Great Science Project – detecting diseases using a simple device
Jack Andraka is a 15-year old who has invented a
method for detecting some types of cancer using a very simple and inexpensive device.
He has won the $75,000 Intel prize. Visit the following site for more information:
This is just the beginning! Like all great inventions, this
one opens up a hundred possibilities. There is room for hundreds of student projects
taking off from Andraka’s idea! There is room for hundreds of related ideas!
What is the trick? He uses a solution containing carbon nanotubes
coated with antibodies for something he wants to detect – a target protein. He
dips a piece of filter paper in this solution and hooks it up to a device that
measures electrical conductivity. When a suitable solution containing the
target protein is applied to the filter paper, there is a detectable reduction
in conductivity to indicate the presence of the target protein? Why? The target
protein molecules bind to the antibodies. This pushes the nanotubes apart,
making space for the protein molecules. You probably know that the bond between
an antibody and its target protein is very, very specific. Antibodies don’t bind
to any old protein molecules!
The greatest value of Andraka’s technique idea could be in
detecting infectious diseases. If you demonstrate how this can be done, you
might save thousands of lives, if not millions. Want to read up on some related
ideas? Visit
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