US teen develops pancreatic cancer blood test
A Pennsylvania teenager named Audrey Zheng has developed an innovative method for detecting pancreatic cancer through a blood test. As a senior at North Allegheny Senior High School, Zheng's project, which focused on tiny biological particles in the blood, earned her a spot among the finalists of the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to diagnose in its early stages, but Zheng's research suggests that extracellular vesicles released by cancer cells into the bloodstream could provide a warning signal. Using a cocktail of antibodies attached to magnetic nanospheres, Zheng isolated vesicles linked to pancreatic cancer and analyzed their DNA for mutations in the KRAS gene, which is strongly associated with the disease.
The approach accurately identified 87% of pancreatic cancer patients and 87.5% of those without the disease. While the method is not yet a clinical diagnostic test, it highlights the potential of extracellular vesicles and nanotechnology in early disease detection.
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