A simple blood or urine test for pancreatic cancer, 90% accurate, has garnered a Maryland teen an international science prize.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a competition among students from 70 nations, awarded top honors to Jack Andraka, 15, of Crownsville, Md.,a prize worth $75,000. Andraka developed the test, some 28 times cheaper and faster than less-sensitive tests.

More than 1,500 students competed for honors at the science fair,which included 127 "best of category" prizes. The science fair originated in 1950, run by the non-profit Society for Science & the Public, and is now jointly funded by the Intel Foundation and Intel.

Congratulating the winners and other competitors in a statement, society president Elizabeth Marincola, said, "a background of STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] education creates the breeding ground for creativity and ingenuity that will help solve the pressing issues of the future."