TED2013
Jack Andraka: A promising test for pancreatic cancer ... from a teenager
傑克‧安卓卡 (Jack Andraka): 由一位青少年發現的胰臟癌檢測新方法
Filmed:
Readability: 4.7
4,827,010 views
超過百分之八十五的患者被診斷出來罹患胰臟癌時，都已經為時已晚，那時他們往往都只剩不到百分之二的存活率。怎麼會這樣？傑克‧安卓卡告訴我們，他如何研發出一套初期胰臟癌的檢測方法，造福大眾，這套檢測方法非常經濟實惠、有效、而且不具侵入性——他在十六歲前就做到了。
Jack Andraka - Cancer detector inventor
A paper on carbon nanotubes, a biology lecture on antibodies and a flash of insight led 15-year-old Jack Andraka to design a cheaper, more sensitive cancer detector. Full bio
A paper on carbon nanotubes, a biology lecture on antibodies and a flash of insight led 15-year-old Jack Andraka to design a cheaper, more sensitive cancer detector. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Have you ever experienced a moment in your life
0
726
3709
在你的生命中
00:16
that was so painful and confusing
1
4435
3506
是否曾經體會過痛苦和困惑
00:19
that all you wanted to do
2
7941
2039
而讓你想盡辦法
00:21
was learn as much as you could to make sense of it all?
3
9980
3770
瞭解事情的真相？
00:25
When I was 13, a close family friend
4
13750
2950
當我十三歲時
有一位跟我家人關係很好
有一位跟我家人關係很好
00:28
who was like an uncle to me
5
16700
1722
對我而言就像親叔叔一樣的朋友
00:30
passed away from pancreatic cancer.
6
18422
2765
因為胰臟癌而去世
00:33
When the disease hit so close to home,
7
21187
2331
叔叔去世對我打擊很大
00:35
I knew I needed to learn more,
8
23518
2106
也讓我意識到我需要對這疾病有更多認識
00:37
so I went online to find answers.
9
25624
2846
所以我上網找尋答案
00:40
Using the Internet, I found a variety of statistics
10
28470
3090
我在網上找到了許多種
跟胰臟癌有關的統計數據
跟胰臟癌有關的統計數據
00:43
on pancreatic cancer,
11
31560
1678
我在網上找到了許多種
跟胰臟癌有關的統計數據
跟胰臟癌有關的統計數據
00:45
and what I had found shocked me.
12
33238
2648
這些數據使我大吃一驚
00:47
Over 85 percent of all pancreatic cancers
13
35886
3832
超過百分之八十五的患者
00:51
are diagnosed late,
14
39718
1576
都是到了較末期才被診斷出來
00:53
when someone has less than a two percent chance of survival.
15
41294
4326
而存活率往往不到百分之二
00:57
Why are we so bad at detecting pancreatic cancer?
16
45620
3948
為什麼診斷出胰臟癌有這麼難呢？
01:01
The reason? Today's current modern medicine
17
49568
3585
原來，現行的篩檢方法
01:05
is a 60-year-old technique.
18
53153
2255
早在60年前就開始使用了
01:07
That's older than my dad.
19
55408
2505
比我爸的年紀都還大
01:09
(Laughter)
20
57913
3546
（笑聲）
01:13
But also, it's extremely expensive,
21
61459
2443
而且篩檢費很高
01:15
costing 800 dollars per test,
22
63902
3253
要價800元美金
01:19
and it's grossly inaccurate,
23
67155
2752
結果還不是很準確
01:21
missing 30 percent of all pancreatic cancers.
24
69907
3417
有百分之三十的機率可能會診斷不出來
01:25
Your doctor would have to be ridiculously suspicious
25
73324
2922
你的主治醫生強烈懷疑你是得癌症
01:28
that you have the cancer in order to give you this test.
26
76246
3485
才會讓你做這個篩檢
01:31
Learning this, I knew there had to be a better way.
27
79731
3745
知道這個情況後
我認為應該有更好的方法
我認為應該有更好的方法
01:35
So I set up a scientific criteria
28
83476
2501
於是我建立了一套科學標準
01:37
as to what a sensor would have to look like
29
85977
1986
讓一套篩檢器
01:39
in order to effectively diagnose pancreatic cancer.
