In Your Classroom: "Body Builders"

by Sharon Radford     Department: In Your Classroom

Wow.  The "Body Builders" segment of WIRED SCIENCE brings home the great strides we have made in tissue culture and organ repair.  This information fits into our biology classes in several places--when we talk about immunology, when we talk about cancer, and when we talk about body systems.

In a discussion of immunology, ask students why the cells have to be removed from the pig bladder scaffolding.  Why are transplants so difficult and the chance of rejection so high?  What is it that gives the cells the ability to recognize "self" from "non-self?"  A discussion of the MHC antigens naturally follows.  Human blood typing is an easy way to illustrate this concept, and many kits, either using artificial blood or the students' own blood (depending on the state) are available from biological supply companies.

What about cancer?  The incidence of esophageal cancer is on the rise, although we don't know why, according to the WIRED video.  In a class, one could have a discussion of possible causes of cancer.  What are the risk factors?  Several good teaching resources are available for free download or web use:

1) The National Cancer Institute provides a Power Point presentation which covers the biology of cancer and is available for free download.

I have used this presentation with my classes, and have found it a good introduction to the biology of cancer.

2) If you have more time, consider using "Inside cancer--Multimedia Guide to Cancer Biology" published by the Dolan DNA Learning Center.

An excellent resource for teaching, this module takes students more deeply into the causes of cancer, the epidemiology of certain cancers, and the mechanism of action of some of the drugs used.  Using this module requires several class periods, but students can do some of it on their own as an extension.

Often, surgical removal of the affected organ, or part of the organ, is part of the treatment.  In many cases, as in removal of part of the esophagus or bladder, the quality of life of the patient is significantly reduced.  If such surgery is part of the treatment, a bioengineered esophagus or bladder could be invaluable in allowing the patient to lead a normal life.

In any discussion of body systems, understanding both anatomy and function is vital.  In the digestive system, for example, why is esophagus important?  What kinds of muscles have to be present for function?  What happens at the cardiac orifice, and why is it important to prevent reflux (heartburn)?  What happens to the patient if part of the esophagus has to be removed due to cancer?  In the urinary system, what is the importance of the bladder?  Why does it have to be "stretchy?"  What is the advantage of using the patient's own cells to "regrow" a bladder?

Many students have had first-hand experience with someone who could benefit from a replacement organ, which makes this segment powerful.  The potential of the techniques fires the imagination.  For an additional "wow" factor, check out this National Geographic video on a beating rat heart grown in a lab.

For an introduction to human organs, try National Geographic's interactive website about the human body which includes the heart. The site allows students to explore both the anatomy and physiology of the heart, including the electrophysiological aspects of the heartbeat, and gives them an appreciation of the complexity of growing an entire heart in the lab!

The idea of using a printer (a printer!) to generate organs may be new to students, as it was for me.  This ScienceDaily article reports progress made toward "printing" organs at the University of Missouri, and provides information for students who want to extend their knowledge.

Students at all levels can get excited about the prospects of building new organs in the lab.  The possibilities, seemingly endless, also show students how science, engineering and technology all contribute to advances in the field of "body building."

Additional WIRED Science Video Segments
Don't forget to check out our Video Section for other segments from WIRED Science that you can use in your classroom.

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