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We create interactive lessons for high school and college educators to engage their students in discussions of ethics and personal genetics. The lessons are relevant to multiple subjects, including biology, health, social studies, law, physical education and psychology. All of our lesson plans contain background reading for teachers and students, a selection of classroom activities, discussion points, in some cases a slide presentation or video clip, and an evaluation. Each lesson can stand alone, or all the lessons can be taught as a unit.

There are a significant number of genetics curriculum resources designed by different companies, curriculum development outlets, state curriculum designers and individual teachers. What resources are good? How do you know? As part of the Geneticist-Educator Network of Alliances (GENA) Project, a Curriculum Content Review Committee was formed to review readily available classroom resources about patterns of inheritance. Click here to see original evaluation form used by the committee and here to see the summary of the committee's review.

This hands-on activity, used in conjunction with the film The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans, teaches students about population genetics, the Hardy-Weinberg principle, and how natural selection alters the frequency distribution of heritable traits. It uses simple simulations to illustrate these complex concepts and includes exercises such as calculating allele and genotype frequencies, graphing and interpretation of data, and designing experiments to reinforce key concepts in population genetics.

 Students must consider the role of rumen bacteria and how genetic modification may alter the potential of these bacteria. The case engages students in learning basic principles of bacterial genetics and biotechnology as they consider how microbes and microbial processes impact the environment. The case could also be used in an introductory genetics or biotechnology course.

That's why a paper published Thursday in the journal Genetics in Medicine is so remarkable. The paper identifies NGLY1 deficiency as an inherited genetic disorder, caused by mutations in the NGLY1 gene. The researchers have confirmed eight patients with these mutations who share several symptoms, including developmental delays, abnormal tear production and liver disease.

7:00 video: This film is the first of a two part series on the evolution of new genetic information. Here we focus on Point Mutations - the simplest natural mechanisms known to increase the genetic information of a population. Our second film of the series will focus on duplication events - natural mutations that increase the total amount of genetic information of an individual. This film was produced under the guidance of molecular biologist Dr. Nicholas Casewell. http://www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/people/... Point mutations are small, natural edits in the DNA code of an individual. These edits can be passed from parent to child. Because they are mere edits, point mutations usually do not increase the total amount of information in an individual. As new information is gained, old information is lost. Point mutations do, however, increase the total amount of information within a population. In this film you will see several examples of beneficial point mutations which have enhanced a creatures abilities or even given rise to entirely new abilities. The first two examples were directly observed in bacteria by scientists in the lab. The third is a case found in domestic dogs, the last example was discovered in several species of wild animal.

I'm a carrier of a Jewish genetic disease. With that, here's my journey, which will explain why I'm so passionate about advocating for JScreen-a national organization that focuses on education and screening for Jewish genetic diseases.

This directed case study follows the story of "Pauline," a 20-year-old college student who has just received results from a personal genetic testing kit she purchased online. The report shows a negative result for variants of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes, which are associated with a greater risk for breast cancer. Although Pauline has a family history of breast cancer, she concludes that she no longer needs to be concerned, or does she? As students work through the questions in this case study, they review the role of genes and how they code for proteins as well as the effects of proteins on health, especially on cellular growth regulation and cancer. They also learn about the process of genetic testing and consider the ramifications of positive and negative tests for diseases or health conditions, especially with respect to breast cancer. The case is designed for non-science majors in a scientific methods course and could also be used in an introductory biology course. The questions in the case could be adapted for an upper level genetics class.

This directed case study was developed in order to present genomic data to students, allow them to interpret the impact of genetic variations on phenotype, and to explore precision medicine. Students are introduced to "Josie," a college sophomore who decides to have her genome sequenced after learning about genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in class. As students work  through the case, they learn about the different technologies that can be used in GWAS studies and interpret Josie's results for a subset of genetic markers that affect a range of traits from pharmacogenetics to disease risk alleles and non-pathogenic traits. Students are confronted with ethical issues such as duty to inform, actionable results, and variants of unknown significance (VUS). Students are also asked to reflect on their feelings about getting genomic testing for themselves. An optional activity for advanced students (included in the teaching notes) involves using the Gene database at NCBI to explore variants of the CYP2C9 gene. The case study is appropriate for use in undergraduate genetics or molecular biology classrooms.

