Steve Jobs, who was known as the CEO of Apple, died of pancreatic cancer in
2011. After this shocking event, people began to pay attention to the
pancreatic cancer. According to the Korean Medical Association, on average,
twelve people have pancreatic cancer every day in Korea, but the survival rate
is only 8 percent. The reason why the rate of death is too high is because it
is difficult to detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages. However, one
teenaged boy named Andraka developed the way to diagnose this cancer. His new
method that detects pancreatic cancer by paper sensor is very important because
it’s accurate and convenient.
Andraka’s invention is important because it is accurate. According to an
interview in the famous science conference TED, his new method is over 90
percent accurate in detecting the presence of mesothelin. Mesothelin, which is
a protein that appear in early stages of pancreatic cancer, is a key point of
this cancer treatment because there is little symptom in the first stage of it.
If doctors diagnose the cancer in its early stage, the survival rate can grow
by 20 percent. Therefore, by using the new method, doctors can diagnose the
cancer correctly, also the patients can get prompt treatment.
Another reason that Andraka’s invention is important is that it is convenient.
According to Andraka, “Because the method uses a paper sensor, it costs a mere
three cents.” These price is twenty-six thousand times cheaper that the
existing method. Furthermore, it takes just five minutes for diagnosis. The
time is one hundred sixty eight times faster than the existing method. For these
reasons, no matter how poor you are, you can check whether you have pancreatic
cancer or not.
In conclusion, Andraka’s new method opened new way in the medical world. His
invention is accurate and convenient. Thus, we can save many people who are
suffering from pancreatic cancer. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, oncologist and
chancellor of UCSF, said that with use of Andraka’s invention, we can develop
other studies of cancers like ovarian cancer and lung cancer. As he said, I
expect that someday we won’t need to worry about cancers.
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답글삭제I was surprised of the fact that the young teenaged boy had found how to diagnose that disease in its early stage. I wonder how he detects the existence of Mesothelin specifically with paper only.
답글삭제He is a real genius! The most amazing thing is that he found out the information about mesothelin from the Internet. He said,"Internet is not just internet. It is a great tool that could change the world." As he said, I think anyone who have a strong will can change the world like Andraka regardless of their circumstances. Don't you agree?
답글삭제Wow! In fact, I was not interested in medical or science such like that, but after reading your writing, it was wonderful information! This method is cheap and the percent of accuracy is very high! I think, Korea hospitals or doctors should learn and introduce that operation in Korea as soon as possible. And also I realize internet is not always harmful to teenagers.
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