30
87963
3417
才能有效地診斷出胰臟癌
01:43
The sensor would have to be inexpensive, rapid,
31
91380
3736
這個篩檢器價格不能太貴
速度要夠快
速度要夠快
01:47
simple, sensitive, selective,
32
95116
3551
容易做、靈敏度高
夠精準且侵入性低
夠精準且侵入性低
01:50
and minimally invasive.
33
98667
3281
容易做、靈敏度高
夠精準且侵入性低
夠精準且侵入性低
01:53
Now, there's a reason why this test
34
101948
2031
目前的技術用了六十多年
都沒有更新想必是有原因的
都沒有更新想必是有原因的
01:55
hasn't been updated in over six decades,
35
103979
3129
目前的技術用了六十多年
都沒有更新想必是有原因的
都沒有更新想必是有原因的
01:59
and that's because, when we're looking for pancreatic cancer,
36
107108
3183
因為當我們檢測胰臟癌時
02:02
we're looking at your bloodstream,
37
110291
1594
我們是透過血液作篩檢
02:03
which is already abundant in all these tons and tons of protein,
38
111885
4849
但血液中本來就有大量不同的蛋白質
02:08
and you're looking for this miniscule difference
39
116734
2135
但是你要在極少量的蛋白質當中
02:10
in this tiny amount of protein,
40
118869
1831
尋找極細微的差異
02:12
just this one protein.
41
120700
1286
就是在這種特定的蛋白質內尋找
02:13
That's next to impossible.
42
121986
1926
其實幾乎不可能
02:15
However, undeterred due to my teenage optimism --
43
123912
3574
但初生之犢不畏虎
我不會輕言放棄
我不會輕言放棄
02:19
(Applause) —
44
127486
5576
（掌聲）
02:25
I went online to a teenager's two best friends,
45
133062
3798
我上網找到兩個年輕人最喜歡使用的網站
02:28
Google and Wikipedia.
46
136860
1704
Google和維基百科
02:30
I got everything for my homework from those two sources.
47
138564
4218
我寫作業都靠它們
02:34
And what I had found was an article
48
142782
2548
我找到一篇文章
02:37
that listed a database of over 8,000 different proteins
49
145330
3794
上面列出了超過 8000 種從胰臟癌患者
身上所找到的蛋白質資料庫
身上所找到的蛋白質資料庫
02:41
that are found when you have pancreatic cancer.
50
149124
2487
列出了超過 8000 種從胰臟癌患者
身上所找到的蛋白質資料庫
身上所找到的蛋白質資料庫
02:43
So I decided to go and make it my new mission
51
151611
3644
所以我決定要自己試試看
02:47
to go through all these proteins and see which ones
52
155255
2893
檢驗這些蛋白質
02:50
could serve as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer.
53
158148
2523
看哪個可以成為胰臟癌的判斷依據
02:52
And to make it a bit simpler for myself,
54
160671
2438
我自己為了簡化流程
02:55
I decided to map out a scientific criteria. And here it is.
55
163109
4248
我決定制定一套科學化的篩選標準
02:59
Essentially first, the protein would have to be found
56
167357
2432
基本上 目標蛋白質必須要
03:01
in all pancreatic cancers at high levels in the bloodstream
57
169789
3175
在所有種類的胰臟患者血液裡
具有非常高濃度才能檢測出來
具有非常高濃度才能檢測出來
03:04
in the earliest stages, but also only in cancer.
58
172964
4373
必須要是在最早期
也只有在罹患癌症時才會出現
也只有在罹患癌症時才會出現
03:09
And so I'm just plugging and chugging through this gargantuan task,
59
177337
2990
所以我全心投入研究這項浩大艱鉅的工作
03:12
and finally, on the 4,000th try,
60
180327
3322
終於嘗試到第四千次時
03:15
when I'm close to losing my sanity,
61
183649
1779
就在我快到達極限時
03:17
I find the protein.
62
185428
1890
我找到了那種蛋白質
03:19
And the name of the protein I'd located
63
187318
2669
而我找到的這種蛋白質
03:21
was called mesothelin,
64
189987
1392
稱為「間皮素」
03:23
and it's just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill type protein,
65
191379
2730
是一種一般人體內都有的蛋白質
03:26
unless of course you have pancreatic,
66
194109
1708
除非你罹患胰臟癌
03:27
ovarian or lung cancer,
67
195817
1729
卵巢癌或肺癌
03:29
in which case it's found at these very high levels in your bloodstream.
