New Perspectives in Science Education

The treatment of infections and inflammatory reactions is a current and ubiquitous topic worldwide, especially considering the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The local immune response is crucial for fighting these diseases, as the molecules interacting with the immune cells can cause severe damage outside the infected area as a result of adverse reactions. A promising strategy is based on the development of nanopolymers that act as a specific carrier for pharmaceutical agents and thus enable their targeted release in higher concentrations at the desired location. This topic shows great didactic potential for teaching in chemistry education because of its currency and relevance to everyday life. In addition, it links up with several subject areas at the secondary level, e.g. organic and polymer chemistry. Furthermore, the networking of the topics of nanotechnology, medicine and pharmacy offers motivating learning opportunities for students, especially for young women [1, 2]. In this article, we present an experimental approach on how current scientific findings on the targeted drug delivery can be made accessible for K-12 chemistry education and school laboratories through didactic reconstruction. The developed experiments show the encapsulation and subsequent release of the fluorescent dye nile red, which acts as a model drug. For this purpose, the polymer poly-δ-valerolactone is first polymerized from the monomer valerolactone. Through a simple nanoprecipitation, we obtain the desired nanocarriers, which are loaded with nile red in the next step. Finally, the model substance can be released by degradation of the particles following a pH value increase [3]. The topic provides a great opportunity to link classic topics in chemistry education with a present, contemporary context. In addition, the series of experiments can also be used to either introduce or deepen scientific skills and methods.