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 Michele M. Cox
This case study reviews the central dogma of molecular biology and the mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) pathway. Four biology students are tasked with identifying a genetic disorder, specifically I-cell disease (mucolipidosis type II) and its pathophy...
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...
CRISPR-Cas9 and Sickle Cell Anemia
By Elizabeth R. Everman
In December 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first gene therapy using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to treat sickle cell anemia. This case study covers the basic mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in its original context (the b...
By Claudia S. Kale, Sakhi Srinivasan
This case study follows the diagnosis and treatment of “Steven,” a patient detected with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to cirrhosis. In this story, Steven’s oncologist uses immunotherapy to treat Steven, giving students an opportunity to e...
Communication Gone Wrong in the Gut
By Isis D. Rivera-Walsh, Sheri L. Boyce
This case study tells the story of “Skylar” and her mom “Angie” who suffers from persistent diarrhea. What begins as a seemingly acute case turns chronic after a few weeks and Angie is eventually diagnosed with lymphocytic colitis. Skylar has...
The Anti-Cancer Fight with the Wellness Menu
By Michelle Sue, Kenneth W. Yip
This directed case study engages students in an accessible discussion of cancer pathogenesis, prevention, and risk factors. Students are introduced to “William,” a middle-aged man worried about his cancer risk. William seeks out his family physic...
By Melissa S. Kosinski-Collins, Kene Piasta, Martin Samuels, Ariana Hinckley-Boltax
This directed case study follows the story of “Beaker,” a female corgi who is diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. Students consider the difference between eukaryotic and bacterial cell structures, sizes, and metabolic strategies as they lea...
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...
Maria, Metastasis, and Methotrexate
By Rachael M. Barry, Matthew Mahavongtrakul, Ray Ghorbani, Suzanne Bohlson
This case study describes the fictional experiences of “Maria,” a person recently diagnosed with metastatic cancer and prescribed the drug methotrexate. In the story, Maria discusses her treatment plan with her doctor and learns about her medicat...
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...
By Madison Hossack, Kenneth W. Yip
At the intersection of cell biology, genetics, and molecular biology, this case study examines the complexities of vesicular transport and the potentially large-scale implications on human health in instances of dysregulation. Students analyze and ev...
By Melanie E. Peffer
“Scott” and “Celeste” want to have another baby, but their plans go awry when Celeste miscarries twice. Students follow the couple’s struggle in this case study to learn about meiosis, independent assortment, chromosomal rearrangements, bal...
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...
To Pick a Peck of Orange Peppers
By Pamela Kalas, Fatima Syed
This illustrated, interrupted case study explores the genetic and molecular mechanisms leading to color variation in bell peppers. Students are introduced to the roles of several genes involved in the fruit maturation process, with a focus on the bio...
By Winyoo Chowanadisai, Bryant H. Keirns
Selenocysteine is commonly referred to as the 21st amino acid and is incorporated into selenoproteins through exceptional yet logical and systematic circumstances. This case study is designed for students to get hands-on experience working with a bio...
By Samantha N. Jewell, Julian A. Brix
This directed case study is set during the height of the COVID-19 (SARS CoV-2) pandemic. The storyline follows “Alex” as he tries to understand how he contracted the disease. In order to understand viral transmission from surfaces, students are p...
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 Obidimma Ezezika, Mona Jarrah, Shawanah Rahman
In this case study, students follow “Mr. Okoro” as he makes the long journey with his sick daughter “Ada” to seek medical attention at the nearest clinic in Enugu, Nigeria. It is the rainy season, and “Dr. Fabian” from the Division of Par...
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 ...
By Ghizlane Bendriss, Ali Chaari, Kuei-Chiu Chen
This directed case study with a lab component tells the story of “Sara,” a college sophomore majoring in biological science. Sara has been awarded an internship in a lab focusing on sequencing gene markers for species identification. On her first...
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....
By Tiha M. Long
This interrupted case study explores the general topic of health disparities by focusing on the specific example of breast cancer mortality disparity between black and white women in the city of Chicago, Illinois. The case encourages the use of analy...
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 Laura Y. Lorentzen, Kristie Reilly, Connor Baucom, Elizabeth A. Manheim
This case study, designed for the “flipped” classroom, is divided into four parts that explore the etiology of Huntington disease. Students complete the first two sections before coming to class by watching videos and an interactive module from H...
By Michaela Gazdik Stofer
This directed case study examines the molecular basis of cystic fibrosis to emphasize the relationship between the genetic code stored in a DNA sequence and the encoded protein’s structure and function. Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the...
By Anna K.S. Jozwick, Megan M. Lee
This interrupted case study follows two college freshmen as they learn about the origin and functioning of mitochondria within our cells. The case is divided into two modules that can be taught separately or together. The first considers the origin o...
The Mystery of the Massively Muscular Myostatin Bull
By Ernest Ricks, Jr., Shoshana D. Katzman
The central dogma of molecular biology is an essential topic in undergraduate biology, but transcription and translation are also some of the most difficult concepts for students to grasp, visualize, and apply to other biological concepts, e.g., phen...
By Alison Kieffer, Emaly J. Piecuch, Christina Vallianatos, Sarah A. Wojiski
In this directed case study, students follow the story of “Marcus,” a recent college graduate who is working as a technician in a clinical laboratory to gain experience before applying to medical school. Marcus’ work duties suddenly shift when ...
By Stefanie H. Chen, Carlos C. Goller, Melissa C. Srougi
In this directed case study, students assume the role of investigators for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as they examine and compare different DNA sequences from human patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that cau...
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 Amy C. Groth
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19, was first detected in China in late 2019 and rapidly spread throughout the globe in the first few months of 2020. Efforts to slow the spread of the virus in the ...
By Laura Pickell
This analysis case study uses a jigsaw activity in which students learn about characteristics of the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2. The protagonist of the case, “Malik,” is a public health nurse who has been assigned to answer ph...
By Phyllis Baudoin Griffard
This modular case study tells the story of Dan and Annie, a married couple of Acadian ancestry who have a genetic form of deafblindness called Usher syndrome. They live in Southwest Louisiana, home of the largest population of DeafBlind citizens in t...
Failing to See the Forest for the Trees in Lyme Disease
By Travis J. Bailey
This clicker case study is based on the true story of Ella Buss, a young girl infected with the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Ella did not show the early signs of the disease, including the tell-tale bullseye r...
By Julia A. Emerson, Andrew E. Emerson
In this interrupted case study, students examine the fundamental connections between genotype, 3-D protein structure and phenotype by exploring possible underlying causes of the human genetic disorder, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC), a...