Demystifying PCR: fostering scientific literacy through hands-on PCR education

Mystery to solve: We are going to solve the mystery of what animal got into the bean patch. We saw some fur on the bean plants, but don't know which one was there. The animals in the farm include cows, horses and pigs. 

Another mystery is: which of the pets made the mess? my cat or dog? 

Depending on the audience, we may change the different animals that we are testing by PCR. We have good tested primers for many barnyard species. 

There are several parts to this beginner kit. This is just the general overview. Images will be embedded soon! 

1. Safety and Pipetting technique. 

2. Quick DNA extraction

3. Adding the DNA to the pre-prepared PCR reaction tubes

4. PCR cycling

5. Agarose Gel and buffer preparation 

6. Electrophoresis of the DNA

7. Visualization and Interpretation of the results

Easy, right? 

But there are many steps and potential pitfalls, which is why we have prepared a kit that will take out most of the likely issues. These kits will be available as either something for skilled techs to make, or to order at cost. All SDS and catalogue numbers will be included for ease of use. We are aiming to generate our own enzyme sources as well, but for a quick start to this project, we have sourced reasonably priced enzymes and mixes.