Hands-on experiments on glycemia regulation and type 1 diabetes

In the present article, we describe a 3-day experimental workshop on glycemia regulation and type 1 diabetes that engages students in open-ended investigations and guided experiments leading to results that are not already known to them. After an initial questioning phase during which students observe PowerPoint slides depicting the glycemia (blood glucose levels) of individuals in various situations, students design, execute, and interpret experiments to address one of the following questions: 1) Which criteria must an animal model of diabetes fulfill? 2) How do pancreatic cells maintain glycemia constant? and 3) Is there a way to produce an insulin protein similar to the one released by human pancreatic cells? Students then 1) measure glycemia and glycosuria in control mice and in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes (Alloxan-treated mice), 2) measure the release of insulin by pancreatic β-cells (INS-1 cell line) in response to different concentrations of glucose in the extracellular medium, and 3) transfect Chinese hamster ovary cells with a plasmid coding for green fluorescent protein, observe green fluorescent protein fluorescence of some of the transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells under the microscope, and observe the characteristics of human insulin protein and its three-dimensional conformation using RASMOL software. At the end of the experimental session, students make posters and present their work to researchers. Back at school, they may also present their work to their colleagues.