Blood Typing Lab

This lab (lesson) will allow students to gain a modeled laboratory experience of how surface antigens (proteins)on blood cells are used to identify the type of blood we (humans) have. I will set-up the lab as CSI crime scene where students solve who the murderer is based on “blood” evidence. Students will identify blood types from “blood” at the crime scene vs. blood from suspects to determine who is murderer. I chose to develop this lesson based on my Genentech laboratory experience of performing ELISA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay) where I test/identify host cell proteins that biopharmaceutical products are developed from - helping determine the purity of the product. The laboratory experience I gained at Genentech and the Blood Typing laboratory experience directly connects the concept of how proteins made by cells can be identified and analyzed as evidence to solve a problem.