that was so painful and confusing,

在你的生命中

that all you wanted to do

是否曾經體會過痛苦和困惑

was learn as much as you could to make sense of it all?

而讓你想盡辦法

When I was 13, a close family friend who was like an uncle to me

瞭解事情的真相？

passed away from pancreatic cancer.

當我十三歲時 有一位跟我家人關係很好

When the disease hit so close to home,

對我而言就像親叔叔一樣的朋友

I knew I needed to learn more.

因為胰臟癌而去世

So I went online to find answers.

叔叔去世對我打擊很大

Using the Internet, I found a variety of statistics on pancreatic cancer,

也讓我意識到我需要對這疾病有更多認識

and what I had found shocked me.

所以我上網找尋答案

Over 85 percent of all pancreatic cancers are diagnosed late,

我在網上找到了許多種 跟胰臟癌有關的統計數據

when someone has less than a two percent chance of survival.

我在網上找到了許多種 跟胰臟癌有關的統計數據

Why are we so bad at detecting pancreatic cancer?

這些數據使我大吃一驚

The reason?

超過百分之八十五的患者

Today's current "modern" medicine is a 60-year-old technique.

都是到了較末期才被診斷出來

That's older than my dad.

而存活率往往不到百分之二

(Laughter)

為什麼診斷出胰臟癌有這麼難呢？

But also, it's extremely expensive, costing 800 dollars per test,

原來，現行的篩檢方法

and it's grossly inaccurate, missing 30 percent of all pancreatic cancers.

早在60年前就開始使用了

Your doctor would have to be ridiculously suspicious that you have the cancer

比我爸的年紀都還大

in order to give you this test.

（笑聲）

Learning this, I knew there had to be a better way.

而且篩檢費很高

So, I set up scientific criteria

要價800元美金

as to what a sensor would have to look like

結果還不是很準確

in order to effectively diagnose pancreatic cancer.

有百分之三十的機率可能會診斷不出來

The sensor would have to be:

你的主治醫生強烈懷疑你是得癌症

inexpensive, rapid, simple, sensitive,

才會讓你做這個篩檢

selective, and minimally invasive.

知道這個情況後 我認為應該有更好的方法

Now, there's a reason why this test hasn't been updated in over six decades.

於是我建立了一套科學標準

And that's because when we're looking for pancreatic cancer,

讓一套篩檢器

we're looking at your bloodstream,

才能有效地診斷出胰臟癌

which is already abundant in all these tons and tons of protein,

這個篩檢器價格不能太貴 速度要夠快

and you're looking for this miniscule difference in this tiny amount of protein.

容易做、靈敏度高 夠精準且侵入性低

Just this one protein.

容易做、靈敏度高 夠精準且侵入性低

That's next to impossible.

目前的技術用了六十多年 都沒有更新想必是有原因的

However, undeterred due to my teenage optimism --

目前的技術用了六十多年 都沒有更新想必是有原因的

(Laughter)

因為當我們檢測胰臟癌時

(Applause)

我們是透過血液作篩檢

I went online to a teenager's two best friends, Google and Wikipedia.

但血液中本來就有大量不同的蛋白質

I got everything for my homework from those two sources.

但是你要在極少量的蛋白質當中

(Laughter)

尋找極細微的差異

And what I had found was an article

就是在這種特定的蛋白質內尋找

that listed a database of over 8,000 different proteins

其實幾乎不可能

that are found when you have pancreatic cancer.

但初生之犢不畏虎 我不會輕言放棄

So, I decided to go and make it my new mission

（掌聲）

to go through all these proteins,

我上網找到兩個年輕人最喜歡使用的網站

and see which ones could serve as a bio-marker for pancreatic cancer.

Google和維基百科

And to make it a bit simpler for myself,

我寫作業都靠它們

I decided to map out scientific criteria, and here it is.

我找到一篇文章

Essentially, first, the protein would have to be found in all pancreatic cancers,

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

at high levels in the bloodstream,

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

in the earliest stages, but also only in cancer.

所以我決定要自己試試看

And so I'm just plugging and chugging through this gargantuan task,

檢驗這些蛋白質

and finally, on the 4,000th try,

看哪個可以成為胰臟癌的判斷依據

when I'm close to losing my sanity,

我自己為了簡化流程

I find the protein.

我決定制定一套科學化的篩選標準

And the name of the protein I'd located was called mesothelin,

基本上 目標蛋白質必須要

and it's just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill type protein,

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

unless, of course, you have pancreatic, ovarian or lung cancer,

必須要是在最早期 也只有在罹患癌症時才會出現

in which case it's found at these very high levels in your bloodstream.

所以我全心投入研究這項浩大艱鉅的工作

But also, the key is that it's found in the earliest stages of the disease,

終於嘗試到第四千次時

when someone has close to 100 percent chance of survival.

