Sixth-form scientists tackle MS research project
5 December 2008
Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury won a People Award from the Wellcome Trust to provide their A-level science students (girls and boys) with the opportunity to carry out experiments to help understand the causes of multiple sclerosis (MS). With help from their teachers and scientists at the University of Kent, the pupils are now learning the necessary skills to run a genuine research project in the school labs over the next two years.
Science teacher Dave Colthurst came up with the idea when his wife was diagnosed with MS in 2007. A former biochemist, Dr Colthurst identified a protein called myelin basic protein (MBP) that might have a role in MS, and he set out to establish an innovative research project drawing on the enthusiasm of his students and his connections at the University.
MS affects about 80 000 people in the UK. It is a progressive disease caused by damage to the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve cells. MBP is a major constituent of the myelin sheath, and it may be important in the development of MS. There are currently no treatments to prevent or repair damaged myelin sheaths, so understanding the role of MBP could potentially help scientists develop new treatments.
Conducting experiments at lunchtimes and in free periods, the school’s sixth-formers will use basic genetic engineering techniques to produce human MBP protein in yeast cells. They will then examine interactions between the protein and the cells, looking for any changes that might indicate a connection with MS. They will be learning and practising skills that are usually not taught until reaching university.
Tom Anthony, Public Engagement Adviser for the Wellcome Trust, said: "This is the first time the Trust has funded a project that gets sixth-form students working on an original scientific research project of their own, the results of which could well go on to inform further academic research into multiple sclerosis. We hope these students will experience the thrill of doing research that no one else has done before, learning about how science gets done in the lab as well as the theory behind their experiments."
Image: Dr Dave Colthurst, science teacher at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, in front of sixth-formers working on the MBP project; Wellcome Images.