European Journal of Health and Biology Education

A Simple, Cost-Effective Undergraduate Workshop Based on Simulated Complement Fixation Test to Teach the Concept of Complement System
Latifa B. Khan 1 * , Jia-Yun C. Tsai 1
More Detail
1 The University of Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
* Corresponding Author
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: 590 | Downloads: 422

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
REFERENCES
  • Fuller, K. G. (2008). Exploring the innate immune system: using complement-mediated cell lysis in the classroom. The American Biology Teacher, 70(2), 103-108, 106. doi: 10.1662/0002-7685(2008)70[103:ETIISU]2.0.CO;2
  • Janeway, C. A., Travers, P., Walport, M., & Capra, J. D. (2001). Immunobiology : The Immune System In Health And Disease. New York, NY: Garland Science.
  • Noris, M., & Remuzzi, G. (2013). Overview of complement activation and regulation. Seminars Nephrology, 33(6), 479-492. doi: 10.1016/J.Semnephrol.2013.08.001
  • Qu, H., Ricklin, D., & Lambris, J. D. (2009). Recent developments in low molecular weight complement inhibitors. Molecular Immunology, 47(2-3), 185-195. doi:10.1016/J.Molimm.2009.08.032
  • Sarma, J. V., & Ward, P. A. (2011). The complement system. Cell and Tissue Research, 343(1), 227-235. doi: 10.1007/S00441-010-1034-0
  • Scroferneker, M. L., Soria, F. H. C., & Shiba, A. S. (1995). An alternative method for teaching the complement system. Biochemical Education, 23(2), 67-68. doi: 10.1016/0307-4412(94)00143-D
  • Trouw, L. A., & Daha, M. R. (2011). Role Of Complement In Innate Immunity And Host Defense. Immunol Lett, 138(1), 35-37. doi:10.1016/J.Imlet.2011.02.014
  • Wallis, R. (2007). Interactions between mannose-binding lectin and MASPs during complement activation by the lectin pathway. Immunobiology, 212(4-5), 289-299. doi:10.1016/J.Imbio.2006.11.004
LICENSE
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.