Every part of every living organism is made up of cells which work together in order keep an organism alive. Trillions of cells make up the human body and many different types of cells exist like brain cells, lungs cells, skin cells, and lots of others. But sometimes cell can get sick and grow out of control which causes big problems– this is called cancer. Cancer can be one of the most devastating diseases a person can have. Every year 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and more half a million will eventually die to the disease. The need for effective cancer treatments continues to grow and billions of dollars are used annually to research new therapies. In the US, nearly 14 million people with a history of cancer are currently living due in part to effective medical intervention.
Chemotherapy is one of the more common cancer treatments that are used clinically. It works by using incredibly potent drugs to enter cancer cells and disrupt their growth.
Students will design and test a model that will improve the uptake of the cancer drug treatment into the cancer cell by modifying the cell opening.
This Guide provides the instructor information on how to run the design challenge with alternatives for materials and test setups as well as information to help make the design challenge a good educational experience.
The video conveys the societal impact of the student’s research that is the basis for the design challenge and will set the problem-solving context for students. The video also leads students through the design process. It indicates materials available, states what the criteria are for success and any constraints.