就在我快到達極限時

So now that I'd found a reliable protein I could detect,

我找到了那種蛋白質

I then shifted my focus to actually detecting that protein,

而我找到的這種蛋白質

and thus, pancreatic cancer.

稱為「間皮素」

Now, my breakthrough came in a very unlikely place,

是一種一般人體內都有的蛋白質

possibly the most unlikely place for innovation --

除非你罹患胰臟癌

my high school biology class, the absolute stifler of innovation.

卵巢癌或肺癌

(Laughter)

它就會在血液中大量產生

(Applause)

但另一個關鍵是

And I had snuck in this article on these things called carbon nanotubes,

這種蛋白質可以在癌症最初期時驗出

and that's just a long, thin pipe of carbon

這樣病人的存活機率

that's an atom thick, and one 50,000th the diameter of your hair.

可高達百分之百

And despite their extremely small sizes,

現在要被偵測到的目標蛋白找到了

they have these incredible properties.

我將重心轉移到檢驗 這種蛋白質的方法上

They're kind of like the superheroes of material science.

也就是檢測胰臟癌的方法

And while I was sneakily reading this article under my desk in my biology class,

我在意想不到的地方有重大突破

we were supposed to be paying attention to these other kind of cool molecules,

那也許是最不可能出現創新的地方

called antibodies.

就是我高中的生物課

And these are pretty cool because they only react

一個完全扼殺創意的地方

with one specific protein,

（笑聲、掌聲）

but they're not nearly as interesting as carbon nanotubes.

我正在底下看一篇關於奈米碳管的文章

And so then, I was sitting in class, and suddenly it hit me:

奈米碳管是由碳原子 所構成的細長管柱

I could combine what I was reading about, carbon nanotubes,

奈米碳管是由碳原子 所構成的細長管柱

with what I was supposed to be thinking about, antibodies.

直徑只有頭髮的五萬分之一

Essentially, I could weave a bunch of these antibodies

儘管體積這麼小

into a network of carbon nanotubes,

它們卻有不可思議的特性

such that you have a network that only reacts with one protein,

就像是材料科學中的超級英雄

but also, due to the properties of these nanotubes,

上生物課時 我在桌子底下

it will change its electrical properties,

偷偷看這篇文章

based on the amount of protein present.

本來我應該專心上課

However, there's a catch.

學習另一種名為「抗體」的超酷分子

These networks of carbon nanotubes are extremely flimsy.

很酷的原因是它們只會

And since they're so delicate, they need to be supported.

對特定蛋白質產生反應

So that's why I chose to use paper.

但沒有奈米碳管那麼有趣

Making a cancer sensor out of paper is about as simple

所以我坐在教室裡

as making chocolate chip cookies, which I love.

突然天外飛來一筆

(Laughs)

我可以將我在書上讀到的

You start with some water, pour in some nanotubes,

奈米碳管

add antibodies, mix it up, take some paper, dip it, dry it,

與課堂上教的抗體作結合

and you can detect cancer.

基本上我可以上把這些抗體

(Applause)

交織在奈米碳管的網狀織物上

Then, suddenly, a thought occurred

那就成了一個會針對 特定蛋白質有反應的網狀系統

that kind of put a blemish on my amazing plan here.

那就成了一個會針對 特定蛋白質有反應的網狀系統

I can't really do cancer research on my kitchen countertop.

由於奈米碳管的特性

My mom wouldn't really like that.

它會依據蛋白質的數量

So instead, I decided to go for a lab.

改變其導電性

So I typed up a budget, a materials list, a timeline, and a procedure,

然而有一個必須克服的問題

and I emailed it to 200 different professors

奈米碳管的架構非常脆弱

at Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes of Health --

因此需要一些物體支撐著它

essentially, anyone that had anything to do with pancreatic cancer.

這就是我選擇紙張的原因

I sat back waiting for these positive emails to be pouring in,

用紙製造出檢測癌症的工具

saying, "You're a genius! You're going to save us all!"

就像做巧克力餅乾一樣簡單

And --

我很喜歡巧克力餅乾

(Laughter)

首先先將一些水到入奈米碳管裡

Then reality took hold, and over the course of a month,

再加入抗體 把兩者均勻混合

I got 199 rejections out of those 200 emails.

拿張試紙 沾濕後 再晾乾

One professor even went through my entire procedure,

你就可以檢驗出癌症

painstakingly -- I'm not really sure where he got all this time --

（掌聲）

and he went through and said why each and every step

但我突然想起

was like the worst mistake I could ever make.

這個完美的計畫有個致命傷

Clearly, the professors did not have as high of an opinion of my work as I did.

我總不能在廚房工作檯上

However, there is a silver lining.

進行癌症研究

One professor said, "Maybe I might be able to help you, kid."

我媽絕對不會讓我這麼做的

So, I went in that direction.

