JoinAll Case Studies
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In keyword search, list the criteria you would like to find cases. Multiple criteria can be listed separated by commas (i.e. directed, high school)
Educational levels are defined as follows: Elementary, Middle, High School, College
Types of cases are defined as follows: Analysis/Issues, Clicker, Debate, Intimate Debate, Demonstration, Dilemma/Decision, Directed, Discussion, Interrupted, Jig-saw, Journal Article, Laboratory, Student Presentations, Mini-case, Problem-Based Learning, Public Hearing, Role-Play, Trial, Flipped, Game
By Rita E. Sharp
This directed case study walks students through an examination of normal protein structure so that they can recognize the role of amino acids and different types of bonds to form the four levels of protein structure and to help them diagnose what hap...
By Milan Halliburton, Megan Jacobs-Strugala, Kirsten Vander Schaaf, Lacy M. Cleveland
In this case study, the story unfolds in a courtroom where a family is seeking justice for their son who died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The family’s conversation and the lawyer’s questioning of the medical examiner demonstrate the role of h...
Combatting the Southern Pine Beetle
By Ann T.S. Taylor, Rebecca L. Leuschen-Kohl
This case study begins with the story of a young biologist who belongs to an Indigenous community in rural Virginia where southern pine beetles (Dendroctonus frontalis) are wiping out the pine trees sacred to her native culture. She wonders if RNA in...
Chirality, Amino Acid Racemization, and the Authenticity of the Buyid Silks
By Suzanne R. Carpenter
This case study is designed to walk biochemistry majors through the science behind a journal article about an investigation of potential fraud hinging on the analysis of a non-natural enantiomer of aspartic acid (“Buyid Silk and the Tale of Bibi Sh...
Dystrophin Stability and Cardiomyopathy
By Richard J. Kwak, Joyce A. Horton, Zyan Davis, Kristy J. Wilson
Many students struggle with how the function of a protein can be dictated by that protein’s molecular makeup. In this case study, students learn about the structure and function of dystrophin, a protein that is involved in the contraction and prote...
A Bioinformatic Investigation of a Mysterious Meningoencephalitis
By Sari Matar, Dyan Anore, Basma Galal, Shawn Xiong
This case study gives students an opportunity to use basic bioinformatic tools to develop the skills of data interpretation and analysis. Based on an actual clinical case of a boy who contracted meningoencephalitis, students try to determine the caus...
Diabetic Ketoacidosis Upon Diagnosis
By Ali Chaari, Aisha Kafoud
This directed case study is designed to help students integrate biochemical and physiological concepts with clinical aspects of disease. The case tells the story of a little girl who experiences diabetic ketoacidosis and is diagnosed with type 1 diab...
Can Stem Cells Bring Magic to Medicine?
By Ashleigh Garrett, Joni H. Ylostalo
Despite the occasional controversy, the use of stem cells in science and medicine is increasingly important and widespread, and thus it is important to understand their basic characteristics, types, sources, and applications. This directed case study...
Not the NMR You Are Thinking of
By Shawn Xiong
Students often find learning the biochemistry of metabolism to be dry and difficult, partly due to the content-heavy nature of the subject. For example, glycolysis, the most well-known biochemical pathway, consists of 10 enzymes and is further compli...
By Michèle I. Shuster, Joann Mudge, Meghan Hill, Katelynn James, Gabriella A. DeFrancesco, Maria P. Chadiarakou, Anitha Sundararajan
This PowerPoint-driven case study with supporting supplemental materials is designed for students to learn about the protein p53 (the “guardian of the genome”) and how characteristic mutations in the protein were used to establish that smoking ca...
By Melody J. Neumann, Michelle B. French, Franco A. Taverna
In this video-centered case study, “Liam” meets with healthcare professionals and is diagnosed with diabetes insipidus due to the loss of vasopressin caused by a head injury. After watching Liam’s story, either at home or in class, students ans...
By Theresa L. Beaty
“Wesley,” an apparently healthy newborn boy, develops breathing difficulties and becomes unresponsive around 48 hours after birth. Clinical tests show elevated levels of ammonia and organic acids with corresponding acidemia; genetic tests uncover...
By Scott J. Donnelly
This interrupted case study examines one of nature’s metabolic marvels: the hibernating bear and the fat catabolism pathway that enables it to survive the long, cold, and foodless winter months. After a brief introduction explaining the basics of b...
By Stephanie Dingwall, Tammy Nguyen
This interrupted case study is an exploration of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency, which results from a genetic defect in a urea cycle enzyme. Students are introduced to a 21-year-old patient who loses consciousness after a gym session. Up...
Creatine and the Case of the Aging Athlete
By Scott Medler
This case study examines the interconnections between creatine, creatinine, muscle physiology, and kidney function. “Jan,” a woman in her mid-40s, leaves her doctor’s appointment with questions about her slightly elevated creatinine levels. Aft...
By Kuei-Chiu Chen
In this interrupted case study, students learn about the influence of early fetal nutritional conditions on the expression of genes related to metabolism and growth. Beginning with the true event of a food and fuel embargo that led to famine in the w...
By Geoffrey M. Lippa, Heather Zimbler-DeLorenzo, Jean A. Cardinale
This directed case study with laboratory components is an adaptation of a “clicker case” by Terry Platt that reviews basic chemistry to explain pH and buffers (see “Acids, pH and Buffers: Some Basic Chemistry for Biological Science” published...
Seq’ ing the Cure: Standard Edition
By Heather B. Miller, Sabrina D. Robertson, Melissa C. Srougi
This directed, interrupted case study is designed to introduce students to high-throughput sequencing technologies and cutting-edge methods of gene editing. The case offers students relevant, hands-on experience in manipulating large sequencing data ...
