By Matt W. and Regina C.
Dr. Ed Leung, biology teacher at The Family Foundation School, put together a day for students to learn how to perform DNA profiling in a process called gel electrophoresis.
Dr. Leung is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Ph. D. in molecular biology and immunology. “I performed a lot of the DNA profiling techniques during my own training in molecular biology, and so I wanted the students to experience it too,” said Dr. Leung.
With the help of Dr. Mike Darwin Yerky, whom he met through a workshop at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Dr. Leung was able to conduct the workshop.
Before the experiments were started, the students were introduced to Dr. Yerky, a professor from Cornell University. “He did a great job of getting the students involved in the workshop.” said Denise T. about the instructor.
Dr. Yerky has a Ph.D. in primatology, or the study of primates. After finishing school in Zurich, Switzerland, Yerky traveled to the United States to work at the San Diego Zoo and study primates. When his work in San Diego was complete, Yerky moved to New York for his current position at Cornell.
Students planning on taking the Biology Regents exam in June or who are in college biology were allowed to take part in this all-day fun learning activity.
The classmates were divided into groups of four. Some groups were given DNA samples from a man named Jones, others from a man named Smith. Each of the samples included the DNA of a mother, her baby, and two possible fathers. The goal of the lab was to discover whether Jones or Smith was the father of the baby.
The students placed small samples of DNA in a gel made from agarose, a chemical purified from seaweed that is used to separate DNA fragments.
People of the same genetic background share common DNA structures. This results in samples from related specimens containing segments of the same size.
The DNA was dyed with a dark blue coloring, which allowed everyone to watch as it moved across the gel while an electric current was run through it.
The objective of the process is to sort the pieces of DNA according to size. Two related subjects will have a high number of same-sized DNA, which in this case, allowed the student to determine whether Jones or Smith were possible fathers of the baby. At the end of the experiment the students discovered that Jones was a possible father of the baby, and that Smith was not. Further research would be required to find out if Jones is the actual father. Max L., a student taking the biology Regents exam in June, said, “I liked the hands-on interaction. It was more hands-on than most of the labs we do. It spiced up biology a bit.”
The DNA electrophoresis lab with Dr. Yerky certified Dr. Leung to include this lab as part of his curriculum in the future. He hopes to let students participate in this once every semester.
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