Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi Medical-stuff,

Medical-stuff wrote:Ok so does it have to be red in the normal part to be cancerous or does it have to be ok the cancer
Side and be red?

The red indicates an overexpression of the gene. There is a column for "Normal" and a column for "Cancer," which tells you whether there is cancer present. Blue indicates a normal expression of the gene, and red indicates an overexpression. The colors do not indicate whether there is cancer present; they are only about gene expression.

Medical-stuff wrote:Ok so for my hypothesis for the cancer genome anatomy project I have just learned that pancreas and stomach cancer have the most common over expressed genes

Now what I really need help is on creating a hypothesis for THAT!!!

I'm not clear on whether you are comparing different cancers or different genes here. Are you saying that many of the same genes are overexpressed in both pancreatic and stomach cancers? Compared to what? Other cancers? Other genes?

You could say something like, "I predict that pancreatic and stomach cancers will have more overlap in gene overexpression compared to lung cancer." Is that what you're trying to see?

Heather

heatherL wrote:Hi Medical-stuff,

Medical-stuff wrote:Ok so does it have to be red in the normal part to be cancerous or does it have to be ok the cancer
Side and be red?

The red indicates an overexpression of the gene. There is a column for "Normal" and a column for "Cancer," which tells you whether there is cancer present. Blue indicates a normal expression of the gene, and red indicates an overexpression. The colors do not indicate whether there is cancer present; they are only about gene expression.

Medical-stuff wrote:Ok so for my hypothesis for the cancer genome anatomy project I have just learned that pancreas and stomach cancer have the most common over expressed genes

Now what I really need help is on creating a hypothesis for THAT!!!

I'm not clear on whether you are comparing different cancers or different genes here. Are you saying that many of the same genes are overexpressed in both pancreatic and stomach cancers? Compared to what? Other cancers? Other genes?

You could say something like, "I predict that pancreatic and stomach cancers will have more overlap in gene overexpression compared to lung cancer." Is that what you're trying to see?

Heather

Ok
So first when u click on a gene then click the person picture,just like science buddies says,and then it shows to sides with it saying cancer and the other side normal if it is red I normal then is it over expressed in cancer or what?

Also
I'm saying that pancreas and stomach cancer both have common genes that are over expressed in cancer
Now I need help writing a hypothesis with THAT.

Here is a guess at how my hypothesis CAN be:
I predict that since pancreas and stomach are close to each other in the body then they will have the same genes that are over expressed.
Correct?
Close?or wrong?
For:the cancer genome anatomy project

Hi Medical-stuff,

Medical-stuff wrote:So first when u click on a gene then click the person picture,just like science buddies says,and then it shows to sides with it saying cancer and the other side normal if it is red I normal then is it over expressed in cancer or what?

Red means the gene is overexpressed. If it is red in the "Normal" column, that means the gene is overexpressed in that organ under normal conditions, or rather that the gene is under-expressed with cancer.

Medical-stuff wrote:I predict that since pancreas and stomach are close to each other in the body then they will have the same genes that are over expressed.
Correct?
Close?or wrong?

I can't tell you whether your hypothesis is right or wrong. Your data will tell you whether your hypothesis is supported! However, I can say that you should base your hypothesis on background research. I'm not sure that the close proximity of the two organs will necessarily mean that the genetic basis of their cancers will be related. If two organs serve similar functions, though, it means that they probably express a lot of similar genes. So it might make sense for two organs with similar functions to have similar gene (over)expression with cancer. Does that make sense?

Heather

WOW!JUST WOW!you have just cleared up a world of mystery and wonder for me!!!!:D
You ARE THE BEST!!!I BET YOUR LIKE A SUPER SMART professor!
Thanks a lot heather!!!!mark my words though,I WILL BE BACK WITH EVEN MORE CONFUSION AS I GO.
Speaking of confusion,how would I do my data?i'm going to start a little more research after I do my health HOmework on endocrine system.

How you do your data will really depend on the question you're asking. If you decide to compare the stomach and pancreas, then you could record the number of overexpressed genes associated with cancer for each organ, noting when the same genes are overexpressed in both organs. You could see whether more genes are overexpressed with cancer compared to normal conditions, and whether the overexpressed genes are usually the same or different for the two organs. Once you have the data, we can talk about the best graphical way to present it...

