Help two parents understand why their daughter can have sickle cell anemia when neither of them have the disease.
Sickle Cell Anemia is a classic example of an heriditary genetic disease. Students take on the role of medical geneticists tasked with interpreting and explaining the daughter’s genetic data. Using their understanding of gene dominance relationships and patterns of inheritance, students explain how carriers of a mutant allele can combine to produce offspring with a disease.
This case study works well when used in combined with content on evolution and adaption, since carriers of sickle cell anemia are concentrated in areas where there are mosquitos carrying malaria.
Case Studies