Educator Guide: Genes Foretell Flu Shot Response

The article “Genes foretell flu shot response” describes how measuring the activity of a small number of genes can predict how well a young person’s immune system will respond to a flu vaccine. In this guide, students can focus on details reported in the article, follow connections to earlier articles about influenza and its vaccines, and explore cross-curricular connections to other major science topics such as molecular biology and immunology. In a related activity, students can work in groups or independently to better understand influenza genomes and why the virus mutates.