Seq’ ing the Cure: Neuroscience Edition
By Heather B. Miller, Sabrina D. Robertson, Melissa C. Srougi
This directed, interrupted case study is designed to introduce students to high-throughput sequencing technologies and cutting-edge methods of gene editing. The case offers students relevant, hands-on experience in manipulating large sequencing data ...
Directed Evolution of Nanobodies for COVID-19 Prevention
By Stefanie H. Chen, Andrea Bixler
Directed evolution is a laboratory process that mimics the steps of natural selection to efficiently determine variants of proteins or organisms that respond more effectively to a selected condition. This process was recognized by the 2018 Nobel Priz...
By Kelsie J. Anson, Briana N. Van Treeck, Jake J. Flood
Cellular metabolism is traditionally taught in undergraduate biochemistry courses through the memorization of complex biochemical pathways. As such, many students find it difficult to relate the subject to current research in biology and in medicine....
From Strawberry Fields to the Chemistry Classroom
By Simone N. Walker, Quyen T. Doan, William J. Heuett, Deana Jaber
This case study investigates the use of methyl bromide as a pesticide and methyl iodide as an alternative pesticide in strawberry fields in California. By 2005, methyl bromide should have been completely phased out under the Clean Air Act and the Mon...
By Andrea M. Henle
This interrupted case study tells the story of a woman with cystic fibrosis and her husband. The couple is presented with an opportunity to potentially fix the woman's disease-causing gene using CRISPR. Students follow the couple as they face decisio...
By Nora S. Green
This directed case study is framed as a discussion between a biochemistry major and her boyfriend who is interested in trying the Keto diet. The case is intended to tie together a variety of metabolism topics in a way that engages the students and re...
By Nalini V. Broadbelt, Michelle A. Young
This case study is designed to introduce students to how the bone’s architecture influences movement and the roles cells play in bone growth and repair. It tells the story of “Maria,” an active 68-year-old woman who works on a farm. Over the la...
By Melissa Kosinski-Collins, Lindsay Mehrmanesh, Jessie Cuomo, Kene N. Piasta
This directed case study follows the fictional story of an emergency room physician as he treats multiple patients being admitted to the hospital with symptoms of COVID-19. The case takes place in Boston and is based on the real-life Massachusetts ou...
By Michael J. Wagner, John Hanna, Amy T. Hark
This case study introduces students to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and its underlying genetics, cell biology, and some of the associated biochemical pathways. DMD is an X-linked disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness an...
By Nora S. Green
Cancer is a complex and varied group of diseases. There are, however, several common characteristics among all cancers. For example, it has been known for a long time that glucose consumption and the rate of glycolysis is much higher in most cancer c...
By Nora S. Green
Norovirus is one of the most common causes of infectious diarrhea and vomiting, leading to the nickname “winter vomiting disease.” The virus is estimated to be responsible for about half of all food-borne illnesses (CDC) due to its ability to spr...
In Search of a Cure for Breast Cancer
By Jolanta Skalska
In this directed case study, students analyze data, draw a research-based conclusion, interpret experimental results, and discuss the relevance of research findings for clinical practice....
By Christine H. Terry, Erin J. Friedman
This interrupted case study was written to help students understand the interplay and relatedness of metabolism in producers and consumers. The storyline is based on a conversation between two students who are home from college for a long weekend. Wh...
By Parks Collins, Jason Macrander
This interrupted case study tells the true story of Karl P. Schmidt, a herpetologist and museum curator who was bitten by a venomous snake in 1957. Like a true scientist, Schmidt recorded notes about his symptoms until the very end when he died. Stud...
Diabetes and Acid/Base Chemistry
By Eric J. Herrera, Linda M. Roberts
This case study focuses on a teenage patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) who presents with severe acidosis, becomes combative and loses consciousness, and is subsequently treated and released. The scenario is used to teach the topics of meta...
By Anneke M. Metz
This interrupted case study utilizes real patient data and provides students an opportunity to apply knowledge of human metabolism and hormonal control to a complex real-world scenario. The story begins with the discovery of an unconscious patient wh...
The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway
By Nora S. Green
Woolly mammoths and other cold-adapted animals, such as reindeer and musk ox, developed a number of adaptations that allowed them to survive in frigid environments. These include small ears, thick fur, and even long tusks. Many of these species devel...
By Annie Prud’homme-Genereux
This flipped case study examines the selective pressures that have affected the evolution of diverse human skin pigmentations. To prepare for the case, students begin by watching videos and doing research on their own. In class, students use the info...
By Nathaniel R. Beres
The function and regulation of hemoglobin is often difficult for students to understand. This directed case study is an attempt to make the topic more approachable by relating the story of “Joanna” and “Alex,” two students who visit their loc...
By John G. Cogan, Emily Hill
There are many adaptive and evolutionary behaviors displayed in an organism's use of water. Although students generally have a superficial understanding of the importance of water to life (i.e., without water life cannot persist), this directed case ...
By Mackenzie A. Hahn, Hannah C. Schake, Ryan T. Schalles, Sarah R. Shioji, Breanna N. Harris
Was the "Brooklyn Butcher" of 1926 a cold-blooded killer or was something less sinister at play? This interrupted case study introduces students to hemoglobin binding and carbon monoxide poisoning by working through the details of a fictionalized acc...
By Monica L. Tischler
This case study for the flipped classroom introduces the discovery process used to elucidate how cells make ATP. Data from three seminal primary literature papers and novel (for their time) methods are used to illustrate how scientists determined the...