Water Pods Lesson

Water Pods at a glance

Background

Explore the fascinating world of bioactive glass microbeads! These small but mighty beads are revolutionizing medicine by delivering medications directly where they're needed and helping to repair and regenerate tissues. Made from safe and biodegradable materials like phosphorus and silica, bioactive glass microbeads are used in a variety of medical applications.

In the classroom, you'll see how these beads can serve as miniature scaffolds to support new bone growth or target specific areas in the body. Their unique ability to be customized makes them incredibly versatile. They can be engineered to interact with the body in specific ways, ensuring they stay effective and durable for longer periods.

Learn how these microbeads are created and used. From infusing them with medications to designing them with porous surfaces for controlled drug release, you’ll understand how these tiny tools can make a big difference in patient care. This lesson highlights the innovative techniques behind these beads and their role in treating conditions like bone degeneration and fractures. Dive into the science and discover how bioactive glass microbeads are shaping the future of medicine!

Lesson Objective

Students will learn about the concept of glass beads and their medical applications by creating edible algae-based spheres, which mimic the process of drug encapsulation. This demonstration highlights how materials can be engineered to encapsulate substances and interact with the body, illustrating the principles of biodegradation and bioactive glass applications.

Experiment Description

In this experiment, students will form edible algae-based spheres by mixing calcium lactate and sodium alginate in water, creating a gel-like outer layer around a liquid core. They will observe the encapsulation process and the breakdown of the spheres, gaining insight into how similar technologies are used in medical applications for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Materials List

1 bag of calcium lactate
1 bag of sodium alginate
Spoon for forming spheres
Mixing spoon
Potable water
3 small bowls (at least 4 cups each)
Soap for washing hands
Food coloring (optional

Safety Precautions

Ensure that no raw or large quantities of the food-safe products are consumed, and confirm that participants have no allergies to the ingredients.
All equipment should be thoroughly washed before and after use, and hands should be cleaned to prevent the spread of illness.

The Experiment

1. Mix 1 gram (about ½ teaspoon) of Sodium Alginate with 1 cup of water in a bowl. If you need more, you can double or triple the recipe. Mix thoroughly until the Sodium Alginate is mostly dissolved, and the solution is thick. An electric mixer can be used, but hand mixing is fine too. Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to allow any air bubbles to escape. During this time, you can talk with the students about how this procedure represents the formation of glass beads loaded with specific substances. In real medical applications, beads might be loaded in various ways, such as by trapping the target compound inside during formation. Here, we're replicating this process using edible components.

2. After the Sodium Alginate has settled, mix 5 grams (about 2.5 teaspoons) of Calcium Lactate into 4 cups of water in another bowl and stir until it's completely dissolved. Then, using a deep spoon, dip it into the Sodium Alginate mixture and transfer it to the Calcium Lactate solution, inverting the spoon to release the sphere. The sphere should form instantly, though some material might stick to the spoon—just let it fall away. You can repeat this process to make several spheres, but avoid overcrowding the bowl as the spheres could stick together.

3. Let the spheres sit in the Calcium Lactate for 3 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. Then, prepare a final bowl with just water and transfer the spheres into this bowl to rinse them. The spheres are now ready to be handled and consumed. Remind students that the longer the spheres stay in the Calcium Lactate, the thicker their shells will become. Encourage them to observe and handle the spheres to explore their properties.