DNA Detectives

What does Down syndrome look like under the probing eye of the microscope?

Can genes modified in a laboratory be used as search-and-destroy agents against life-threatening genetic maladies?

How do a three-year-old girl and her parents cope with Fanconi anemia, a rare blood disorder that leads to bone marrow failure and leukemia?

Forty-eight students from around Indiana received answers to those and other questions at the second annual Molecular Medicine in Action program at the IU School of Medicine's Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research. The high school students were selected from nearly two hundred nominated by their science teachers.

Donning white coats and working under the supervision of IU research scientists, small groups of students rotated through workstations and laboratory sites, learning how DNA is isolated and analyzed for mutations associated with disease. They also had the opportunity to discover how virus vectors could be used in gene therapies.

"I was impressed by just how sophisticated and far-reaching the research here is," says Jeremy Farmer, a senior from Boonville High School, who plans a career in medicine, which he hopes will begin at IUSM. "The scientists here were really eager to share their knowledge with us."

That shared knowledge has several goals, says program co-director David A. Williams, MD, Freida and Albrecht Kipp Professor of Pediatrics at Riley Hospital for Children. "We want to increase students' excitement for science by providing them with hands-on learning. In doing so, we heighten community awareness about areas of excellence at IU Medical Center.

"We also increase the number of students who ultimately choose science as a career choice," he adds, "and provide a platform for future increased interaction between Indiana University and secondary schools and teachers."

At this year's program, students discussed contemporary issues related to research and therapy, such as the ethics of conceiving children to produce genetic material to rescue terminally ill siblings. A family whose child has Fanconi anemia gave participants a more personal view of how genetic disorders alter lives. And they heard from Indiana Lt. Gov. Joseph Kernan, who leads the 21st Century Technology and Research Fund, designed, in large part, to attract and retain the nation's top biomedical scientists.

"I can see that opportunities exist here and this experience has opened up a lot of possibilities for me to consider," says Rita Strack, a senior at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

But it wasn't all laboratories and lectures. As guests at a special dinner, the students were greeted by IUPUI Chancellor Gerald L. Bepko and entertained by local musicians.

Supporters of the Molecular Medicine in Action program include Riley Memorial Association, Clarian Health, IUPUI, Indiana Department of Education, Indiana Association of Biology Teachers and the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers.

For more information about the Molecular Medicine in Action program, visit its Web site at www.iupui.edu/~wellsctr/MMIA/.