Heather

Ok so I'm still stuck ok hypothesis apparently no websites talk about organs having same over expressed genes!!:p
Please help me with my hypothesis!

Hi Medical-stuff,

Let's take a step back here. You need to decide what question you want to ask, and it does not have to be a complicated one. What first got you interested in this particular project? Are you trying to learn more about a particular kind of cancer, or are you curious about cancer in general?

I think it may be best for you to focus on one type of cancer (e.g., pancreatic OR stomach cancer), and to figure out which genes are overexpressed. Then you can find out more about those particular genes and their usual function in the cell. Your hypothesis could predict what kind of genes might be overexpressed in cancer cells. For example, you could hypothesize that genes associated with cell division would be overexpressed in cancer cells. There is definitely research out there regarding what genes are generally associated with certain cancers.

I really cannot write your hypothesis for you. You are the one who needs to come up with the research question that interests you. That's why I'm saying you should take a step back for a moment. Think about what made you curious about this project, and ask a question along those lines. What do you hope to learn by doing this project?

Heather

Well I just did some more research and I found out that liver and pancreas both are sending digestive substances to the duodenum...
So I could say...
I hypothesize that the since the pancreas and the liver both are vitual for digesting substances to the duodenum then they will have similar overexpressed genes.

What about that one?

That sounds reasonable. And remember that it's perfectly okay if your hypothesis is not supported by the data. Sometimes you end up with even more interesting results than what you expected to find!

Good luck!

Also how long should my hypothesis be?
What should I write about in my research paper?
How would I make my data graphs/tables?

I hypothesize that since the pancreas and the liver have similar jobs of sending digestive substances to the duodenum them they will also have similar genes that are overexpressed.
Is this a better hypothesis or should I stick To my other one?

Your new hypothesis is well stated. Just remember to include cancer in your hypothesis: "I hypothesize that since the pancreas and the liver have similar jobs of sending digestive substances to the duodenum they will also have similar genes that are overexpressed when cancer develops."

The length of your hypothesis is not important, as long as it clearly states your predictions.

Here is the Science Buddies information about how to write your research paper:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... aper.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... _Paper.pdf

Here is a sample research paper:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... _paper.pdf

Here are tips for data analysis and presentation (graphs and tables):
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ysis.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... alysis.pdf

Heather

Hi heather !!!
Ok well questions:
For my data would I make graphs showing a gene and how much it is overexpressed in cancer compared to it being under expressed in a normal body?
Also for hypothesis I don't really know what my controlled variable,independent and dependent variables would be.
Also for my research really what you are telling me is that I need to explain my project like tell about pancreas ,functions,pancreas cancer & lung,functions,lung cancer
And should my research paper have like after I finish my actual RESEARCH behind it ,for example,a paper telling materials used,then procedure,etc.?

Ummmm for my hypothesis do I explain what my hypothesis is trying to say and shy I chose it?

It really depends on what your teacher wants. Definately write your hypothesis so it's understandable. My teacher always said to write an "if-then-because" statement as my hypothesis. The 'because' part explains why you think the 'then' part of the statement (the results) will occur. That would be my advice, but you might want to wait for Heather to return to your thread because she knows a lot more about your experiment than I do.

I hope this helps!
Meg

Ummm I said that my independent variable would be the over expression in the bred in the pancreas and liver BECAUSE the level of expression will be changing and the ore expressed the fee is in cancer the more likely IT IS TO BE A CANCER CELL?
The capatalized part is the part I am unsure of.
Please help.

Hi Medical-stuff,

Sorry for the delay in my response. Let's start with your hypothesis.

If you use this version...

heatherL wrote:"I hypothesize that since the pancreas and the liver have similar jobs of sending digestive substances to the duodenum they will also have similar genes that are overexpressed when cancer develops."

...then you could say that "IF you compare gene expression in pancreatic and liver cancer, THEN you will see overexpression of similar genes when cancer develops BECAUSE the pancreas and the liver have similar jobs of sending digestive substances to the duodenum." Is that the format your teacher wants to see?

Medical-stuff wrote:Also for hypothesis I don't really know what my controlled variable,independent and dependent variables would be.

