Hiding in Plain Site:

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Hiding in Plain Site The Immune System,
Tuberculosis and Antibiotic Resistance Mark
Stephansky Whitman-Hanson Regional High
School Whitman, Massachusetts
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Overall Program Objective

• To develop and test an immunology-based
  educational unit designed for first and/or second
  year high school biology students based on my AAI
  summer research experience

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Curriculum Overview

• Cruikshank Lab T cell migration and function
  during tuberculosis infection
• A third of the worlds population is infected
  with the TB bacterium one in 10 of them will
  become sick with active TB in their lifetime.
• TB is responsible for a death every 20 seconds.
• An estimated 490,000 new cases of TB resistant to
  first-line drugs and 40,000 cases of TB resistant
  to second-line drugs occur every year. (SciAm
  March 2009)

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Curriculum Overview - continued

• TB Infection - entry point for Immune System
  Study
• 21st Century Skills
• MCAS, AP, NEASC
• Lab Components
• ELISA - importance as common lab assay and in
  diagnosing disease
• Bacterial transformation

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Curriculum Time Requirement

• Total time approximately 7 class periods
  (computer exercises may be completed by students
  at home or at the library).
• Opening Lecture - 1 class period
• Immune system web tutorial - 1 class period
• Antibody web investigation - 1 class period
• Virtual ELISA - 1 class period
• ELISA Lab - 1 class period
• Bacterial transformation lab requires 2 lab
  periods.

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Curriculum Overview 1

• Immune System Basics
• Innate immunity
• Acquired Immunity
• TB infection
• Harvard Outreach video
• "Understanding Resistance to Tuberculosis"
• Dr. Barry Bloom

http//outreach.mcb.harvard.edu/videos.htm
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Curriculum Overview 2

• Immune system web tutorial
• Students will be able to compare and contrast the
  cell components as well as organs of the immune
  system.

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Curriculum Overview 3

• Antibody web investigation
• Students will be able to distinguish between
  antigens and antibodies.
• Lead in for ELISA

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Curriculum Overview 4

• ELISA
• Virtual HHMI Immunology Lab
• Simulated HIV/AIDS
• Students will be able to describe the basics of
  an ELISA assay and practical uses of this type of
  lab assay.

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Curriculum Overview 5

• Bacterial transformation lab
• Component of AP Biology
• Link to antibiotic resistance
• Evolution

The LB pAMP plate shows lawn growth on the
lower left. The LB - pAMP plate shows lawn growth
on the lower right. The Experimental plate,
LB/AMP pAMP plate shows colonies on the upper
left. The LB/AMP - pAMP plate shows no growth on
the upper right.
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Assessment

• Narrative Essays
• You are to write a 3-4 page story in the first
  person (call the protagonist I) describing
  yourself as one who contracts tuberculosis,
  suffers from the disease and then begins a
  regimen of antibiotics to cure the disease.
• Now, write the same story (3-4 pages) from the
  point of view of the germ! What do you as the
  causer of the disease hope to accomplish? What is
  your experience inside the human body? How did
  you get there? Was it easy or difficult? Did
  you mean to do it? What are your worries and
  concerns regarding the immune system? (Did a
  macrophage eat any of your friends?)

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Assessment Sample I
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Assessment Sample II
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Strengths of Curriculum Unit

• Multi-part Introductory unit
• Use or Delete
• 21st Century Skills
• Web-Based activities
• Hands-on Activities
• Provides many tie-ins to other curriculum units
• Wellness and Disease
• Protein Synthesis
• Antibiotic Resistance
• Evolution

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The Future

• Fine Tune Unit
• 21st Century Skills
• Google Docs
• Broaden Disease Category
• Not just TB
• Students pick increase buy in/interest
• Expand Antibody/Antigen connection
• Protein Shape
• Better ELISA Lab activity
• AAI Ann Brokaw?

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The AAI Experience

• Fantastic program!
• Real Lab Access
• Engaging Anecdotes
• A new look at Immunology Curriculum Objectives
  and material
• Impact on biology courses at all levels AP
  Biology, Academic Biology, AP

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. William Cruikshank, Pulmonary Center, Boston
  University School of Medicine
• Jillian Richmond, BUSM
• Cruikshank Lab Team
• Matthew Murphy, BU HS Summer Intern
• Whitman-Hanson Regional HS
• American Association of Immunologists and the
  John H. Wallace High School Teachers Summer
  Research Program

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ANY QUESTIONS?