Course title

SC212W

Pre-requisite

Human Body Systems. Application and approval. Concurrent enrollment in math and science.

Course description

This course will allow students to investigate a variety of interventions involved in the prevention; diagnosis
and treatment of disease as they follow the lives of a fictitious family. This course is a how-to manual for
maintaining overall health and homeostasis in the body as students explore how to prevent and fight infection;
how to screen and evaluate the code in human DNA; how to prevent; diagnose and treat cancer; and how to
prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Lifestyle choices and preventive measures are emphasized
throughout the course as well as the important roles scientific thinking and engineering design play in the
development of interventions of the future.

Medical Interventions

2013-2014

© 2010 Project Lead The Way; Inc.

3939 Priority Way South Drive; Suite 200
Indianapolis; IN 46240

Medical Interventions Course Description

In the Medical Interventions course; students will investigate the variety of interventions involved in the prevention; diagnosis and treatment of disease as they follow the lives of a fictitious family. A “How-To” manual for maintaining overall health and homeostasis in the body; the course will explore how to prevent and fight infection; how to screen and evaluate the code in our DNA; how to prevent; diagnose and treat cancer; and how to prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Through these scenarios; students will be exposed to the wide range of interventions related to Immunology; Surgery; Genetics; Pharmacology; Medical Devices; and Diagnostics. Each family case scenario will introduce multiple types of interventions and will reinforce concepts learned in the previous two courses; as well as present new content. Interventions may range from simple diagnostic tests to treatment of complex diseases and disorders. These interventions will be showcased across the generations of the family and will provide a look at the past; present and future of biomedical science. Lifestyle choices and preventive measures are emphasized throughout the course as well as the important role scientific thinking and engineering design play in the development of interventions of the future.

Medical Interventions Unit Summaries

UNIT ONE:
Students are introduced to Sue Smith; the eighteen-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Sue is a college freshman who is presenting symptoms of an unknown infectious disease which students eventually identify as bacterial meningitis. Sue survives the infection but is left with hearing impairment. Through this case; students will explore the diagnostic process used to identify an unknown infection; the use of antibiotics as a treatment; how bacteria develop antibiotic resistance; how hearing impairment is assessed and treated; and how vaccinations are developed and used to prevent infection.

UNIT TWO:
Students are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Smith; the head of the Smith family. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are very excited because they just found out they are expecting a new baby. Because the couple is in their early 40s; the doctor has suggested genetic screening and testing. Through this case; students will explore how to screen and evaluate the code in our DNA; the value of good prenatal care; and the future of genetic technology.

UNIT THREE:
Students are introduced to Mike Smith; the sixteen-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mike is diagnosed with osteosarcoma; a type of bone cancer that often affects teenagers. Mike’s treatments put him into remission; in order to remove all of the cancerous tissue; he had to have most of his arm amputated and he needs a prosthesis. Through this case; students will explore the diagnostic process used to determine the presence of cancerous cells; the risk factors and prevention of cancer; rehabilitation after disease or injury; and the design process for new medications; prosthetics; and nanotechnology.

UNIT FOUR:
Students are introduced to Mrs. Jones; the forty-four-year-old sister of Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Jones has been struggling with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus for twenty years. Over the years; Mrs. Jones did not take good care of herself or properly control her diabetes. She eventually began using an insulin pump and changed her lifestyle to regulate her blood sugar levels; but the damage had already been done. Mrs. Jones is now dealing with end stage renal failure and needs a kidney transplant. Through this case; students will explore protein production; blood sugar regulation; dialysis; organ donation and transplantation; non-invasive surgery techniques; as well as creation of a bionic human.

Medical Interventions Detailed Outline

Unit One: How to Fight Infection
Time Days (45 Days)

Lesson 1.1: The Mystery Infection (17 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:
1. Medical interventions help maintain health and homeostasis in the body.
2. A variety of methods can be used to detect and/or identify infectious agents.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
ÔÅÜ Recognize that medical interventions are measures to improve health or alter the course of an illness and can be used to prevent; diagnose; and treat disease.
ÔÅÜ Describe how bioinformatics; the collection; classification; storage; and analysis of biochemical and biological information using computers; can be used to identify disease pathogens.
ÔÅÜ Describe the applications of bioinformatics in health and wellness.
ÔÅÜ Recognize that diagnostic tests for infectious diseases can provide qualitative results; indicating the presence or absence of disease; as well as quantitative results; indicating the concentration of the infectious agent or of an antibody produced in response to the disease agent.
ÔÅÜ Explain the principles of the Enzyme-linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA) test and describe how antibodies can be used to detect disease.
ÔÅÜ Analyze connections between individuals in a disease outbreak.
ÔÅÜ Use publically available molecular databases to search for DNA sequences and identify pathogens.
ÔÅÜ Compute serial dilutions and calculate resultant concentrations.
ÔÅÜ Perform ELISA testing to determine the concentration of infectious bacteria in simulated body fluids and identify infected patients.

