Immunology Investigators: Why the Lyme Disease Vaccine Didn't Work

Abstract

The goal of this curriculum is to help students solve a fictional medical case. Using the current immunological understanding of vaccination and information concerning the role of Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) in vaccination, students will work collaboratively in groups to analyze a written case study concerning patients who have received a Lyme disease vaccine. Next, students will be provided with the background information of the fictional patients, including medical records, biographical data, and simulated serum samples. Background information concerning Lyme disease and the Lyme disease vaccine (LYMErix) will also be provided. Following an introductory discussion and comparison of these patients, students will conduct simulated ELISA tests on the serum samples of the patients and discover that one of the patients has contracted Lyme disease despite their vaccine. The collaborative student groups will then attempt to explain the surprising test result by learning about the current immunological understanding of vaccination, including the role that TLRs may play in vaccination. Students will conclude through their own research and provided materials that this particular case of reduced responsiveness to vaccination is attributed to a decreased expression of particular TLRs. In particular, the patient who contracted Lyme disease had a decreased expression of particular TLRs and a corresponding decreased recognition of a cell surface protein on the Lyme disease‐causing Borrelia spirochete. Finally, students will apply their new knowledge to current topics in vaccination, including possible connections with the development of an HIV vaccine. The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5E instructional model will be used throughout this instructional unit.