Unlocking the secrets of iron regulation in the human body

Suitable for 14-19-year olds (secondary and high schools, and college), this article and accompanying activity sheet can be used in the classroom, STEM clubs and at home.

This resource links to KS4 and KS5 biology.

It can also be used as a careers resource and links to Gatsby Benchmarks (UK):
Gatsby Benchmark 2: Learning from career and labour market information
Gatsby Benchmark 4: Linking curriculum learning to careers

• This teaching resource explains the work of Dr Kostas Pantopoulos and Dr Edouard Charlebois from McGill University in Canada. They are using mice models to investigate iron regulation and its implications for human health.

• This resource also contains interviews with Kostas and Edouard and offers an insight into careers in biomedical research. If your students have questions for Kostas and Edouard, they can send them through the Futurum Careers website.

• The activity sheet provides ‘talking points’ (based on Bloom’s Taxonomy) to prompt students to reflect on Kostas and Edouard’s research and challenges them to research medical disorders related to iron homeostasis.

This resource was first published by Futurum Careers, a free online resource and magazine aimed at encouraging 14-19-year-olds worldwide to pursue careers in science, tech, engineering, maths, medicine (STEM) and social sciences, humanities and the arts for people and the economy (SHAPE).

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