Immunological Techniques in the Undergraduate Laboratory

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Equipment secured through this project is being used to expand the variety of immunological methods taught to undergraduates. Specific goals are (1) to incorporate assays into laboratory sessions to study ongoing immunological activity; and (2) to localize and quantitate antigens in tissues and on cells. Specific methods used are: immunocytochemistry, radioimmunoassay, blastogenesis assays, interleukin production, western blots, and 51-chromium release assays. Several major pieces of equipment are crucial to this program: a cryostat, cell harvester, CO2 incubator, gamma counter, sterile benches, -75 degree freezer, and a centrifuge. Because the methods being introduced encompass several disciplines, specific laboratory experiments using this equipment involve a variety of courses that will affect approximately 1,250 students over the next five years. The exercises developed as part of this program will enhance the sophistication of the overall experience available to these undergraduates in an important new area of biology, providing them with a deeper understanding of the immune response and of the uses of immunological techniques to detect molecular change. This area has grown exponentially in the last two decades. Both clinically and experimentally, new assays have made it possible to localize and quantitate molecules heretofore unknown. The grantee institution is matching the NSF award with an equal sum obtained from non-Federal sources.