HUNTING FOR A CURE: USING HUNTINGTON S DISEASE MODEL SYSTEMS TO FACILITATE UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION

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1 HUNTING FOR A CURE: USING HUNTINGTON S DISEASE MODEL SYSTEMS TO FACILITATE UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY EDUCATION MELISSA KOSINSKI-COLLINS PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY KOSINSKI@BRANDEIS.EDU

2 PRESENTATION OUTLINE Background on Brandeis Introductory STEM Laboratories at Brandeis What is Huntington s Disease? How do we use HD in the classroom? What are the outcomes? Future directions

3 BRANDEIS IS A SMALL LIBERAL ARTS, RESEARCH UNIVERSITY 3,400 undergrads About 50% come in planning on pursue careers in the allied health professions All students interested in medicine MUST take the introductory biology lab course

4 HISTORIC STEM LABS 5 hours, 1x per week with 1.5 hour lab lecture students per semester Cook-book outcomes Cover large breadth of topics Each STEM course exists on its own (Physics, Gen Chem, Orgo, Biology)

5 HOW DO WE DESIGN A CUTTING-EDGE BIOLOGY LABORATORY COURSE THAT: 1. Teaches student fundamental laboratory skills to 250+ students 2. Acquaints students with modern techniques in molecular biology 3. Demonstrates the relevance of research to medicine 4. Demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of STEM 5. Inspires students to continue to pursue science

6 DESIGN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INQUIRY- BASED BIOLOGY LABORATORY INCORPORATING MODERN TECHNIQUES USING A HUMAN DISEASE Huntington s Disease

7 WHAT IS HUNTINGTON S DISEASE? Rare genetic disorder 30,000 affected in US Hereditary chorea

8 SYMPTOMS OF HUNTINGTON S DISEASE Personality changes: mood swings, violence, and emotional instability Motor changes: uncontrolled movement in appendages, clumsiness Cognitive changes: judgement, concentration or memory loss

9 CAUSE OF HUNTINGTON S DISEASE Progressive loss of cells in basal ganglia Caused by DNA mutation causing production of mutant aggregation-prone HTT protein

10 HOW DOES A DNA MUTATION CHANGE THE CELL? DNA -> mrna -> Protein (encodes information) (carries information) (performs work in cell) HTT gene Huntingtin Protein

11 WHAT DOES THE HUNTINGTIN PROTEIN NORMALLY DO? Important in development Help in cell trafficking Help in programmed cell death Help in endocytosis

12 WHAT HAPPENS IN HUNTINGTON DISEASE?

13 WHY DO WE WANT TO STUDY HUNTINGTON S DISEASE? No cure Only treatments to alleviate symptom severity

14 HOW DO WE STUDY HUNTINGTON S DISEASE Create animal model systems that show symptoms of HD both on a behavioral and molecular level. C. elegans Drosophila Rat neuronal cells

15 BUT THESE ARE EXPENSIVE COSTLY SYSTEMS. Is there another way to engage your students in an experiential process?

16 DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS VIDEO What model organism are we using? What is the organism doing?

17 WORMS WITH HUNTINGTON S-LIKE SYMPTOMS: MODEL BEHAVIOR

18 DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS VIDEO? What model organism are we using? How are these organisms different from those you just saw? What is the organism doing?

19 WORMS WITH HUNTINGTON S-LIKE SYMPTOMS: MODEL BEHAVIOR

20 DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS VIDEO What model organism are we using? What is the organism doing?

21 WORMS WITH HUNTINGTON S-LIKE SYMPTOMS: MODEL MOLECULAR

22 DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS VIDEO? What model organism are we using? How are these organisms different from those you just saw? What is the organism doing?

23 WORMS WITH HUNTINGTON S-LIKE SYMPTOMS: MODEL MOLECULAR

24 WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN YOU MAKE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF HTT?

25 DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS VIDEO What model organism are we using? What is the organism doing?

26 FLIES WITH HUNTINGTON-LIKE BEHAVIORS

27 WHAT DO OUR STUDENTS DO? Add chemicals to impact rate of HD progression Synthesize compounds to delay HD symptoms Design assays to measure HD behaviors

28 HOW DO WE INCORPORATE OTHER STEM DISCIPLINES Drug synthesis in Organic chemistry Protein modeling and 3D printing in CoSci Refraction studies in physics Statistical analysis of data in math

29 WHAT DO OUR STUDENTS THINK? I really enjoyed being able to do real experiments, and taking procedures from papers. It felt more like what real [scientists] do and felt like it was preparing me better for lab work that completing reactions from the text book The course material was very interesting I have developed a lot of laboratory skills that I will continue to use throughout my studies. I loved how we were able to conduct experiments related to Huntington s Disease. I loved seeing how math and chemistry could be used to study biology! I don t really like those subjects, but they were actually useful in Biolab

30 WHAT IS THE OUTCOME? Students are more invested in learning Students understand REAL experimental/research science Students see the connection between coursework and life Students connect coursework with potential future careers Retention of more underserved students in Biology

31 OUR STUDENTS Go on to MD, VMD, PT, PA, nursing Often combine research with health fieldhttps://

32 NEW DIRECTIONS Improve mammalian systems Add connections with other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer s and Parkinson s Align with other introductory labs to demonstrate interdisciplinary nature of science Physics Organic chemistry Biochem

33 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Professor Jason Pontrello Dr. Lindsay Mehrmanesh Dr. Kene Piasta Anna Muhkina