Incorporation of a Virtual Proteomics Module into the Undergraduate Analytical Curriculum

Abstract

Proteomics, or the study of the set of proteins in an organism, tissue, or cell, is a rapidly growing field within bioanalytical chemistry that can be used to investigate many biological questions. However, proteomics is not fully integrated into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum because of a lack of access to expertise, the cost of required analytical instrumentation (liquid chromatography [LC] and mass spectrometry [MS]), and the time required for proteomics experiments. A virtual proteomics module was developed for flexible learning environments (i.e., in-person, hybrid, online) to introduce undergraduate Analytical Chemistry students to proteomics without the need for expensive instrumentation. This module teaches students about proteomics sample preparation and data acquisition, provides real LC-MS/MS data from unknown plasma samples for students to analyze, and provides experience with Mascot, a free online data analysis platform that can be used to identify the species of origin. The module was implemented in Introduction to Analytical Chemistry in two ways: (1) as a laboratory (online; ∼120 min) and ( 2) as a lecture (hybrid; ∼75 min). Students reported improved knowledge of proteomics after exposure to this module with average quiz scores increasing from 27% to 73%. In the lecture implementation, >90% of students successfully identified their unknowns, with almost 80% correctly justifying their conclusions. Additionally, students demonstrated increased interest in proteomics by formulating more complex research questions on the post-quiz (average of 40 words) than the pre-quiz (average of 18 words). This module was effective for students across majors and years and is a valuable educational tool that incorporates proteomics into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum across learning environments.