Your independent variable is the one that you change in the experiment. In this case, it is the presence or absence of cancer. (You are not really changing this yourself, but it is what you are comparing.) Your dependent variable is the one you measure, because it is dependent on the variable you're changing. In this case, your dependent variable is the amount of gene expression. It's hard to pinpoint a controlled variable for this experiment, since you're really doing it on the computer, but you are only looking at pancreatic and liver cancer, so I suppose the type of cancer could be your controlled variable.

Here is more information about variables:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... bles.shtml
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... bles.shtml

Medical-stuff wrote:For my data would I make graphs showing a gene and how much it is overexpressed in cancer compared to it being under expressed in a normal body?

For your data you will probably make a graph showing which genes are overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, which ones are overexpressed in liver cancer, and which ones are overexpressed in both types of cancer. You won't be able to tell how much the genes are overexpressed; you can only tell if they are overexpressed or not.

Medical-stuff wrote:Also for my research really what you are telling me is that I need to explain my project like tell about pancreas ,functions,pancreas cancer & lung,functions,lung cancer
And should my research paper have like after I finish my actual RESEARCH behind it ,for example,a paper telling materials used,then procedure,etc.?

Your research paper should provide the relevant background for the experiment you are doing. Information about the pancreas, liver, and how cancers develop are good topics for your research paper. The Science Buddies information (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... aper.shtml) is a wonderful resource and will walk you through the process step-by-step.

Best,
Heather

Ummmm ok could you explain how I would do my data please a little more?
And also can you explain to me how to do the conclusion?

Hi Medical-stuff,

Your best strategy is to follow the procedure as laid out on the Science Buddies website: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... #procedure

Start by figuring out which genes are overexpressed in pancreatic cancer. Then see if you can find out the functions of those genes. Next, do the same procedure for liver cancer. Do you see similar genes overexpressed in both types of cancer? If so, what functions do they have?

Once you have answered these questions, we can talk about the conclusions you can make.

Best,
Heather

Ok I'll do that today then we can do graphs.
It is very important that you are here today(Wednesday) and tomorrow(thursday) because my science fair is due Friday!

Hi Medical-stuff,

I am teaching classes today and tomorrow, but I will do my best to respond. The other experts can also help you with data presentation and interpretation, and Science Buddies has even more resources about those topics:
Data Analysis & Graphs: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ysis.shtml
Conclusions: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ions.shtml
Sample Conclusions: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ions.shtml
More about Conclusions: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... usions.pdf

Heather

Hi ok so the cancer genome anatomy project website isn't working it isn't sending me my email!!!this is due tomorrow!!! Please HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so far for the research paper I wrote: where the liver and pancreas is
What their functions are
And about pancreas and liver cancer(2 paragraphs per bullet point)
(ex.)1 paragraph is about pancreas then the next about liver)
Now I'm gonna add two more paragraphs about how those cancers are treated then I will go back to my beginning of my research paper and add how cancer is formedade in blood.
I found a really good site that explained how it forms and it is very nice

So, so far I have
Question(also about my question, I have seemed to have lost what I am actually asking would it be "what two organs will have similar genes when over expressed?")
Hypothesis
Research(almost done)
I'm going to do materials and procedure at Lunch
Then I will finish by doing data(which I still need a little help on)
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY I CAN WORK ON THIS!

-I'll keep you posted.

Hi heather!! Ok well here's the situation I'm still having trouble with how to make the data graphs but everything else is pretty much ok also I need you to hear my hypothesis paragraph please!
Please respond soon ,today..it's my last day of working on this project!

HELPPPPPPPPPP
I HAVE ALL MY INFORMATION I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW I AM SUPPOST TO MAKE IT INTO GRAPHS!!!!!!!!!ugh help!!!!!!

Hi Medical-stuff,

As I said, I am teaching today, but I will try to help you. I cannot give you any feedback if you do not tell me what you have. Please upload your information as an attachment or list it directly in the forum so I can review it.

Heather

Ok I'll send it To you. I did not turn in it today do I am turning it in Monday

Ok I attached what I have done so far.
I didn't put my materials and procedure in the attachment.
it includes my question(is it correct?)
hypothesis
research paper
and i'll add my graphs in another post...

also do you think I should add more to my research paper? I can
There is one kid who had 30 pages for his reserch paper. I mean I could do that but I know I still need to add a little more to it.