Researchers at the Alzheimer’s Research UK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute (ARUK ODDI) at the University of Oxford are working collaboratively with other centres around the country to study the role of proteins and cells in the brain, and develop drugs to treat AD. In these resources, inspired by their research, students apply what they know to assess a new Alzheimer's drug (KS4, and use new information in KS5), assess evidence of Alzheimer's risk-factors using a science reliability checklist (KS4), and look at family trees to explore the genetics of Alzheimer's (KS5).
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KS4 - Drug Discovery
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KS4 - Mythbusting Alzheimer's
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KS5 - Genetics of Alzheimer's
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KS5 - Plaques and Tangles
This activity extends students’ understanding of the nervous and immune systems and monoclonal antibodies. It asks them to apply their knowledge to an unfamiliar situation – the mechanism of a new drug for AD.
In this activity students are presented with three different claims about possible risk factors for AD. They have to critique the evidence in order to decide which risk factors are more likely.
Many people who have relatives with AD are worried that they will also develop the disease – but is AD inherited? In this activity students will explore this question by studying family trees, drawing genetic crosses and interpreting information about genes and alleles.
In this activity students are presented with a possible idea for treatment. They study the mechanisms behind the development of AD in order to critique the idea, before developing their own.