68
197546
3025
它就會在血液中大量產生
03:32
But also the key is
69
200571
1808
但另一個關鍵是
03:34
that it's found in the earliest stages of the disease,
70
202379
2956
這種蛋白質可以在癌症最初期時驗出
03:37
when someone has close to 100 percent chance
71
205335
2203
這樣病人的存活機率
03:39
of survival.
72
207538
1274
可高達百分之百
03:40
So now that I'd found a reliable protein I could detect,
73
208812
3661
現在要被偵測到的目標蛋白找到了
03:44
I then shifted my focus to actually detecting that protein,
74
212473
2773
我將重心轉移到檢驗
這種蛋白質的方法上
這種蛋白質的方法上
03:47
and, thus, pancreatic cancer.
75
215246
2454
也就是檢測胰臟癌的方法
03:49
Now, my breakthrough came in a very unlikely place,
76
217700
3369
我在意想不到的地方有重大突破
03:53
possibly the most unlikely place for innovation:
77
221069
2641
那也許是最不可能出現創新的地方
03:55
my high school biology class,
78
223710
2224
就是我高中的生物課
03:57
the absolute stifler of innovation.
79
225934
2521
一個完全扼殺創意的地方
04:00
(Laughter) (Applause)
80
228455
4924
（笑聲、掌聲）
04:05
And I had snuck in this article on these things called
81
233379
3181
我正在底下看一篇關於奈米碳管的文章
04:08
carbon nanotubes, and that's just a long, thin pipe of carbon
82
236560
3598
奈米碳管是由碳原子
所構成的細長管柱
所構成的細長管柱
04:12
that's an atom thick
83
240158
1254
奈米碳管是由碳原子
所構成的細長管柱
所構成的細長管柱
04:13
and one 50 thousandth the diameter of your hair.
84
241412
2695
直徑只有頭髮的五萬分之一
04:16
And despite their extremely small sizes,
85
244107
2390
儘管體積這麼小
04:18
they have these incredible properties.
86
246497
1834
它們卻有不可思議的特性
04:20
They're kind of like the superheroes of material science.
87
248331
2591
就像是材料科學中的超級英雄
04:22
And while I was sneakily reading this article
88
250922
2185
上生物課時
我在桌子底下
我在桌子底下
04:25
under my desk in my biology class,
89
253107
2095
偷偷看這篇文章
04:27
we were supposed to be paying attention
90
255202
1599
本來我應該專心上課
04:28
to these other kind of cool molecules called antibodies.
91
256801
3709
學習另一種名為「抗體」的超酷分子
04:32
And these are pretty cool because they only react
92
260510
2101
很酷的原因是它們只會
04:34
with one specific protein,
93
262611
1783
對特定蛋白質產生反應
04:36
but they're not nearly as interesting as carbon nanotubes.
94
264394
2600
但沒有奈米碳管那麼有趣
04:38
And so then, I was sitting in class,
95
266994
3107
所以我坐在教室裡
04:42
and suddenly it hit me:
96
270101
2538
突然天外飛來一筆
04:44
I could combine what I was reading about,
97
272639
2651
我可以將我在書上讀到的
04:47
carbon nanotubes,
98
275290
1449
奈米碳管
04:48
with what I was supposed to be thinking about, antibodies.
99
276739
2936
與課堂上教的抗體作結合
04:51
Essentially, I could weave a bunch of these antibodies
100
279675
2765
基本上我可以上把這些抗體
04:54
into a network of carbon nanotubes
101
282440
1988
交織在奈米碳管的網狀織物上
04:56
such that you have a network
102
284428
1593
那就成了一個會針對
特定蛋白質有反應的網狀系統
特定蛋白質有反應的網狀系統
04:58
that only reacts with one protein,
103
286021
2430
那就成了一個會針對
特定蛋白質有反應的網狀系統
特定蛋白質有反應的網狀系統
05:00
but also, due to the properties of these nanotubes,
104
288451
3320
由於奈米碳管的特性
05:03
it would change its electrical properties
105
291771
1952
它會依據蛋白質的數量
05:05
based on the amount of protein present.
