Replacing a boy’s skin
Students will report on the who, what, why and how of a treatment for a rare skin disease.
Educator Guide: Gene Therapy Fixes Rare Skin Disease
SKIN REPAIR A 7-year-old with a rare genetic condition lost most of the top layer of his skin, the epidermis (illustration of human skin cells shown). Scientists used a combination of stem cells and gene therapy to repair the damage.
Andrey Prokhorov/iStockphoto
About this guide
The article “Gene therapy fixes rare skin disease” describes how scientists used stem cells and gene therapy to replace 80 percent of the skin of a boy with a rare genetic disease. Students can focus on topics connected to stem cells and gene therapy. In a related activity, students can measure the density of skin touch receptors in different areas of the human body. The Genes Foretell Flu Shot Response Educator Guide is another great resource for teaching about gene activity and protein production.
This Guide Includes:
Gene therapy through time
Students will search the Science News archive for previous articles about stem cells and gene therapy, and compare potential applications.
Getting to know your cells
These discussion prompts cover stem cells, gene therapy and the proteins of the extracellular matrix.
How sensitive?
Students will design and execute an experiment to determine the relative sensitivity of touch receptors in different areas of human skin using a two-point threshold test.