When Jack Andraka was only 15-years-old, he made an incredible discovery that could change the way we detect cancer. Today, he's continuing to share his inspiring story and groundbreaking work world-wide.
Jack's research -- which led to the development of a faster and less expensive test for pancreatic cancer -- won him first place at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. (And in case you missed it, his reaction to winning was priceless.) On Sunday, Jack went on the BBC to talk about the future effects of his research on the medical community.
"In the next 10, 20, 30 years, my vision for medical diagnostics and cancer diagnostics would be ... a shift from symptom-based diagnosis," Jack explained. "That's my test. That's really going to be the future of medicine because you really want definitive, quantitative results."
According to BBC, a reason pancreatic cancer has a low survival rate is because there are very few symptoms. Because of this, doctors aren't likely to suggest taking a diagnostic test. Jack's extensive research on pancreatic cancer aims to change this. He created a urine and blood test that is 28 times cheaper and faster than the tests that already exist. His new test is also 100 times more sensitive and has a 90 percent accuracy rate.
In June, Jack also spoke at TEDxHousesofParliament in London about his vision for cancer research. The teen argued that having easier access to information is vital in order to encourage younger people to get involved in science-related work.
"The Internet is this amazing tool that empowers us to really spread these ideas and improve our conditions. Through the Internet, anything is possible," Jack said. "Things can be shared and you don't have to be a professor with multiple degrees to have your ideas valued. You could be a high school kid like me. Regardless of your age, your gender, your ethnicity, any of that, it doesn't matter. It's just your ideas that count."
Watch Jack's full TEDx talk in the video above and tell us: Are you inspired by his work? Tell us in the comments or tweet at @HuffPostTeen.
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