Fellow name: Jordan Moberg Parker
Title of Lesson: Genetically Engineering Viruses for Gene Therapy
Grade Level: High School
Subject(s): Biology
Summary:
In this lesson, the students will be introduced to the topics of Gene Therapy and Genetic
Engineering.
The lesson starts with a PowerPoint lecture with accompanying class notes to introduce
genetic diseases and how gene therapy is similar to and different from other types of
disease treatments. The students will do a gene therapy online simulation called “Space
Doctor” from the Learn.Genetics website to find out more about gene therapy and its uses.
The students will choose from a selection of genetic disease information sheets and use
that information, along with their knowledge of gene therapy vectors from the
Learn.Genetics Vector Toolbox, to decide which vector is appropriate for their project.
The students will then use the knowledge that they have gained to do a simulation of
genetically engineering a viral vector for gene therapy. For the genetic engineering
simulation, the students will first be introduced to the main tools of genetic engineering
such as restriction enzymes and plasmids. The students will then do a “Paper Genetic
Engineering” project with sequences representing the therapeutic gene and their chosen
vector in order to determine the best restriction enzymes to insert the gene into the vector.
The lesson culminates with introducing students to concept maps, and then each student
group devises their own concept map to organize their understanding of gene therapy and
genetic engineering. To wrap up the lesson, the class as a whole collaborates to make a
large consensus concept map.
Time Required:
Three 90-minute periods
Group Size:
2-4 students depending on class size.
Cost to implement:
Photocopies, glue or tape.
Learning Goals:
After this lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Know that monogenetic diseases are good targets for gene therapy.
2. Know that viruses can be genetically engineered to deliver therapeutic copies of
genes to particular target cells.
3. Make an educated guess as to which types of viral gene therapy vectors are
appropriate for specific monogenic diseases.
4. Know plasmids are circular pieces of DNA used to move genes from one organism to
another.
5. Find and identify restriction enzyme recognition sites within a synthetic DNA
sequence.
Introduction / Motivation:
This lesson should follow a genetics unit, and students should be familiar with the
definition of a gene. Begin by asking the students to come up with a definition of a disease,
and then ask the students to give you examples of disease. Write their answers on the
board. Hopefully, there should be at least a few genetic diseases on the list. Ask what these
have in common, and the students should be able to realize that they are not diseases that
you can “catch,” but are caused by a person’s genetics. Use the “Gene Therapy Intro.pptx”
presentation and “GeneTherapyHandout.docx” notes handout to introduce genetic diseases
and gene therapy.
Procedure:
Part 1
 Introduce genetic diseases as described in the introduction.
 Handout “GeneTherapyHandout.docx” lecture notes for the students to follow along
with, then give the “Gene Therapy Intro.pptx” PowerPoint presentation.
 Discuss with the students their goals for the lesson:
o Learn more about gene therapy by completing a becoming a SPACE DOCTOR!
o Gene Therapy Vector Engineering Project.
 If resources allow, distribute laptops to each group of students, and direct them to
the Space Doctor interactive activity from Learn.Genetics.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/spacedoctor/
 Distribute the “Space Doctor.docx” handout and give the students time to go through the
module. Additional information about the vectors can be found at:
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/gttools/
 When the students have finished the Space Doctor activity, tell them that they are
going to help design real life gene therapy vectors. Hand out one of the Disease Info
sheets to each group (Disease Info Sheets.docx).
o First groups to complete the Space Doctor activity get to choose from the
genetic diseases that were discussed in class.
 Tell the students that they are going to use what they have learned and the Vector
Toolbox to choose the best vector for treating the disease that they chose.
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/gttools/

Wrap up the lesson for the day by discussing with the students which vectors might
be appropriate for each of the diseases, being sure that the students understand that
there could be more than one effective viral vector.
Part 2:
 Prepare the Recombinant Virus Lab handouts. There are quite a few, so
photocopying in different colors will make things easier (see Lab Instructions).
 Start the class by handing out the “GeneticEngineeringHandout.docx” lecture notes
and asking some warm up questions about the material covered on the previous
day, such as: What kinds of genetic diseases are most appropriate for gene therapy?
What are the four most common kinds of viral vectors? Do you think it would be
ethical to perform germline gene therapy?
 Introduce genetic engineering with the “Genetic Engineering Intro.pptx” PowerPoint
presentation and lecture notes. Ask the students what genetic engineering means to
them, and discuss with the class how each of the pictures on the second slide relate
to genetic engineering.
 Tell the students that today they are going to start their Gene Therapy Vector
Engineering Project by genetically engineer viruses to treat the genetic disease they
learned about yesterday, and give them a review of the activity.
o Use paper models to simulate the process of engineering your recombinant
gene therapy vector.
 Tell the students that you would be giving them a sheet that had an artificial DNA
sequence representing the therapeutic gene that could treat the genetic disease that
they had been assigned.
 They will also receive another sheet that has a sequence that representing the
plasmid for the vector that they had chosen yesterday for their gene therapy
treatment (one of four possible viral vector plasmids), as well as a sheet with
restriction enzyme recognition sequences for them to cut out.
 The goal of the activity is for the students to find a restriction enzyme recognition
sequence that would cut their plasmid only once, and their therapeutic DNA
sequence once above and once below the gene.
 Demonstrate how they would cut out the DNA sequence strips and glue them
together to make the separate plasmid and therapeutic gene strips.
