Nanomedicine: Activity 3
Understanding drug action game: Traditional chemotherapy vs. aptamer complex drugs.
Introduction
Cancer is a disease that affects many people. It is the result of a cell replicating itself and dividing too frequently when it shouldn’t and forming a tumour.
Tumours are generally not cancerous if they are localised to the initial site in tissues, its cells not being able to migrate to a new location to form a new tumour elsewhere. These tumours are called benign. Tumours become cancerous when the tumour has cells with the ability to move into other tissues around the body forming secondary cancers .
Chemicals that could be used to kill cancer cells - termed chemotherapy drugs - were discovered in the 1940’s . Since then, extensive research and development has been made leaving society with the many versions available today. Chemotherapy drugs, however, can have varying success in individual patients due to the individuals own body environment and ‘local’ conditions surrounding the mass.
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Image shows chemotheraphy drugs being administered to patient. Current chemotherapy drugs have many off target side effects that cause all the classical symptoms of cancer treatment such as hair loss, fatigue, gastrointestinal upset.
Attribution: Pexels.
Image shows tumour cells un anchoring and becoming lose, traveling through the blood stream to new locations where it can form new tumours. This is the crucial step that turns a benign tumour malignant - turning into cancer.
Attribution: By Cancer Research UK uploader [<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0 </a>], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diagram_showing_cancer_cells_spreading_into_the_blood_stream_CRUK_448.svg">from Wikimedia Commons</a>
One of the important factors is that chemotherapy drugs do not target only cancer cells, as they are designed to affect ALL cells that divide quickly, not just cancerous cells. This is the reason why chemotherapy patients have so many side effects, with a common and well known one being hair loss . For this reason, scientists are looking for ways to be able to make chemotherapy drugs that only target cancer cells to reduce side effects. Most importantly, ones that destroy all and only the cancer cells in a patient .
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Today the research focus will be a “buzz” area of research that involves using aptamers (small strands of DNA). These can have a strong ability to attach to only a certain type of receptor on cancer cells and as such could potentially revolutionise cancer treatment. This binding mechanism works in a way that only the right key will fit a certain lock barrel in a lock due to the specific shape of the aptamer forms and the shape of the receptor. The aptamer must be a certain shaped ‘key’ to fit the receptor which is the lock in this instance.
Image shows a model example of a cell receptor in pink and the aptamer nanocapsule complex to the right (orange and green structure). The orange part is the aptamer complex and in real life is a DNA structure that forms the 3D shape visualised with the pipecleaner. this has a complimentary shape and can bind with the pink cell receptor strongly- therefore locking together. When delivered inside the cell, cell processes enable the nanocapsule (green) to open releasing the drugs inside the cell.
Attribution: Image Taken by Hayley Wilson.
The image to the left shows a model example of a cell receptor (pink) and aptamer (orange) that is linked to a nanocapsule. It is clearly visable that the aptamer has a 3D shape that is complimentary to the cell receptor which it can bind with to deliver its therapuetic drug package in the nanocapsule (green).
To understand how these two different treatments differ in effectiveness, students will be playing a game that simulates the differences between these two treatments. The modern chemotherapy treatment method against the chemotherapy bound up with an aptamer.
Let’s play a game: Aptamer lock and key game.
The game students are about to play has been designed to replicate the basic idea behind the lock and key type mechanism that aptamers perform in finding and binding to only cancer cells when they are used for cancer treatment. By the end of this game and associated worksheet, one should be able to understand why aptamers could be so useful and how this would benefit cancer sufferers.
Scenario: Rodney's Cancer Treatment.
Students have become a bunch of Rodney’s cells. Unawares to Rodney and players, all involved have been going through cell cycles with little fuss. However, one day a few of the cell members have gone rogue, starting to divide out of control forming a cancerous tumour.
Rodney starts to feel unwell one day and goes to see his doctor to get some tests done to see if the they can determine what is causing his discomfort. To his dismay the doctor gives Rodney some unexpected news that he has a cancerous tumour growing inside of him.
Image from Wix.com.
Rodney is referred on to another doctor (teacher running the activity) who has recommended that he undergo some rounds of chemotherapy to destroy the tumour cells. In addition to this, he has given Rodney the chance to participate in some experimental nanomedicine research that they believe may be able to more accurately treat his cancer.
