Micelles

Can you name any current cancer treatments? Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Side effects can be associated with these treatments because healthy cells are damaged in addition to the cancer cells. What if there was a way to kill only the cancer cells? To solve this problem, current engineering research is working to directly kill cancer cells with small molecules called micelles. Micelles can hold cancer drugs and other helpful technologies. Commonly, nanoparticles are put inside a micelle. Nanoparticles are very small materials that can have a variety of properties. For example, one type of nanoparticle is fluorescent so under a microscope a cancer cell would be visible. However, the goal is to engineer these micelles so they are not toxic to humans, but still maintain its ultimate goal of directly killing the cancer cells.
   A circle featuring the words identify, design, build, and test

Micelles TEK8 Student Guide

The student handout will be given to all students working on the design challenge. It gives a brief recap of the story, it helps the students identify what they are attempting to achieve, and it recaps the design process.

Micelles TEK8 Instructor’s Guide

This Instructor’s Guide provides the instructor additional 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.

Telling the Story Video

The Telling the Story 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.

Design Challenge Video

The Design Challenge Video leads students through the design process. It indicates materials available, states what the criteria are for success and any constraints. It also gives a second ‘level’ of the design challenge that allows ‘early completers’ to move on to a slightly more difficult challenge.

The presentation can be used in conjunction or in place of the Design Challenge Video.