Lesson 1.2: Antibiotic Treatment (9 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:
1. Antibiotics disrupt the pathways that bacteria use to survive.
2. Bacterial cells use multiple pathways to gain resistance to antibiotics.
3. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics will promote the selection of resistant bacteria.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Label the structures of a bacterial cell.
• Explain the method of action for different classes of antibiotics.
• Describe the pathways through which bacterial cells transfer genes.
• Explain the importance of taking antibiotics as prescribed.
• Use proper laboratory techniques to “mate” a streptomycin resistant strain of E. coli with an ampicillin resistant strain of E. coli.
• Simulate the effects of antibiotics on a bacterial population during an infection.
• Simulate the effect of a missed dose of antibiotics on a bacterial population during an infection.

Lesson 1.3: The Aftermath: Hearing Loss (10 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. Problems with one or more structures within the ear cause various types of hearing loss.
2. There are a variety of interventions available to help people with hearing loss.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Identify the structures of the ear and describe their function in hearing.
• Describe the pathway of sound vibrations from the time a sound is generated to the time the brain registers the sound.
• Recognize that there are bioethical concerns and considerations related to the use of cochlear implant technology.
• Demonstrate sensorineural versus conductive hearing loss on a model of the ear.
• Perform several simple tests; such as Rinne Test and the Pure Tone Test; to evaluate hearing.
• Interpret audiograms to identify different types of hearing loss.
• Recommend the most appropriate type of intervention for a patient with hearing loss; given the patient’s audiogram.

Lesson 1.4: Vaccination (9 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

3. Vaccines are medical interventions that activate the immune system to recognize a disease antigen and produce antibodies necessary to defend the body.
4. Vaccines can be produced in the laboratory by various methods; including recombinant DNA techniques.
5. Epidemiologists are dedicated medical professionals at the heart of the public health field who monitor the health of human populations; search for patterns in the development of both infectious and chronic illnesses; assist in outbreak investigations; and design disease treatment and prevention strategies.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Describe how vaccines interact with the human immune system.
• Recognize that many diseases have been eradicated by large-scale vaccination campaigns.
• Describe the various laboratory methods that are used to manufacture vaccines.
• Recognize that plasmids can be employed as an important tool in genetic engineering and can serve as vectors; vehicles for the movement of genetic information.
• Explain how molecular tools such as ligase and restriction enzymes are used to cut and paste DNA from different sources.
• Describe how recombinant DNA technology can be used to produce vaccines.
• Identify the appropriate steps in an outbreak investigation.
• Assume the role of an epidemiologist to analyze disease data; design an epidemiologic study; and evaluate prevention and therapy for chronic and infectious diseases.

Unit 2: How to Screen What Is In Your Genes
Time Days (23 Days)

Lesson 2.1: Genetic Testing and Screening (16 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:
1. Genetic testing is the use of molecular methods to determine if someone has a genetic disorder; will develop one; or is a carrier of a genetic illness and involves sampling a person’s DNA and examining the chromosomes or genes for abnormalities.
2. Genetic counseling can help a family understand the risks of having a child with a genetic disorder; the medical facts about an already diagnosed condition; and other information necessary for a person or a couple to make decisions suitable to their cultural; religious; and moral beliefs.
3. Proper prenatal care and monitoring of the fetus are vital to maternal and child health during a pregnancy.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Recognize that the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory procedure that produces multiple copies of a specific DNA sequence.
• Explain how single base pair changes called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be identified through genetic testing and often correlate to specific diseases or traits.
• Describe proper prenatal care and the medical interventions that function to monitor a pregnancy.
• Compare the process of amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.
• Analyze a genetic counseling case file and provide feedback regarding potential genetic outcomes.
• Use laboratory techniques such as DNA extraction; PCR; and restriction analysis to identify single base pair differences in DNA.
• Analyze genetic testing results to predict phenotype.
• Analyze a karyotype.

