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Gloucester freshmen get schooled in biotechnology thanks to generous grant

By Andrea Holbrook
Staff Writer
Published: November 5, 2009

Gloucester teenagers used micro pipettes and gel electrophoresis to help discover a genetic "fingerprint" for a jewel thief yesterday morning.

The teens were students in Eric Leigh's freshman biology class at Gloucester High School facing this scenario: Jewels were stolen and using evidence left behind, they were to help police find the thief.

They were using the micropipettes and gel electrophoresis to isolate DNA from the evidence. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a chemical structure that forms genes. The chemical structure of everyone's DNA is the same; the only difference between persons is the order of the base components. These patterns determine whether two DNA samples are from the same person, related people, or non-related people. Scientists use a small number of sequences of DNA and study those to get a certain probability of a match.

The teens yesterday were learning to separate the DNA from other cell material. Then they sorted the DNA pieces by size through gel electrophoresis. The DNA is poured into a gel and an electrical charge is applied to the gel. Because DNA has a slightly negative charge, it moves to the bottom of the gel; the smaller pieces move more quickly and farther toward the bottom than the larger pieces. The different-sized pieces of DNA therefore separate by size.

The gel was applied to a sheet of nitrocellulose paper, and baked to permanently attach the DNA to the sheet.

Then the DNA was ready to be analyzed.

Leigh's class was possible because Gloucester High School won a $8,800 BioTeach grant for the school year this spring from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation.

"We were able to get about $9,000 in materials not paid for by the taxpayers," Leigh said. "Only 15 schools in the commonwealth were selected for it."

The BioTeach grant provided Gloucester with professional development classes for the teachers, curriculum for three biotechnology labs, and the money for materials.

"I, and the other teachers, had to go to Framingham State to learn to teach the labs," Leigh said.

Money from the grant is also being used to help students look into the mystery of the crooked cells that cause sickle cell anemia. This course is being taught by Jim Schoel,

Leigh said his and Schoel's courses are teaching the teens basic, necessary skills used in the biotech industry. The foundation hopes that the courses paid for with the grants will spike the teens' interest in pursing a biotechnology career.

Andrea Holbrook may be contacted at 978-283-7000 x3456, or by email at aholbrook@gloucestertimes.com.

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