CRISPR in the Undergraduate Classroom: a CURE

Abstract

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized modern science by simplifying access to targeted genetic editing. Use of this cutting‐edge technology is possible in an undergraduate course and has the potential to be a powerful teaching tool to promote student engagement and encourage further participation in undergraduate research. A CRISPR‐focused semester long project using mammalian cell culture was implemented in a standard 3hour per week lab across 15 weeks for a mid‐level undergraduate Cell Biology course. The methods used in this project included: basic mammalian cell culture method, primer design, PCR, genomic DNA isolation, cell transfection and selection, cell viability assay as well as a T7 endonuclease assay and DNA sequencing to determine if genetic editing occurred. At the end of the project, students wrote a lab report to summarize their work and present accumulated data. Remarkably, students were able to successfully edit their targeted gene; however, the ultimate goal of this implementation was to expose an entire class to an exciting research project in order to promote engagement with undergraduate research. A classroom undergraduate research experience (CURE) post‐course survey was administered to measure student experiences. The benefits of undergraduate research are widely cited but most undergraduate students do not get the opportunity to do independent research. This approach fulfills the 5 tenets that define a CURE (Auchincloss et al. CBE – Life Sciences Education, 2014), and expands the opportunity to engage a wider population of students in an undergraduate research experience than a traditional apprenticeship model. Furthermore, this approach also provides faculty a means for building independent undergraduate research programs. This project was supported within a typical lab course budget and can easily be modified to fit a wide variety of undergraduate students as well as easily be scaled up to large populations. Overall, the implementation of a semester long CRISPR project was an exciting way to engage an undergraduate class in a novel and relevant research project that was mutually beneficial to both students and the instructor.