On Monday, November 13, three AP Biology classes traveled to Regeneron in Sleepy Hollow, New York where they performed two laboratories. The first one was a “Bacterial Transformation” lab in which the students inserted a gene for ampicillin resistance into bacterial cells. The second lab was a “Restriction Analysis.” That involved cutting up DNA using restriction enzymes, and then separating the DNA fragments using a technique called gel electrophoresis. The students had to learn several new skills when performing these labs, including using sterile techniques, measuring tiny quantities of solutions using micropipettes, and evenly spreading bacteria on petri dishes.

“At Regeneron, we put our newfound knowledge of DNA structure and function to use in this captivating, hands-on lab,” said Ethan Vorchheimer. “A highlight for me was running the gel electrophoresis—a process that came to life outside the classroom—on restriction fragments in order to determine an unknown enzyme. Additionally, our transformation of E. coli, involving the insertion of a gene for Ampicillin resistance into a bacteria plasmid, opened my eyes to the ability of genetic engineering to improve genetic disorders and revolutionize the way we treat diseases.”

Leora Blechner was equally engaged in the lab work. “I was able to learn a lot from doing the transformation myself, instead of just learning about the process in a classroom,” she said. “In the lab, we inserted DNA into the bacterial cells in order to transform them so that they would be resistant to ampicillin.” She added, “My favorite part of the transformation lab was using little glass beads to spread the bacterial cells over the surfaces of each petri dish. I thought this was very innovative and interesting.”

“These labs were a capstone to our unit on molecular genetics,” said Bob Goodman, AP Biology teacher. “The students had a great time and learned a lot.”