Carolina Biologica videos- How DNA is packaged Central Dogma Misconceptions in Genetics Strawberry Lab

In a unique twist on human genomics studies that seek to identify genetic variants linked to human disease, researchers have combined whole-exome sequencing of 50,726 adults with the individuals' long-term electronic health record (EHR) data. The effort, by researchers at the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania and Regeneron Genetics Center, a subsidiary of New York-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, has yielded novel disease-linked variants, including loss-of-function alleles. The team behind the project, called DiscovEHR, has also found that about one in 30 of the individuals harbors a deleterious genetic variant for which a screen or treatment already exists. The group's analysis is described in two papers published today (December 22) in Science.

This case study is centered on a real scenario from 2013 in which the Kickstarter fundraising platform included a fundraising proposal from a group wanting to use synthetic biology to make glowing plants. The proposal raised controversy because the Glowing Plant group offered to give away their genetically-modified glowing plant product to investors.  Kickstarter subsequently changed its policy to prevent use of genetically modified organisms as rewards or incentives to investors. This case study was developed for a college first-year seminar focused on the ethics of synthetic biology, and was introduced during the first week of the semester. The case uses the jigsaw teaching method to introduce students both to the mechanics of synthetic biology and to questions about how we should distribute the benefits and burdens associated with new or emerging technologies. It could be adapted for courses in introductory college biology, genetics or bioethics.

This case study was developed to teach the topic of human ABO blood type and genetic inheritance in biology courses at the lower undergraduate level or upper high school level. It is suitable for entry level biology, genetics, and physiology courses. The case narrative tells the story of Kevin, a teenager who is puzzled by the fact that neither of his parents can donate blood to him. He and his best friend ask their biology teacher for help, and she explains human ABO blood types at the molecular and genetic level to solve the mystery. The case consists of three sections, which can be used sequentially or separately. After completing the case study, students will understand the molecular basis of ABO blood types and how genes control the phenotype and genotype of an individual. They will also have a better understanding of how human ABO blood type is inherited from generation to generation.

In this case, developed for an introductory genetics class, students meet a woman whose family has a history of colon cancer. Students create a pedigree based on information from the case and discuss what it means to be genetically predisposed to cancer. Using bioinformatics tools from the NCBI database, students identify and examine the mutation in the woman's APC gene that results in genetic predisposition to colon cancer. Finally, they investigate the biological function of the APC protein to understand why this mutation contributes to the development of cancer and determine whether APC is a proto-oncogene, tumor suppressor gene, or genome stability gene.

Genetics open courseware at MIT, lecture notes, problem sets, exams, study materials

webquest with student group members assuming different roles when investiigating genetic disease 

Genetic tests are now available to look for specific heritable diseases like Huntington's, assess your risk of developing conditions like heart disease, and more. Learn about four different types of genetic testing and take our poll. Would you take these tests yourself?

Text and interactives on human evolution and genetic structure

GMOs are organisms that have had their DNA modified through genetic engineering. This is often done by taking a gene from one organism and putting it into another one to alter it in a desirable way. For example, when genetic engineers want to create a corn crop that is resistant to pests, they seek out the trait in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) soil bacteria that naturally acts as a pesticide. From there, engineers isolate the gene responsible for that trait and directly insert it into the corn's DNA. This corn is then bred with other corn until it's ready to be produced for consumption.

"CRACKING THE CODE"/"Cloning Paper Plasmid" activities can (1) serve as a review of the "genetic code" and the role it plays in our life; and, (2) to help students see how genes may be manipulated for genetic research, namely, gene cloning/genetic engineering. The laboratory time, the specialized equipment and expertise to carry out recombinant DNA experiments may be lacking in the high school. Activity 2 will help students conceptualize the mechanics involved in cutting and ligating DNAs into a plasmid vector with "sticky ends" of complementary DNA base pairs.