Flu shot response foretold
Students will answer questions about new research showing that the activity of a small number of genes can predict a young person's immune response to the flu vaccine.
Educator Guide: Genes Foretell Flu Shot Response
FORTUNE TELLER A set of nine genes can signal whether a young adult will develop a strong response to the flu vaccine, a new study finds.
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About this guide
The article “Genes foretell flu shot response” describes how measuring the activity of a small number of genes can predict how well a young person’s immune system will respond to a flu vaccine. In this guide, students can focus on details reported in the article, follow connections to earlier articles about influenza and its vaccines, and explore cross-curricular connections to other major science topics such as molecular biology and immunology. In a related activity, students can work in groups or independently to better understand influenza genomes and why the virus mutates.
This Guide Includes:
Facing the flu through time
Students will search the Science News archive for stories related to the flu and flu vaccines.
Your body as watchdog
These discussion prompts focus on gene activity and analysis, the immune system and how vaccines work.
Catching the flu
Students will explore public data and information to learn more about how a flu vaccine is made and how the body responds to it.
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