01/08/2013
HOW THE TEST WORKS
To come up with his new pancreatic
cancer test, Jack mixed human
mesothelin-specific antibodies with
conductive single walled carbon
nanotubes.
He used the mixture to coat strips of
ordinary filter paper, making them
conductive, and determined the
optimal layering using a scanning
election microscope.
Cell media spiked with varying
amounts of mesothelin was then
tested against to the paper biosensor
and any change in the electrical
potential of the sensor strip (due to
the changing conductivity of the
nanotubes) was measured.
Changes in conductivity occurred
because the antibodies on the strips
binded to the mesothelin and enlarge,
spreading the nanotubes further apart
and changing the electrical properties
of the network.
The more mesothelin applied, the
more the antibodies would grow and
the weaker the electrical signal would
become.
Andraka's sensor costs $3.00 and 10
tests can be performed per strip,
taking 5 minutes each. The test is said
to be 168 times faster, 26,667 times
less expensive, and 400 times more
sensitive than current testing
methods.
(follow this link for more information)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2270016/The-15-year-old-schoolboy-invention-revolutionise-cancer-detection.html
