Smelling the Difference Between Healthy & Cancerous Cells
Detecting and recording brain neuron signals of locust when exposed to different odor molecules.Copyright 2022 Laurie Okeefe, The Scientist https://www.the-scientist.com/modus-operandi/scents-and-sense-abilities-using-bug-brainpower-to-smell-cancer-70823
This activity utilizes simulated cancerous and noncancerous cell cultures, probes, and Arduinos to teach students about current research that involves mapping nerve signaling patterns in insect (locust) brains in response to odor molecules produced by healthy versus cancerous cell lines. A connection is made to cellular respiration and metabolism because these are the processes that cause the cell cultures to produce different odorous metabolites. The simulated cultures will contain fluids of varying pH values instead of using solutions with volatile compounds. Students use pH probes in the solutions to observe a number and lighting pattern that is programmed into the code of the Arduino. Students use observations to make conclusions about which patterns represent cancerous cell odors versus healthy cell odors with “known” cell cultures. After recording data, students select “unknown” cultures and determine whether the unknown samples are cancerous or not based on the earlier established patterns. Students graph, analyze, and summarize the data to write a claim, evidence, reasoning (CER) paragraph.
This activity centers on building, testing, and evaluating an artificial brain that can detect cell odors. Acting as biomedical engineers, students first view schematics of the setup of an artificial locust brain and build it (following the schematics). Then, students test the device for accuracy and move on to testing cell solutions. Lastly, they determine whether the device can actually differentiate between solutions and then test unknown solutions.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain how cellular respiration, metabolism, and cell division rate are related.
- Discuss the differences between healthy and cancerous cells.
- Identify and analyze patterns in data.
- Write claims using the patterns as evidence to support their claims.
- Create graphical representations of the observed results in an experiment.
- Edit computer code to improve the testing and design of a measuring tool.