 Then demonstrate how they would use the restriction enzyme cards to find the
recognition sites and record how many times each cut their plasmid and gene strips
on the data sheet
 Hand out to each group:
o The lab Instructions: “RecombinantVirusLab_Instructions.doc” (white).
o The lab Data Sheet: “RecombinantVirusLab_datasheet.doc” (yellow).
o DNA sheet for the therapeutic gene to treat the genetic disease they were
assigned: “RecombinantVirusLab_genes.xlsx” (blue).
o DNA sheet for the vector they chose to treat the disease:
“RecombinantVirusLab_plasmids.xlsx” (pink).
o Restriction enzyme cards sheet “RecombinantVirusLab_enzymes.xlsx”
(green).



Circulate and assist the students with their recombinant DNA.
In my classes, I did not have enough time to go over antibiotic resistance, so we only
did Part A of the Recombinant Virus Lab. If time permits discuss with the class why
antibiotic resistance genes are beneficial to bacteria, and how scientist have used
these genes to their advantage.
Wrap up the class by asking the class what the most challenging part of the lab was.
It will probably have been deciding which restriction enzymes would be best to use.
Tell the students that scientists have the same problems, and that they now have
some of the skills of a genetic engineer!
Part 3:
 Introduce Concept Mapping, or making an Idea Web, with the PowerPoint
presentation “ConceptMaps.pptx.”
 Go over the list of key concepts or words associated with gene therapy and genetic
engineering.
 Ask the students to come up with what they thought the four or five main ideas
were from the list I provided, and demonstrate for the class on the white board how
to begin a concept map.
 Provide laptops for the groups and direct the class to use the Learn.Genetics website
to help them with their concept mapping. Particularly the following links:
o Gene Delivery: The Key to Gene Therapy
o Challenges in Gene Therapy
o Choosing Targets for Gene Therapy
o Tools of the Trade
 Hand out the butcher paper or posterboard and word lists
(ConceptMapWordList.xlsx) and have the students cut out all of the cards. Give the
students the hint that they should first start by arranging the cards into piles of
similar concepts, then they can work on how they fit together.
 Demonstrate how they can move the cards around until they are satisfied with their
concept map. Instruct the students not to glue the cards down until they are sure.
Lesson Closure:
For the lesson closure, make larger versions of the Concept Word cards and obtain a large
piece of butcher paper. Explain to the class that you saw some groups had arranged their
Concept Maps in different ways, and that as a class we are going to come up with a
consensus. Pass out at least one card to each student. Ask the class to look at their own
concept maps and decide who should start it out. Have the students come up singly or in
small groups and place their words on the map. Discuss why the concepts are being
arranged as they are, and discuss with the class if they think anything needs to bee moved
around. In working together to create a consensus concept map the students will have to
work together and discuss the lesson as a whole. The group concept maps will serve as an
assessment of student learning.
Materials List
Handouts
Laptops/Computer access
Glue
Scissors
Butcher paper or posterboard
Safety Issues:
None.
Is this lesson based upon or modified from existing materials? If yes, please specify
source(s) and explain how related:
Part 1 of this lesson uses resources from Learn.Genetics.Utah.edu, specifically the “Space
Doctor” interactive activity, and the “Vector Toolbox.” The “Space Doctor.docx” handout
was modified from materials from the “Exploring Gene Therapy” webquest module from
Teach.Genetics (http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/exploring.html).
Part 2 of this lesson was modified from existing materials from “The E. coli Insulin Factory”
lab provided by Marschal Fazio of University High School.
Part 3 of this lesson was adapted from Teach.Genetics “Concept Maps on Cloning”
Powerpoint, and the activity “Mapping Gene Therapy Concepts.” The activity was expanded
to include genetic engineering concepts as well.
References:
Genetic Science Learning Center (2011, January 24) Gene Therapy: Molecular Bandage?.
Learn.Genetics. Retrieved June 1, 2011, from
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/
Genetic Science Learning Center (2011, January 24) Space Doctor. Learn.Genetics. Retrieved
June 1, 2011, from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/spacedoctor/
Genetic Science Learning Center (2011, June 2) Exploring Gene Therapy. Teach.Genetics.
Retrieved June 1, 2011, from
http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/exploring.html
Genetic Science Learning Center (2011, June 2) Concept Maps on Cloning. Teach.Genetics.
Retrieved June 2, 2011, from
http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/cloning/conceptmap.html
Genetic Science Learning Center (2011, June 2) Mapping Gene Therapy Concepts.
Teach.Genetics. Retrieved June 2, 2011, from
http://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/genetherapy/mapping.html
Attachments:
Gene Therapy Intro.pptx
GeneTherapyHandout.docx
Space Doctor.docx
Disease Info Sheets.docx
Genetic Engineering Intro.pptx
GeneticEngineeringHandout.docx
RecombinantVirusLab_Instructions.doc
RecombinantVirusLab_datasheet.doc
RecombinantVirusLab_genes.xlsx
RecombinantVirusLab_plasmids.xlsx
RecombinantVirusLab_enzymes.xlsx
ConceptMaps.pptx
ConceptMapWordList.xlsx
List CA Science Standards addressed:
5. The genetic composition of cells can be altered by incorporation of exogenous DNA into
the cells.
c. Students know how genetic engineering (biotechnology) is used to produce novel
biomedical and agricultural products.
d.* Students know how basic DNA technology (restriction digestion by endonucleases, gel
electrophoresis, ligation, and transformation) is used to construct recombinant DNA
molecules.