic Cancer is usually very fast growing and rare... While being one of the most lethal cancers. And is usually pretty much ASYMPTOMATIC until its ready to kill you.
Will it make sense to screen every 2 weeks for your whole adult life? Every month? Every 6 months? Because of the nature of the disease and the nature of the test, it might actually see extremely widespread use... Or very little.
If its something ultimately recommended as a monthly test for everyone, could it be worth billions if sold at just $1 a pop? $5 a pop? If so many would not buy it, but much more money would be made... Or sold at close to cost and shared with the world? it's the classic case of inventing something medical: (a) If your new medical invention is just a little bit better than whats already out there, you're welcome to price yourself a hefty amount above the existing competition. (b) if it's too valuable or too much better than existing stuff, they just take it from you and you can't gouge people for money because you're "killing people" by pricing then out
(It's a dilemma. Clearly a super cheap urine dipstick test for cancer screening could conceivably marketed for anywhere from a nickel apiece to $30 apiece. For example, look at Urine dipsticks for pregnancy marketed to consumers are like $8-12 a shot in consumer packaging, and the identical test, without the plastic packaging, is sold 50 a pack on the internet for a few bucks. I cracked on open once. It's the same little strip of paper. Actually the bulk strips worked better)
I wonder if JHU owns the rights or if Andraka does.
It could all be moot if there is no practical regular screening schedule for this test, but it might turn out to be monstrously lucrative. Ultimately the important thing is that we have another tool against cancer.
Well I think the easy thing to do is try to find a way to bundle it with other similar tests.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
With only "free" journal articles, 15-year-old Jack Andraka improves diagnostic testing for pancreatic cancer, improving speed and cost. Hopefully it's as reliable as the gold-standard test.
Quite marvellous what he's done. I'd be interested in where he turns out in the future. I've got myself some other thoughts on this but I though you should know; that's all for now.
The prize was from at least a month or more back, but awesome stuff.
He got a BRILLIANT idea for a practical, fast cancer screenin test from reading journal articles and information that's out there.
Then he submitted his proposal to multiple labs and was rejected by over 100, until a JHU cancer researcher said yes, and let him work on it in his lab.
Really, just a great thing.
It will be interesting to see how something like this will be implemented in practice. The test would cost 3 cents a stick to make... And it's sensitive... But pancreatic Cancer is usually very fast growing and rare... While being one of the most lethal cancers. And is usually pretty much ASYMPTOMATIC until its ready to kill you.
Will it make sense to screen every 2 weeks for your whole adult life? Every month? Every 6 months? Because of the nature of the disease and the nature of the test, it might actually see extremely widespread use... Or very little.
If its something ultimately recommended as a monthly test for everyone, could it be worth billions if sold at just $1 a pop? $5 a pop? If so many would not buy it, but much more money would be made... Or sold at close to cost and shared with the world? it's the classic case of inventing something medical: (a) If your new medical invention is just a little bit better than whats already out there, you're welcome to price yourself a hefty amount above the existing competition. (b) if it's too valuable or too much better than existing stuff, they just take it from you and you can't gouge people for money because you're "killing people" by pricing then out
(It's a dilemma. Clearly a super cheap urine dipstick test for cancer screening could conceivably marketed for anywhere from a nickel apiece to $30 apiece. For example, look at Urine dipsticks for pregnancy marketed to consumers are like $8-12 a shot in consumer packaging, and the identical test, without the plastic packaging, is sold 50 a pack on the internet for a few bucks. I cracked on open once. It's the same little strip of paper. Actually the bulk strips worked better)
I wonder if JHU owns the rights or if Andraka does.
It could all be moot if there is no practical regular screening schedule for this test, but it might turn out to be monstrously lucrative. Ultimately the important thing is that we have another tool against cancer.