106
293723
2508
改變其導電性
05:08
However, there's a catch.
107
296231
2083
然而有一個必須克服的問題
05:10
These networks of carbon nanotubes are extremely flimsy,
108
298314
3400
奈米碳管的架構非常脆弱
05:13
and since they're so delicate, they need to be supported.
109
301714
3489
因此需要一些物體支撐著它
05:17
So that's why I chose to use paper.
110
305203
2016
這就是我選擇紙張的原因
05:19
Making a cancer sensor out of paper
111
307219
2294
用紙製造出檢測癌症的工具
05:21
is about as simple as making chocolate chip cookies,
112
309513
2368
就像做巧克力餅乾一樣簡單
05:23
which I love.
113
311881
3549
我很喜歡巧克力餅乾
05:27
You start with some water, pour in some nanotubes,
114
315430
3345
首先先將一些水到入奈米碳管裡
05:30
add antibodies, mix it up,
115
318775
2414
再加入抗體 把兩者均勻混合
05:33
take some paper, dip it, dry it,
116
321189
2368
拿張試紙 沾濕後 再晾乾
05:35
and you can detect cancer.
117
323557
3432
你就可以檢驗出癌症
05:38
(Applause)
118
326989
6507
（掌聲）
05:45
Then, suddenly, a thought occurred
119
333496
3234
但我突然想起
05:48
that kind of put a blemish on my amazing plan here.
120
336730
4346
這個完美的計畫有個致命傷
05:53
I can't really do cancer research
121
341076
1855
我總不能在廚房工作檯上
05:54
on my kitchen countertop.
122
342931
1242
進行癌症研究
05:56
My mom wouldn't really like that.
123
344173
2143
我媽絕對不會讓我這麼做的
05:58
So instead, I decided to go for a lab.
124
346316
3250
因此我決定去找間實驗室
06:01
So I typed up a budget, a materials list,
125
349566
2404
我擬定預算、材料清單
06:03
a timeline, and a procedure,
126
351970
2227
時間表、流程
06:06
and I emailed it to 200 different professors
127
354197
2519
用電子郵件寄給200位教授
06:08
at Johns Hopkins University
128
356716
1689
包括約翰‧霍普金斯大學
06:10
and the National Institutes of Health,
129
358405
1704
國立衛生研究院 (NIH)
06:12
essentially anyone that had anything to do with pancreatic cancer.
130
360109
3176
任何一位有關胰臟癌研究的教授
06:15
And I sat back waiting for these positive emails to be pouring in,
131
363285
2949
接著我就慢慢等他們回信
06:18
saying, "You're a genius!
132
366234
1517
說：「你真是個天才！
06:19
You're going to save us all!"
133
367751
1582
你是全人類的救星！」
06:21
And — (Laughter)
134
369333
4289
（笑聲）
06:25
Then reality took hold,
135
373622
1321
然後現實擺在眼前
06:26
and over the course of a month,
136
374943
2414
一個月過去了
06:29
I got 199 rejections out of those 200 emails.
137
377357
4575
我收到了 199 封拒絕信
06:33
One professor even went through my entire procedure,
138
381932
2460
有一位教授甚至煞費苦心地
看完整個流程
看完整個流程
06:36
painstakingly -- I'm not really sure where he got all this time --
139
384392
2973
我不知道他哪來這麼多時間
06:39
and he went through and said why each and every step
140
387365
3984
他看完後告訴我
為什麼每個步驟
為什麼每個步驟
06:43
was like the worst mistake I could ever make.
141
391349
2871
我都錯得非常離譜
06:46
Clearly, the professors did not have as high
142
394220
2637
很明顯 這位教授的看法和我不同
06:48
of an opinion of my work as I did.
143
396857
3122
他對我的成果沒有太高的評價
06:51
However, there was a silver lining.
144
399979
2142
但是 終於出現一絲希望
06:54
One professor said, "Maybe I might be able to help you, kid."
145
402121
3011
一位教授說：「孩子，也許我能幫你。」
06:57
So I went in that direction.
146
405132
2488
所以我就去找他了
06:59
(Laughter)
147
407620
3897
（笑聲）
07:03
As you can never say no to a kid.
