A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System

Latifa B. Khan; Jia-Yun C. Tsai

doi:10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

Research Article

European Journal of Health and Biology Education, 2019 - Volume 8 Issue 1, pp. 19-30
https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

Published Online: 15 Jun 2019

Views: 608 | Downloads: 432

Open Access

How to cite this article

APA 6th edition

In-text citation: (Khan & Tsai, 2019)
Reference: Khan, L. B., & Tsai, J.-Y. C. (2019). A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System. European Journal of Health and Biology Education, 8(1), 19-30. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

Vancouver

In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Khan LB, Tsai JYC. A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System. European Journal of Health and Biology Education. 2019;8(1):19-30. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

AMA 10th edition

In-text citation: (1), (2), (3), etc.
Reference: Khan LB, Tsai JYC. A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System. European Journal of Health and Biology Education. 2019;8(1), 19-30. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

Chicago

In-text citation: (Khan and Tsai, 2019)
Reference: Khan, Latifa B., and Jia-Yun C. Tsai. "A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System". European Journal of Health and Biology Education 2019 8 no. 1 (2019): 19-30. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

Harvard

In-text citation: (Khan and Tsai, 2019)
Reference: Khan, L. B., and Tsai, J.-Y. C. (2019). A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System. European Journal of Health and Biology Education, 8(1), pp. 19-30. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

MLA

In-text citation: (Khan and Tsai, 2019)
Reference: Khan, Latifa B. et al. "A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System". European Journal of Health and Biology Education, vol. 8, no. 1, 2019, pp. 19-30. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejhbe.8.1.19

ABSTRACT

The complement system is a key component of the innate immune system, and acts as a unique connection between innate and adaptive immune responses. The multi-protein network of complement cascade plays an important role in both normal and pathologic conditions, and is an excellent example of protein activation and interaction, making it a vital study topic for various undergraduate biology disciplines. In this article, we describe a simple method using easily sourced, inexpensive materials to reliably simulate the results of a viral complement fixation test (CFT), to demonstrate the powerful complement cascade activation to undergraduate students in immunology course. The CFT workshop described in this article comprises of a disease’s diagnosis scenario (influenza virus infection), a virtual protocol, and a visual learning experience to witness the outcome of complement cascade activation via red blood cell lysis. The novelty of this exercise lies in its simplicity and cost-effectiveness in the set-up, while providing safe, engaging and effective learning without the use of potentially hazardous materials and special equipment. This workshop can be used to accompany any relevant lectures on the complement system, to enhance the students’ learning on this critical yet complex immunology concept.

KEYWORDS

complement system innate immunity undergraduate immunology simulated complement fixation test hemolysis

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