Jump to main content

Eleventh Grade, Medical Biotechnology Projects, Lessons, Activities (10 results)

You already know that medicines like antibiotics and aspirin can make you feel better when you are sick, but how do researchers find new medicines? Do medications work the same way for everyone? How can we use medicine to treat genetic diseases?

Search
Refine Results
Filter by
Sort by
Creating a Kidney: How Stem Cells Might Be Used to Bioengineer a Vital Organ
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
The human kidney is the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States, numbering more than 17,000 transplants in 2010 alone! But kidney transplantation technology faces a lot of challenges, including a shortage of kidney donors and the need for recipients to take immunosuppressant drugs to keep their bodies from rejecting a transplanted kidney. In this science project, with the help of bioinformatics databases, you will explore how a kidney could be bioengineered using stem cells,… Read more
Antibiotic Resistance
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Antibiotics work by destabilizing the metabolism or cellular structure of bacteria, preventing growth, and causing bacteria to die. Some strains of bacteria have mutated and found a way to resist the actions of antibiotics. These are called resistant strains because they resist the actions of available antibiotic treatments. There are many different types of antibiotics that are continually being developed to combat new strains of resistant bacteria. Some antibiotics work better on different… Read more
BLASTing Flu Viruses
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Remember going to the doctor and getting vaccine shots? It is no fun getting poked with a needle, but fortunately, a vaccine helps our immune system to develop protection against a serious illness for years to come. But what about the flu vaccine? How come there is a new one every year? This science fair project will show you why. Read more
How Direct Reprogramming Can Transform One Type of Cell Straight into Another
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
In the first decade of the 21st century, scientists found ways to make one adult cell type turn into a completely different cell type. This has huge implications for the medical field, including being able to take some cells that a person could spare, such as skin cells or blood cells, and turn them into another cell type that might be much more important for that person to have, such as cells to make a new kidney. How are scientists able to accomplish this amazing feat of "reprogramming" the… Read more
Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse- Making Gene Therapy Safe!
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
Students become biomedical engineers and create model viruses for use in therapeutic applications, such as gene therapy. In constructing their models, students carefully plan for side effects and modify a virus that can be used to safely to deliver gene therapy. This process involves taking a "wild type" (or unmodified) virus so it can target a specific area of the body.Engineering Connection Genetic engineering is the artificial manipulation, modification, and… Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
The Importance of Making Sure a Drug's Aim Is True
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Scientists recently found that some small drugs can stop infection by the deadly Ebola virus in its tracks. Lab researchers found that these drugs bind to a protein that the Ebola virus uses to enter our cells, and this is how infection is prevented. However, this also means that the bound protein no longer functions in our cells. How might these drugs accidentally disrupt important biological processes in our bodies? What other proteins might these drugs bind to? In this science project,… Read more
Bio-Engineering: Making and Testing Model Proteins
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
Students act as if they are biological engineers following the steps of the engineering design process to design and create protein models to replace the defective proteins in a child's body. Jumping off from a basic understanding of DNA and its transcription and translation processes, students learn about the many different proteins types and what happens if protein mutations occur. Then they focus on structural, transport and defense proteins during three challenges… Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • HS-LS1-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the structure of DNA determines the structure of proteins which carry out the essential functions of life through systems of specialized cells.
  • HS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.
  • HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
  • HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
Foldit: Playing a Game While Solving Protein Structures
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Unlocking the three-dimensional structure of a protein is crucial to help scientists understand how it functions in our bodies and how it can cause devastating diseases if it becomes disrupted or interacts in the wrong way. However, figuring out the structure of a protein in three-dimensional space can be very challenging. Proteins are the functional units of our cells, and every protein is made up of a long chain of amino acids. Amino acids come in different shapes and sizes, and they have… Read more
Immunotherapy: How Antibodies Can Be Used to Treat Diseases
Lesson Plan Grade: 8th-12th
1
2
3
4
5
2 reviews
In this lesson, students will do a series of activities to explore the role of antibodies in our immune system. They will also investigate how doctors use monoclonal antibodies as part of immunotherapy to treat diseases like cancer. Read more
Making Model Microfluidic Devices Using JELL-O
Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th
Students create large-scale models of microfluidic devices using a process similar to that of the PDMS and plasma bonding that is used in the creation of lab-on-a-chip devices. They use disposable foam plates, plastic bendable straws and gelatin dessert mix. After the molds have hardened overnight, they use plastic syringes to inject their model devices with colored fluid to test various flow rates. From what they learn, students are able to answer the challenge question… Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
1

Explore Our Science Videos

Quick Links X
Top
Free science fair projects.