148
411517
2664
畢竟沒有人會拒絕一個小孩子的
07:06
And so then, three months later,
149
414181
2480
就這樣 三個月後
07:08
I finally nailed down a harsh deadline with this guy,
150
416661
2876
我和這位教授敲定的截止日
距離現在不遠了
距離現在不遠了
07:11
and I get into his lab,
151
419537
1364
我進到他的實驗室
07:12
I get all excited, and then I sit down,
152
420901
2319
非常興奮 坐下之後
07:15
I start opening my mouth and talking,
153
423220
1747
我開始進行面談
07:16
and five seconds later he calls in another Ph.D.
154
424967
2633
五秒後 他叫另一位博士進來
07:19
Ph.D.'s just flock into this little room,
155
427600
3717
這幾位博士和我們擠在小實驗室內
07:23
and they're just firing these questions at me,
156
431317
2215
他們就開始不斷問我問題
07:25
and by the end, I kind of felt like I was in a clown car.
157
433532
2482
最後 我覺得空間越來越擠
07:28
There were 20 Ph.D.'s plus me and the professor
158
436014
1951
房間裡有 20 位博士和我
還有那位教授
還有那位教授
07:29
crammed into this tiny office space
159
437965
2287
全都擠在這間小小的研究室裡
07:32
with them firing these rapid-fire questions at me,
160
440252
3071
不斷向我提問
07:35
trying to sink my procedure.
161
443323
2338
試著要找到我實驗流程的漏洞
07:37
How unlikely is that? I mean, pshhh.
162
445661
2469
這可能嗎？我的意思說 怎麼可能
07:40
(Laughter)
163
448130
4348
（笑聲）
07:44
However, subjecting myself to that interrogation,
164
452478
2724
但是，遭受質問後
07:47
I answered all of their questions,
165
455202
1458
我回答了他們全部的問題
07:48
and I guessed on quite a few but I got them right,
166
456660
2158
有些答案是用猜的
但也都有答對
但也都有答對
07:50
and I finally landed the lab space I needed.
167
458818
4552
終於我找到一間
符合我需求的實驗室
符合我需求的實驗室
07:55
But it was shortly afterwards that I discovered
168
463370
2193
但沒過多久我就發現
07:57
my once brilliant procedure
169
465563
1999
原本很棒的實驗流程
07:59
had something like a million holes in it,
170
467562
2027
原來是漏洞百出
08:01
and over the course of seven months,
171
469589
1581
再經過七個月的時間
08:03
I painstakingly filled each and every one of those holes.
172
471170
3456
我小心謹慎地填補每一個漏洞
08:06
The result? One small paper sensor
173
474626
3050
結果呢？ 一小張試紙
08:09
that costs three cents and takes five minutes to run.
174
477676
3150
只需3分美金
花5分鐘進行檢測
花5分鐘進行檢測
08:12
This makes it 168 times faster,
175
480826
3585
比原本快了168倍
08:16
over 26,000 times less expensive,
176
484411
2827
也便宜了26,000倍
08:19
and over 400 times more sensitive
177
487238
2659
靈敏度提升了400倍
08:21
than our current standard for pancreatic cancer detection.
178
489897
3010
跟現有的胰臟癌測試流程相比
08:24
(Applause)
179
492907
9558
（掌聲）
08:34
One of the best parts of the sensor, though,
180
502465
2395
這種試紙最棒的就是
08:36
is that it has close to 100 percent accuracy,
181
504860
2597
準確度幾乎達到百分之百
08:39
and can detect the cancer in the earliest stages
182
507457
2362
而且能夠偵測到初期的癌症
08:41
when someone has close to 100 percent chance of survival.
183
509819
3393
在初期就發現罹患癌症的話
患者的存活率是接近百分之百
患者的存活率是接近百分之百
08:45
And so in the next two to five years,
184
513212
2264
所以未來二至五年
08:47
this sensor could potentially lift for pancreatic cancer survival rates
185
515476
3265
這試紙就有可能提升
胰臟癌患者的存活機率
胰臟癌患者的存活機率
08:50
from a dismal 5.5 percent
186
518741
2135
從非常低的百分之五點五
08:52
to close to 100 percent,
187
520876
2096
驟升至將近百分之百
08:54
and it would do similar for ovarian and lung cancer.
