Jack Andraka was just a fifteen year old Maryland high school sophomore when he invented an inexpensive early detection test for pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers. After a close family friend died of pancreatic cancer, Andraka (then a ninth grader) became interested in finding a better early-detection diagnostic test. He learned that the lack of a rapid, low-cost early screening method contributed to the poor survival rate among individuals with pancreatic cancer. After thinking further about the problem, he came up with a plan and a budget to put his ideas in motion.
Andraka’s inspiring and compelling memoir, Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World (HarperCollins), delves into the challenges and triumphs he faced on the road to his revolutionary discovery. At the age of fifteen he garnered international attention for his breakthrough: a four cent strip of paper capable of detecting pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers 400 times more effectively than the previous standard. He aims to inspire young people, who he argues are the most innovative. The memoir encourages readers to fight for the right to be taken seriously, pursue their own dreams, and that we can each change the world if we only have the courage to try.
Andraka’s groundbreaking results have earned him international recognition, most notably a 2014 Jefferson Award, the nation’s most prestigious public service award, the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, the Out 100, White House Champion of Change in Open Science, Time Magazines 30 under 30, a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeeper, and Advocate Magazine’s 40 under 40 award.
In addition, Andraka was First Lady Michelle Obama’s personal guest at the 2013 State of the Union Address. He has been featured in several documentaries including Morgan Spurlock’s Sundance Film Festival entry, “You Don’t Know Jack,” Linda Peters’ award winning film, “Just Jack,” and the online version of Ken Burns’ “The Emperor of All Maladies”, as well as 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CNN, BBC, Fox, Rede Record de Televisão, and radio, newspaper, and magazine articles around the world.
Andraka speaks at a wide variety of locations including universities, schools, technology organizations and corporations, hospitals and the education sector in over 40 countries. Notable venues include a mainstage TED talk, 19 TEDx talks, a panelist at the annual Clinton Global Initiative, and a X-Prize Foundation Visioneer. His audiences range from youth—children and teens- to adults interested in using their creativity and curiosity to change the world.
Andraka also runs programs for mentoring disadvantaged LGBT youth in STEM fields. He is a member of both the Junior and U-23 national kayaking teams and placed in the top 20 at the U-23 Wildwater Kayaking World Championships.
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