Lesson 2.2: Our Genetic Future (7 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. Gene therapy is a type of disease treatment in which faulty genes are replaced by functional copies.
2. Advances in reproductive technology open many moral; ethical; and scientific debates.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Explain how gene therapy can treat a genetic disorder.
• Recognize that various vectors; including viruses; can be used to transfer DNA into human cells.
• Explain how both sperm sorting and embryo selection by preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PDG) provide parents the option to select the gender of a child.
• Outline the process of reproductive cloning.
• Debate the safety and overall effectiveness of gene therapy.
• Defend an argument governing future gene therapy research.

Unit Three: How to Conquer Cancer
Time Days (58 Days)

Lesson 3.1: Detecting Cancer (15 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. Cancer is a term used for more than 100 different diseases in which cell regulation genes are mutated causing the cells to reproduce out of control.
2. X-rays; CT scans; and MRI scans are used to create pictures of the inside of the body to diagnose and treat many disorders.
3. Scientists use DNA microarray technology to determine the differences in gene expression between different tissue samples.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Recognize that there are many different types of cancer; each with specific risk factors; manifestations in the body; and treatment options.
• Describe the different uses for X-rays; CT scans; and MRIs as well as how each technology works.
• Describe the differences in the appearance of normal cells and cancer cells.
• Recognize that DNA microarrays measure the amount of mRNA for genes that is present in a cell sample.
• Use a microscope to compare normal cells and cancer cells.
• Perform a simulated DNA microarray to analyze gene expression patterns.
• Calculate the correlation coefficient for gene expression patterns between different individuals.

Lesson 3.2: Reducing Cancer Risk (17 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. Behavioral; biological; environmental; and genetic risk factors increase the chance that a person will develop cancer.
2. The risk for developing many cancers can be reduced with life-style changes.
3. Molecular diagnostic tests; such as marker analysis; can be used to detect inherited genetic mutations associated with certain cancers and can be used to predict risk for developing those cancers.
4. Viruses insert their DNA or RNA into a host cell; causing the host cell’s genes to mutate which can sometimes cause the cell to become cancerous.
5. Routine cancer screenings can prevent certain types of cancer or can increase the chance that cancer is detected at an early stage when treatment is more effective.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Describe the potential risk factors for different types of cancer as well as the way to reduce the risk.
• Recognize that all external variables in an experiment need to be controlled.
• Recognize that viruses can insert their DNA or RNA into a host cell; causing the host cell’s genes to mutate which can sometimes cause the cell to become cancerous.
• List and describe the routine cancer screenings a person should have performed throughout his or her life.
• Design a controlled experiment.
• Graph and analyze experimental data.
• Perform marker analysis to determine the presence of a genetic mutation associated with breast cancer.

Lesson 3.3: Treating Cancer (12 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. Various methods are used to treat cancer.
2. Various biomedical science disciplines and professionals help patients cope with cancer or the side effects of cancer treatment.
3. Experiments are designed to find answers to testable questions.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Recognize that chemotherapy and radiation therapy are cancer treatments that work to destroy cancer cells by stopping or slowing their growth; both treatments can cause negative side effects to the patient.
• Describe how specific chemotherapy drugs interact with and destroy cancer cells.
• Recognize that biofeedback therapy is a technique in which patients are trained to improve their health or manage pain by learning to control certain internal bodily processes that normally occur involuntarily; such as heart rate; respiration rate; and skin temperature.
• Recognize that artificial limbs are built to allow patients who have suffered from the loss of a limb to regain lost function.
• Describe how myoelectric prosthetic limbs work.
• Recognize that physical and occupational therapists work to help patients with disabilities or patients recovering from surgery or injury to restore function; improve mobility; relieve pain; and improve the ability to perform the tasks necessary to lead an independent and productive life.
• Design a controlled experiment to test the effect of relaxation techniques on their heart rate; respiration rate; and skin temperature.
• Analyze experimental data.
• Design and create a simple functioning model of an arm.
• Design and present a comprehensive rehabilitation plan; given a specific case.

