Description
High cholesterol, or hypercholesterolemia, is a common condition often associated with diets rich in animal products. While these foods can contribute to elevated levels of cholesterol, and dietary adjustments can help reduce the prevalence of Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL’s, the bad cholesterol), family history and genetics also contribute to risk factors. Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a condition in which cells have an LDL receptor defect and are inefficient in their ability to uptake LDL. This results in excess LDL’s circulating in the bloodstream, building up to cause blockage of the arteries.
Choose your own adventure with this MiniLab! Use the case study and reagents in the Hypercholesterolemia MiniLab to have students evaluate a family for familial hypercholesterolemia, or use the provided samples to supplement an existing biomedical science curriculum. Students can pour, load, and run a gel on the MiniOne Electrophoresis System, watch DNA separate in real time, and then analyze the results to determine the genotypic profile for FH for the family members.
The entire lab can be completed in the span of a single classroom period, and helps teach concepts of inheritance, genetics, physiology, and human medicine.
Ideal for high school students, especially those in anatomy/physiology and biomedical science programs, and can be used in the PLTW biomedical pathway.
Materials Included in each MiniLab:
Each MiniLab contains enough materials for 10 workstations, 2 – 3 students per workstation.
- Seven Ready-to-Load DNA samples
- MiniOne® Universal DNA marker
- Ten 0.8% agarose GreenGel™ GelCups
- One bottle of 100 mL Tris-Borate-EDTA (TBE) buffer concentrate, enough to make 2L of 1X running buffer
- One bag of 0.65 mL microcentrifuge tubes
- One bag of 2 – 200 µL micropipette tips
**Please note the following equipment is REQUIRED but not included:
The MiniOne Electrophoresis System
