Modeling Influenza Antigenic Shift and Drift with LEGO Bricks

Abstract

The concepts of antigenic shift and drift could be found in almost every microbiology and virology syllabus, usually taught in the context of Influenza virus biology. They are central to understanding viral diversity and evolution and have direct application to anti-flu vaccine design and effectiveness. To aid student understanding of the concepts, I have developed an exercise to visualize the mechanistic aspects of antigenic shift and drift using LEGO bricks. This hands-on/minds-on exercise asks students to replicate viruses taking into account the error-prone nature of Influenza RNA polymerase and to package model virions from a host cell infected with two different Influenza strains, while keeping track of the level of diversity of newly propagated viral particles. The exercise can be executed in any type of classroom for about 10 minutes and if desired, extended to emphasize quantitative skills, molecular biology concepts, or to trigger discussion of key issues in vaccine design.