Lesson 3.4: Building a Better Cancer Treatment (14 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. The field of pharmacogenetics investigates how genetic variations correlate with responses to specific medication and strives to develop medical treatments tailored to the individual.
2. Nanotechnology is a field of science that can be applied to health and medicine.
3. Clinical trials are biomedical or health-related research studies that investigate how a new medicine or treatment works in human beings.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Recognize that all drugs do not act the same way for all individuals.
• Explain how single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) profiles may factor in to the decision to prescribe a specific medication.
• Recognize that nanomedicine shows great promise; particularly for cancer research; in the hope that medical interventions can be developed at the cellular and molecular scale to diagnose and treat disease.
• Describe the size of the nanoscale.
• Recognize that clinical trials are regulated by strict guidelines that ensure data collected is valid and human subjects are treated ethically.
• Explain why controlled; randomized; double-blind studies are considered the gold standard for clinical trials.
• Complete an alignment to arrange DNA sequences side-by-side to locate any base pair differences between different individuals.
• Use patients’ SNP profiles to predict how they will respond to particular medicines.
• Develop and present a clinical trial proposal for a nanotechnology-based cancer treatment.

Unit Four: How to Prevail When Organs Fail
Time Days (49 Days)

Lesson 4.1: Manufacturing Human Proteins (20 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. The methods used to diagnose and treat diabetes have changed dramatically over the last 200 years; including the use and production of insulin.
2. Recombinant DNA technology allows scientists to custom-design bacteria that can produce a variety of important protein products; including insulin.
3. Amino acid interactions affect the structure and function of proteins.
4. Proteins in a mixture can be separated by various laboratory techniques.
5. Numerous biomedical professionals assist with the production; distribution; and marketing of a new pharmaceutical or bioengineered product.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Describe the evolution of the methods used to diagnose and treat diabetes from the 1800s through today.
• Explain how plasmids; rings of DNA containing genes of interest; can be inserted into bacteria cells via the process of bacterial transformation.
• Outline the process of bacterial transformation.
• Recognize that chromatography is a technique used to separate components of a mixture and can be used to separate proteins based on the properties of their side chains.
• Recognize that electrophoresis can be used to separate proteins in a mixture and determine the purity of a sample.
• Outline the steps required to produce a protein in the laboratory and describe the role of biomedical professionals along this processing path.
• Insert plasmid DNA into bacterial cells in the laboratory and observe how this genetic information relates to new traits of the bacteria.
• Calculate transformation efficiency to determine the success of a laboratory experiment.
• Demonstrates how amino acids interact using a protein model.
• Isolate a protein based on its chemical properties using column chromatography.
• Analyze results of a bacterial transformation and a protein purification laboratory.
• Set up and run protein gel electrophoresis to test the purity of a protein sample.
Graph electrophoresis results to determine the molecular weight of an unknown protein.

Lesson 4.2: Organ Failure (3 Days)

Understandings Addressed In Lesson:

1. When the kidneys are not functioning properly; they will not filter adequately. Harmful waste products such as urea; creatinine; and blood urea nitrogen build up in the blood stream; which causes the body to make fewer red blood cells due to the lack of the hormone erythropoietin.
2. Dialysis is an artificial process that removes waste products and excess water from the blood when the kidneys can no longer function.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Recognize that end stage renal failure is diagnosed when a patient loses 85 to 90 percent of his/her normal kidney function.
• Explain how dialysis machines work to remove wastes from the blood and adjust fluid and electrolyte imbalances.
• Analyze patient symptoms and laboratory results to diagnose a patient and make treatment recommendations.
• Analyze the pros and cons of hemodialysis; peritoneal dialysis; and kidney transplant for a patient with end stage renal disease.

Lesson 4.3: Transplant (15 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. Deciding who receives donated organs is not always a clear-cut issue and involves many difficult decisions guided by federal policies.
2. In organ transplantation; the organ donor and recipient need to have compatible blood and tissue types.
3. Organ transplant surgery is a complex procedure involving various surgical techniques and a variety of biomedical science professionals.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Recognize that the surgical techniques involved in a live donor kidney transplant require skill; dexterity; and eye-hand coordination.
• Recognize that there are many similarities and differences between a heart transplant and a kidney transplant.
• Use federal policy guidelines to defend who should receive a donated organ in a given situation.
• Use blood typing and HLA typing results to determine to match an organ donor with a compatible recipient.
• Perform simulated laparoscopic and general surgical techniques.

Lesson 4.4: Building a Better Body (11 Days)

Understandings Addressed in Lesson:

1. A variety of tissues and organs can be transplanted from one person to another.
2. Scientific research is investigating the possibility of replacing damaged organs and tissues using xenotransplantation and tissue engineering.
3. Advancing medical knowledge and technology will enable scientists to enhance the human body.
4. Scientists need to make sure that what they present is accurate and is communicated in a way that keeps interest and focus.

