Abstract

• Advances in modern medicine is largely dependent on our progresses made in understanding diseases and drugs at the molecular scale.
• However, most students or even doctors do not have a clear picture or understanding on the drugs and their protein targets, except as difficult-to-remember alphabetical soups and obstacles to pass their exams.
• We aim to assemble a team of enthusiastic medical students after micro-module to download and 3D print protein models.
• The models can be distributed to the students for a concrete understanding of how a change in protein (due to mutation in genes) would cause disease, or how drugs treat them by binding to their target proteins.
• The models will be referred to during lecture-based teaching for better explanation of the abstract molecular world.
• As souvenirs, the models can be kept by all students for revision or future explanation to patients and society.
• We hope the programme would empower students to think more in the molecular contexts and deepen their understanding of how diseases come about and how drugs work, rather than just randomly memorizing names with stress.
• In the future, when 3D printing as well as online learning is becoming more commonplace, students may print the proteins at home directed by lecturers to enhance their learning.
• Our trial also provides experiences in how to better disseminate knowledge physically via the internet in our increasingly virtualized world.

Brief write-up

Project objectives

• Through hands-on experiences with 3D printed protein models specially designed for teaching, this project aims to empower medical students to adapt to the abstract molecular understanding of how drugs work at the molecular level, as well as how to access the related information themselves in the future.

Activities, process and outcomes

• Some undergraduate students of various years were engaged in designing the protein models to be 3D printed as well as troubleshooting. After the preparatory phase in this project, the implementation phase will be conducted on 40 (tentative) Year 4 MBChB students to test whether a hands-on model will improve their understanding on molecular pharmacology.
• Unfortunately, due to underestimates in the time required for preparation, compounded by logistical issues during the 5th COVID wave in Hong Kong, the implementation phase has to be carried out after the writing of this report. Nonetheless, the implementation will be conducted as entirely planned as most troubleshooting has been done.

Deliverables and evaluation

• Dopamine D2 receptor, Muscarinic cholinergic receptor M1, and selective serotonin reuptake transporter has been built and optimized for 3D printing, along with the relevant ligands risperidone, quetiapine, haloperidol, amitriptyline and nortriptyline. Pilot tests were successful.
• Later implementation of the course to medical students were pending.

Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices

• It is expected that this project, with the protein models given to participating students as souvenirs, will help their discussion on pharmacology knowledge with other students, or perhaps even to greater public and in their future explanations to patients.
• Upon completion of the implementation phase of the project, we plan to disseminate our findings via submission to a peer reviewed journal documenting the process and findings.

Impact on teaching and learning

It is expected that the course will enhance understanding beyond mere memorization of complicated and difficult pharmacology concepts.