因此我決定去找間實驗室

(Laughter)

我擬定預算、材料清單

As you can never say no to a kid.

時間表、流程

And so then, three months later,

用電子郵件寄給200位教授

I finally nailed down a harsh deadline with this guy,

包括約翰‧霍普金斯大學

and I get into his lab, I get all excited, and then I sit down,

國立衛生研究院 (NIH)

I start opening my mouth and talking,

任何一位有關胰臟癌研究的教授

and five seconds later, he calls in another Ph.D.

接著我就慢慢等他們回信

Ph.D.s just flock into this little room,

說：「你真是個天才！

and they're just firing these questions at me,

你是全人類的救星！」

and by the end, I kind of felt like I was in a clown car.

（笑聲）

There were 20 Ph.D.s, plus me and the professor

然後現實擺在眼前

crammed into this tiny office space,

一個月過去了

with them firing these rapid-fire questions at me,

我收到了 199 封拒絕信

trying to sink my procedure.

有一位教授甚至煞費苦心地 看完整個流程

How unlikely is that? I mean, pshhh.

我不知道他哪來這麼多時間

(Laughter)

他看完後告訴我 為什麼每個步驟

However, subjecting myself to that interrogation --

我都錯得非常離譜

I answered all their questions, and I guessed on quite a few

很明顯 這位教授的看法和我不同

but I got them right --

他對我的成果沒有太高的評價

and I finally landed the lab space I needed.

但是 終於出現一絲希望

But it was shortly afterwards that I discovered my once brilliant procedure

一位教授說：「孩子，也許我能幫你。」

had something like a million holes in it,

所以我就去找他了

and over the course of seven months,

（笑聲）

I painstakingly filled each and every one of those holes.

畢竟沒有人會拒絕一個小孩子的

The result?

就這樣 三個月後

One small paper sensor that costs three cents and takes five minutes to run.

我和這位教授敲定的截止日 距離現在不遠了

This makes it 168 times faster,

我進到他的實驗室

over 26,000 times less expensive,

非常興奮 坐下之後

and over 400 times more sensitive than our current standard

我開始進行面談

for pancreatic cancer detection.

五秒後 他叫另一位博士進來

(Applause)

這幾位博士和我們擠在小實驗室內

One of the best parts of the sensor, though,

他們就開始不斷問我問題

is that it has close to 100 percent accuracy,

最後 我覺得空間越來越擠

and can detect the cancer in the earliest stages,

房間裡有 20 位博士和我 還有那位教授

when someone has close to 100 percent chance of survival.

全都擠在這間小小的研究室裡

And so in the next two to five years,

不斷向我提問

this sensor could potentially lift the pancreatic cancer survival rates

試著要找到我實驗流程的漏洞

from a dismal 5.5 percent to close to 100 percent,

這可能嗎？我的意思說 怎麼可能

and it would do similar for ovarian and lung cancer.

（笑聲）

But it wouldn't stop there.

但是，遭受質問後

By switching out that antibody,

我回答了他們全部的問題

you can look at a different protein, thus, a different disease --

有些答案是用猜的 但也都有答對

potentially any disease in the entire world.

終於我找到一間 符合我需求的實驗室

So that ranges from heart disease, to malaria, HIV, AIDS,

但沒過多久我就發現

as well as other forms of cancer -- anything.

原本很棒的實驗流程

And so, hopefully one day,

原來是漏洞百出

we can all have that one extra uncle,

再經過七個月的時間

that one mother, that one brother, sister,

我小心謹慎地填補每一個漏洞

we can have that one more family member to love.

結果呢？ 一小張試紙

And that our hearts will be rid of that one disease burden

只需3分美金 花5分鐘進行檢測

that comes from pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancer,

比原本快了168倍

and potentially any disease.

也便宜了26,000倍

But through the Internet, anything is possible.

靈敏度提升了400倍

Theories can be shared,

跟現有的胰臟癌測試流程相比

and you don't have to be a professor with multiple degrees

（掌聲）

to have your ideas valued.

這種試紙最棒的就是

It's a neutral space, where what you look like, age or gender --

準確度幾乎達到百分之百

it doesn't matter.

而且能夠偵測到初期的癌症

It's just your ideas that count.

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

For me, it's all about looking at the Internet in an entirely new way,

所以未來二至五年

to realize that there's so much more to it

這試紙就有可能提升 胰臟癌患者的存活機率

than just posting duck-face pictures of yourself online.

從非常低的百分之五點五

(Laughter)

驟升至將近百分之百

You could be changing the world.

也可應用至檢驗卵巢癌及肺癌

So if a 15 year-old who didn't even know what a pancreas was

而且還不僅於此

could find a new way to detect pancreatic cancer --

只要替換抗體

just imagine what you could do.

你就可以檢查不同的蛋白質

Thank you.

也就是可以檢查出不同的疾病

(Applause)

可能是這世上任何的疾病