Knowledge and Skills Addressed in Lesson:
It is expected that students will:
• Identify which tissues and organs can be transplanted from one person to another.
• Describe how xenotransplantation or tissue engineering work; as well as their potential risks; benefits; challenges; and ethical or moral concerns.
• Defend arguments as to whether or not further research for xenotransplantation and tissue engineering should be banned.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of different body parts and functions and design enhancements and/or replacements to make the human body more efficient.

Campo Verde High School – Project Lead The Way
Laboratory Descriptions

Activity 1.1.3 Using DNA to Identify Pathogens
Introduction
Samples of Sue’s blood; urine; and lymph are collected at the first infirmary visit and are sent off for diagnostic laboratory tests. As part of a pilot study; the college infirmary is working with the molecular biology department at the college to identify pathogens by their DNA sequences. The lab isolates primers; small segments of DNA; which attach to key genes in bacteria and viruses and allow amplification and sequencing of the DNA. Sue’s samples have been sent out for molecular testing. Little did the scientists know what they would find.

Computer advances now let researchers search through extensive sequence databases to find gene variations that could lead to disease; to track strains of various viruses or bacteria; and to design 3-D models of important human proteins. Bioinformatics is the field of science that combines biology; computers and information technology to store and analyze genetic data. In this course; you will observe many of the medical interventions that are made possible by the teaming of computers and biology. Bioinformatics can be used to help identify infectious agents; such as viruses and bacteria; involved in disease outbreaks.

In 1990; scientists working on the Human Genome Project embarked on a mission to map the human genome; the complete genetic layout of a human being. Through this project; completed in 2003; scientists have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the DNA of each human chromosome. In addition to mapping human DNA; the Human Genome Project has helped map the genomes of other species; including mice; the fruit fly; and various bacteria. Knowing the nucleotide sequence of other living organisms; especially viruses and bacteria; allows scientists to identify and to research potential pathogens.

Modern techniques also allow scientists to sequence the DNA of living organisms and to store this information in large computer databases. DNA sequencing used to be an extremely tedious task. Computer technology; however; has automated the process. The sequence of A’s; C’s; G’s and T’s in a genome; all of the genetic information possessed by an organism; can now be visualized as fluorescent displays on a computer screen. This data is compiled and submitted to national molecular databases. This genetic information can be viewed and explored by scientists and by the general public.

Additional students are showing up at the infirmary. Time is running out and it is up to you to determine what is causing the outbreak on campus. Luckily; the laboratory on campus has finally returned DNA sequence data for patient Sue Smith. Explore the process of DNA sequencing; learn the techniques necessary to analyze DNA sequence data to identify agents of disease; and use your additional research and lab data to help diagnose Sue. The sooner you know what is making Sue ill; the sooner you can treat her; and take steps to stop the spread of disease on campus.

Problem 1.1.4 What’s the Concentration?
Introduction
Now that you have discovered the cause of Sue’s illness; you will need to test the other infected students for the presence of the menacing Neisseria meningitidis bacteria. Many disease detection tests rely on a color change to signal the presence of a specific invader; hormone or antibody. While it is important to know whether a person is positive or negative for a disease; it is also helpful to have quantitative data; indicating the level of antibodies or antigens circulating in the body. This level may be the key to providing appropriate treatment or to tracking how a disease has passed from person to person. Doctors check your antibody levels for a specific illness before they administer a booster shot; an additional dose of a vaccine used to “boost” the immune system. These shots are given to increase the level of antibodies you have in your system to help keep you well.

Concentration is the measure of how much of one substance is mixed with another substance. A solvent dissolves a solute to produce a solution. In this problem; your task is to devise a way to determine the concentration of dye in a container of water. You know the volume of the solvent; but how can you determine the amount of solute; or dissolved material; in your solution? Work with your team to design and describe a method; using any available lab equipment or measuring devices; to solve this problem. Think about how a color change in a diagnostic laboratory test can provide vital information during an outbreak investigation.
Equipment
• Laboratory

School Country

United States

School state

Arizona

School city

Gilbert

School Address

3870 S. Quartz St.

School zip code

85297

Requested competency code

Lab Science

Date submitted

10/6/2014

Approved

Yes

Approved competency code

• LBIO
• Biology

Approved date

10/14/2014

Online / Virtual

No