Premedical Department, Weill Cornell Medicine, Qatar Foundation, Education City, Doha, Qatar.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2020 Jul;48(4):369-380. doi: 10.1002/bmb.21363. Epub 2020 Jun 16.
Enzyme purification, characterization, and identification are some of the best ways to introduce undergraduate students to many aspects of biochemistry, particularly as part of project-based learning (PBL). These kinds of multi-step laboratory experiments not only help students to better understand basic biochemistry concepts but also serve to introduce them to the scaffolded nature of the research environment. A 13-week enzyme-based laboratory project was designed as one of three components associated with the course titled Capstone Laboratory, which is delivered to second-year undergraduate students at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar (WCM-Q). The project incorporated several fundamental biochemical laboratory techniques, such as chromatography, centrifugation, spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, and kinetic assays, as well as enzyme inhibition and bioinformatic exercises. The aims of the project were to first purify, then to quantify, and finally to study a particular lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) isoenzyme extracted from different chicken organs. LDH was selected for investigation because its inhibition has potential as a therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. Students enrolled in the Capstone Laboratory course were divided into three groups. Each group conducted experiments associated with one of the project's three aims over consecutive 3-week periods. Relevant data and materials were passed from one group to the next, with individual students writing reports describing the results from their respective collection of experiments. Students in the third and final group gave presentations summarizing the results of the overall project. In the associated bioinformatic exercises, students assessed the similarities and differences between chicken-sourced and human-sourced LDH as well as the interaction between the LDH enzyme and the inhibitors. This PBL in biochemistry is a successful addition to the WCM-Q premedical curriculum because (a) it affords the second-year premedical students opportunities to improve and develop content knowledge and technical and communication skills, and also (b) it provides an opportunity to engage many of the undergraduate students in research.
酶的纯化、鉴定和鉴定是让本科生了解许多生物化学方面的最佳方法之一，尤其是作为基于项目的学习 (PBL) 的一部分。这些多步骤的实验室实验不仅有助于学生更好地理解基本的生物化学概念，还可以让他们了解研究环境的有组织性质。一个基于酶的 13 周实验室项目被设计为与卡塔尔威尔康奈尔医学院 (WCM-Q) 二年级本科生开设的课程“顶点实验室”相关的三个组成部分之一。该项目结合了几种基本的生化实验室技术，如色谱法、离心法、分光光度法、电泳和动力学测定法，以及酶抑制和生物信息学练习。该项目的目的是首先纯化，然后定量，最后研究从不同鸡器官中提取的特定乳酸脱氢酶 (LDH) 同工酶。选择 LDH 进行研究是因为其抑制作用可能是癌症治疗的一种治疗策略。参加顶点实验室课程的学生分为三组。每组在连续的 3 周内进行与项目的三个目标之一相关的实验。相关数据和材料从一组传递到另一组，个别学生撰写报告，描述各自实验集的结果。第三组和最后一组的学生进行了总结整个项目结果的演讲。在相关的生物信息学练习中，学生评估了鸡源性和人源性 LDH 之间的相似性和差异性，以及 LDH 酶与抑制剂之间的相互作用。这种生物化学中的 PBL 是 WCM-Q 医学预科课程的成功补充，因为 (a) 它为二年级医预科学生提供了提高和发展内容知识以及技术和沟通技能的机会，并且 (b) 它为许多本科生提供了参与研究的机会。
