A 2011 article published by Sharon et al. refutes many of Andraka"s claims about specificity of using mesothelin as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Specifically, the group showed that mesothelin serum levels in healthy donors were not statistically different from serum levels in pancreatic cancer patients. George M. Church, professor of genetics at Harvard University, has raised concerns about the cost, speed, and sensitivity claims.The novelty of Andraka"s work has also been questioned. In 2005 (seven years before Andraka won the Intel ISEF), a group of researchers at Jefferson Medical College and the University of Delaware reported a carbon-nanotube based sensor for use in breast cancer diagnostics that uses a methodology nearly identical to Andraka"s purportedly "novel" methodology. In addition, a carbon-nanotube based sensor similar to Andraka"s was reported in 2009 by Wang et al., a group of researchers at Jiangnan University and University of Michigan,and a carbon-nanotube based sensor for applications in cancer diagnosis was reported in a 2008 paper by Shao et al. that used a methodology similar to Andraka"s. While being an advocate for open access, he was criticized for not publishing his discovery openly for anyone to use and build upon, and moreover filing a patent for it.
