A 13-year-old Indian-American student created a new tool that is likely to change the way pancreatic cancer is treated. Rishab Jain, who is from Portland, US, has won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his brilliant discovery.
Jain designed an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to help doctors target pancreas during cancer treatment. The reason why this discovery is important for the treatment of this deadly disease is that pancreases are difficult to spot as they move around. Currently, doctors target radiation in the area they believe pancreases are, in the process also killing other healthy cells.
Pancreatic cancer, as it is, is difficult to treat and is usually deducted at a later stage, which makes the survival rate 7%.
Speaking about his invention, Rishab Jain said, “In the radiotherapy treatment where radiation is applied to kill tumor cells, my tool tracks the pancreas in the scan itself. When the radiation hits, it hits the pancreas accurately and efficiently so it can help treat the tumor much more effectively.”
