https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn Using a model to investigate how a person's genetics affect their chances of getting an autoimmune disease en-us 2018-08-26 19:54:37 UTC 2025-10-09 02:32:49 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Soccerball.png jamiededrickson73 https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275391585 Many of us know someone  who has an autoimmune disease. These diseases are fairly common and affect about 1 in 13 people. many of the common know diseases are diabetes (type 1), rheumatoid arthritis, and celiac disease. The one thing they have in common is they happen because a person's immune system attacks their own body by accident. What factors, if any, do genetics play in whether or not a person will get an autoimmune disease? Most of these autoimmune diseases have a genetic factor. The more people in your immediate family that suffer from these diseases the higher the chance you have of getting one.]]> 2018-08-26 20:04:11 UTC https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275391585 jamiededrickson73 https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275392459 I wanted to test a model of the immune response that would include three checkpoints that were meant to prevent autoimmune diseases. This would let me see how often different people might get an autoimmune disease. I tested people who have different genetic predispositions to getting an autoimmune disease. This is a model and I did not test real people but used M&M candies to represent the random processes of an autoimmune response happening in people. I used a die to represent checking each checkpoint's effectiveness at preventing an autoimmune response from turning into an autoimmune disease. I created four data tables. Each table represented a group of 20 people with a different genetic predisposition that gave them a different increased risk of getting an autoimmune disease. One table was marked "Higher Risk at One Checkpoint Group", one labeled "Higher Risk at Two Checkpoints Group", one labeled "Higher Risk at All Three Checkpoints Group", and one a "Normal Chances of Autoimmunity Group". I placed three of each color of candies into a bowl and chose on randomly. I wrote down the color on the data sheet and them put it back. This selected color would be the body's label for its own cells, the "self". Next on the first checkpoint I randomly selected a candy from the bowl and wrote the color on the data sheet. If the color matched the setup color (the first one selected) I would roll the die.  If the die number is high I ended the test for that person. If it was a low number I would put the candy back and continue to the next checkpoint. If no match I put the candy back into the bowl. This checkpoint would represent the B and T cells for autoimmunity before they leave their organs. If the colors matched on of those cells is autoreactive. If it did not match none are autoreactive. Rolling the die represents checking if the autoreatice cell escapes the bone marrow or thymus and causes an autoimmune disease, A high number represented an autoimmune disease. At the next checkpoint I would repeat the procedure in Checkpoint one. What checkpoint two represented was checking whether the regulatory T cells can stop an autoimmune response when an infection tales place. A color match meant that during the infection autoimmunity occurs. If the colors did not match it meant the Autoimmunity did not occur. Rolling a die represented checking if the Regulatory T cells could stop the autoimmunity and prevent an autoimmune disease. Checkpoint 3 was conducted as the previous two. This Checkpoint represented whether the activated B and T cells could destroy themselves to stop the immune response once the infection is destroyed. A color match meant the cells do not destroy themselves. No color match the cells destroyed themselves. The rolling of the die meant checking if the autoimmune disease could be prevented even though the cells did not destroy themselves. This model and how to set it up can be found at: Science Buddies Staff. (2018, March 24). What are the Odds? Modeling the Chances of Getting an Autoimmune Disease. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioMed_p017/medical-biotechnology/modeling-the-chances-of-getting-an-autoimmune-disease

]]> 2018-08-26 20:16:55 UTC https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275392459 jamiededrickson73 https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275397055 The model proved that the more genetic markers a person had the higher the chance of getting an autoimmunity disease.


]]> 2018-08-26 21:28:08 UTC https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275397055 jamiededrickson73 https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275397910 The hypothesis was proven correct. If your genetics have the markers for an autoimmune disease the higher the risk you have of getting one. However, even though you have these traits it does not always mean you will get the disease. People that do not have these markers in their genetics still have a risk of getting an autoimmunity disease. There are other factor that can contribute to them. Overall, the results tell that being genetically predisposed to getting an autoimmune disease and the likelihood of actually getting an autoimmune disease are higher for those that had the three check points versus those who had one or two. This test model was only done with candy and not real people that had been tested to have these traits. It was done by chance and the odds of getting the right colors and the luck of the roll of the die. But it does accurately represent how genetics can play in the out come of getting the disease. It is a factor of luck and odds.]]> 2018-08-26 21:42:03 UTC https://padlet.com/jamiededrickson73/ry4varohikpn/wish/275397910