Rodney agrees to have chemotherapy and volunteers to be a part of the new nanomedicine technology experiment.
Students/players are about to partake in Rodney’s Chemotherapy and experimental treatment in the following simulation activity.
Game Instructions:
Prior to the start of the game, make sure students have all the cut outs and student cell cards. Once this is attained, split up the class into three categories: healthy slow dividing cells, healthy fast dividing cells and cancerous cells.
Ensure that students are divided evenly across the three categories and that the correct corresponding activity sheet is given to every student. Every student from the start of the activity will need to keep a record of each outcome for their cell with each passing round; to be compiled into a class results table at the end of the six rounds of the game.
The teacher will inform you of which version of the game players will be undertaking.
Above is the game cut outs document download. Needs to be downloaded, printed off, cut out.
Above is the student game card that each student must fill out as they play. Download and print one for each student.
Student Activity Worksheet download. Easiest to complete the activity as you go using the worksheet.
If you haven't already done so, download the Student Activity 3 worksheet, cut outs and cell cards that are located above and fill it in on your computer or print it off and do it by hand.
Game Rules
Rock Paper Scissor Version:
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For the first section of this game, every student will be challenged to a game of rock paper scissors by their teacher. The aim is to win the best of three rounds of rock paper scissors per student, per round. If the student wins, they do not receive the chemotherapy drug card. But, if the student loses to the teacher, they do receive the drug card. The students will tally their outcomes on their cell record sheet throughout the duration of the activity.
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In the chemotherapy rounds, if students are a healthy fast dividing cell or a cancerous cell, they will automatically have a loss against them; in their attempt to win best of three rock paper scissors against the teacher.
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In rounds the chemotherapy rounds, if students are a healthy slow dividing cell, they will have no wins or losses to start with; in their attempt to win the best of three rock paper scissor battles with the teacher.
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The last round is the experimental treatment round. The teacher will come around to all with a chemotherapy drug card that are bound to an aptamer. They will see if their aptamer-chemotherapy drug card will fit any of the locks to the students’ cell receptors.
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If the aptamer key fits the receptor lock to a student’s cell type, then their cell loses, and they get given a chemotherapy drug card.
Image shows a group of students playing rock paper scissors.
Image taken by Mosmas [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
Game Rules
Dice Version:
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For, the chemotherapy rounds, every student will have to roll a dice to determine whether they have to take a chemotherapy drug card from their teacher. However, the student’s allocated cell type will determine what numbers rolled count as a win and not receiving a chemotherapy drug card.
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A student who is a healthy slow dividing cell will win against the teacher if they roll a 1, 2, 3 or 4 and lose, receiving a drug card if they roll a 5 or a 6.
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A student who is a healthy fast dividing cell will win if they roll a 1 or 2 but will lose, receiving a drug card from the teacher if they roll a 3, 4, 5 or 6.
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A student who is a cancerous cell will win against the teacher if they roll a 1 or 2 and lose, receiving a drug card if they roll a 3, 4, 5 or 6.
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The last round is the experimental treatment round involving an aptamer joined to the chemotherapy drug. The teacher will come around to all with a chemotherapy drug cards that are bound to an aptamer. They will see if their aptamer-chemotherapy drug card will fit any of the locks to the students’ cell.
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If the aptamer key fits the receptor lock to a student’s cell type, then the student cell loses, and they get given a chemotherapy drug card.
Image from Pexels.
Things to Remember
Once the game version has been selected and worksheets and cut outs printed out remember to fill in the sheets throughout the game and to compile the results into class results.
Use your computer or activity sheet print out and work through the questions using a combination of your individual results, the class results and some internet research.
Image from Pexels.
References:
1. Cancer Council, 10/03/2016, ‘What is Cancer?’, retrieved 29/08/2018, https://www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/
2. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team, 12/06/2014, ‘ Evolution of Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy’, retrieved 29/08/2018, https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/history-of-cancer/cancer-treatment-chemo.html
3. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team, 11/02/2016, ‘Chemotherapy Side Effects.’, retrieved 29/08/2018, https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/chemotherapy/chemotherapy-side-effects.html
4. Henri, J, Macdonald, J, Strom, M, Duan, W, & Shigdar, S 2018, ‘Aptamers As Potential Therapeutic Agents For Ovarian Cancer’, Biochimie: Elsevier, Deakin Research Online, EBSCOhost, viewed 29 August 2018.