Q: I saw a video of Jack Andraka, who has invented an early detection test for pancreatic cancer. Has a pharmaceutical company picked this up ?
— Carol Murphy, Woodstock
A: Several pharmaceutical companies are reportedly interested in what has been described as Andraka's "potentially revolutionary" test for pancreatic cancer, but it remains in the developmental stage. Andraka, a 16-year-old high school sophomore from Crownsville, Md., developed the test in 2011, and recently told "National Geographic" that his "test costs three cents, takes five minutes to run, doesn't require specialized training, and it's a lot smaller than the current test." Anirban Maitra, a Johns Hopkins pathologist and pancreatic cancer researcher who is Andraka's mentor, told Smithsonian Magazine that Andraka must perform more tests and publish a peer-reviewed paper and warned him that marketing the test might take a decade. Forbes.com has reported that Andraka has hired "a really fierce patent lawyer."
Q: How many apartments and apartment complexes are in metro Atlanta?
— Bob Markert, Roswell
A: There are 382,842 apartments and 761,304 residents in the Atlanta area, Jim Lapides, the director of public relations for the National Multi Housing Council, told Q&A on the News in an email. He wrote there's no accurate data on the number of apartment buildings or complexes. The statistics come from a combination of the U.S. Census and surveys by both the NMHC and the National Apartment Association. The NMHC reports that there are 524,400 apartments and 1 million apartment residents in Georgia.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author