188
522972
2891
也可應用至檢驗卵巢癌及肺癌
08:57
But it wouldn't stop there.
189
525863
2342
而且還不僅於此
09:00
By switching out that antibody,
190
528205
1695
只要替換抗體
09:01
you can look at a different protein,
191
529900
1619
你就可以檢查不同的蛋白質
09:03
thus, a different disease,
192
531519
1606
也就是可以檢查出不同的疾病
09:05
potentially any disease in the entire world.
193
533125
3705
可能是這世上任何的疾病
09:08
So that ranges from heart disease
194
536830
1841
包括心臟病
09:10
to malaria, HIV, AIDS,
195
538671
2733
瘧疾、人類免疫缺陷病毒、愛滋病
09:13
as well as other forms of cancer -- anything.
196
541404
2729
以及其他種類的癌症 - 任何一種
09:16
And so hopefully one day
197
544133
2191
所以希望有一天
09:18
we can all have that one extra uncle,
198
546324
2416
我們都能多一位叔叔
09:20
that one mother, that one brother, sister,
199
548740
3084
母親、兄弟、姊妹
09:23
we can have that one more family member to love,
200
551824
3026
多一位家庭成員去愛
09:26
and that our hearts will be rid of that one disease burden
201
554850
4856
我們也可擺脫疾病的困擾
09:31
that comes from pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer,
202
559706
2861
無論是胰臟癌、卵巢癌或肺癌
09:34
and potentially any disease,
203
562567
2305
甚至任何疾病都可以
09:36
that through the Internet anything is possible.
204
564872
2398
只要透過網際網路
凡事皆可能
凡事皆可能
09:39
Theories can be shared,
205
567270
1678
可以與大家分享你的理論
09:40
and you don't have to be a professor
206
568948
1452
你不用是一位擁有許多學位教授
09:42
with multiple degrees to have your ideas valued.
207
570400
2660
才能讓你的想法受人重視
09:45
It's a neutral space,
208
573060
1402
這是一個中立的空間
09:46
where what you look like, age or gender,
209
574462
2860
不管外表好看與否
年紀幾歲 是男是女
年紀幾歲 是男是女
09:49
it doesn't matter.
210
577322
1174
都不重要
09:50
It's just your ideas that count.
211
578496
2202
重要的是你的想法
09:52
For me, it's all about looking at the Internet
212
580698
2953
對我而言，我們必須以
09:55
in an entirely new way
213
583651
2088
另一種全新觀點來看待網際網路
09:57
to realize that there's so much more to it
214
585739
2119
才會發現還有許多網路資源
有待我們善加利用
有待我們善加利用
09:59
than just posting duck-face pictures of yourself online.
215
587858
4897
而不是在網路上張貼
一些嘟嘴的自拍照
一些嘟嘴的自拍照
10:04
You could be changing the world.
216
592755
3257
你也能改變世界
10:08
So if a 15-year-old
217
596012
2033
所以如果一個15歲的孩子
10:10
who didn't even know what a pancreas was
218
598045
3087
甚至不知道胰臟是什麼器官
10:13
could find a new way to detect pancreatic cancer,
219
601132
3574
都能找出檢測胰臟癌的新方法
10:16
just imagine what you could do.
220
604706
2491
想想看你能做些什麼吧!
10:19
Thank you.
221
607197
1332
謝謝
10:20
(Applause)
222
608529
5708
（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jack Andraka - Cancer detector inventorA paper on carbon nanotubes, a biology lecture on antibodies and a flash of insight led 15-year-old Jack Andraka to design a cheaper, more sensitive cancer detector.
Why you should listen
After Andraka’s proposal to build and test his idea for a pancreatic cancer detector was rejected from 199 labs, the teen landed at Johns Hopkins. There, he built his device using inexpensive strips of filter paper, carbon nanotubes and antibodies sensitive to mesothelin, a protein found in high levels in people with pancreatic cancer. When dipped in blood or urine, the mesothelin adheres to these antibodies and is detectable by predictable changes in the nanotubes’ electrical conductivity.
In preliminary tests, Andraka’s invention has shown 100 percent accuracy. It also finds cancers earlier than current methods, costs a mere 3 cents and earned the high schooler the 2012 Intel Science Fair grand prize.
Jack Andraka | Speaker | TED.com