Targeted therapy
Safety gate · before any work
- Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
- Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
Do now
Explain how targeted therapy attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
- Hand in
- Two-column table comparing targeted therapy and chemotherapy, with qualifying-patient markup and resistance explanation.
- Where
- Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Explain how attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
Explain how attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
- • You'll be able to describe how differs from broad .
- • You'll be able to explain why a marker decides who qualifies.
- What do you already know about ?
- What would you need to find out to answer today's question?
- 1Read the targeted-therapy notes in the PLTW course shell and find the molecule each drug targets.
- 2Compare a targeted drug to broad in a two-column table.
- 3Mark which patients qualify based on a marker in the sample case data.
- 4Write one reason can fail when a mutates.
- 5Add your targeted-therapy comparison to your Unit 3 PLTW tracker evidence.
What did this day actually feel like?
Targeted therapy
Drugs aimed at something specific to the tumour rather than at division in general. Fewer side effects, but only if the tumour actually has the target, which is why you test first.
This is where the genetics from Unit 2 comes back and pays off.
Turned in: data table → Data Tables folder
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
The same day, drawn.
Drugs aimed at something specific to the tumour rather than at division in general. Fewer side effects, but only if the tumour actually has the target, which is why you test first.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
🛠 Get unstuck · pick your level
Lab day: Tier 1 is the whole class at the bench. No extension today.
🔑 Today's words · 5
Tap a word in the lesson for a plain meaning and one example. Recycled into next week's Do-Now.
Do the work · 80-minute blockfirst 5 min = hook▸
💡 Big idea: exploits a 's molecular signature to hit while sparing normal cells.
- 0-10Read targeted-therapy notes; identify molecule each drug targets
- 10-28Build two-column comparison table: targeted vs. broad
- 28-45Work through sample case data; mark qualifying patients by marker
- 45-58Write resistance explanation ( disrupts the target)
- 58-72Add comparison table to PLTW tracker; note evidence slot
- 72-80Class debrief: who did NOT qualify and why
- • is a blunt instrument; is a guided missile.
- • The guidance system is a molecular marker unique to that patient's .
- • Today you will decide which patients qualify for and why resistance happens.
- • Molecular and genetic technology is the biggest single category on the 072130 WebXam.
- • Targeted drugs bind specific proteins or gene products overexpressed in cells.
- • A marker test determines whether a patient's has the molecular target.
- • Acquired resistance occurs when cells mutate the targeted molecule.
Biopsy, imaging, staging, chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, response, side effects. ·
Day 4 of this lesson. Open this exact section in myPLTW (find it in Clever, Microsoft sign-in), then do the work below.
Do this: Open Activity 3.4.1 Precision Medicine in myPLTW for Lesson 3.4 Building a Better Treatment and build your targeted-therapy comparison table.
Mark the targeted-therapy entry complete and attach your two-column comparison table.
Chemo/radiation CER should be done (Wednesday); targeted-therapy table due today.
Comparison table with qualifying-patient markup and resistance explanation submitted.
The official PLTW activity stays inside myPLTW. If myPLTW will not open, use F1 and E1-E3 on this page to complete today's local evidence decision, then make up the official activity when access returns. Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Check things off as you work, then submit. This tells Mr. Mendoza how you're doing so he can help the class. It does not replace turning in your producible through the submission route shown below.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
Biopsy, imaging, staging, chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, response, side effects. · Targeted therapy
Open Activity 3.4.1 Precision Medicine in myPLTW for Lesson 3.4 Building a Better Treatment and build your targeted-therapy comparison table.
Chemo/radiation CER should be done (Wednesday); targeted-therapy table due today.
This is how Mr. Mendoza sees the class keeping pace with PLTW. Be honest, it only helps if it is accurate.
🎯 Explain how attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
- Read the targeted-therapy notes in the PLTW course shell and find the molecule each drug targets.
- Compare a targeted drug to broad in a two-column table.
- Mark which patients qualify based on a marker in the sample case data.
- Write one reason can fail when a mutates.
- Add your targeted-therapy comparison to your Unit 3 PLTW tracker evidence.
Data table: Two-column table comparing and , with qualifying-patient markup and resistance explanation.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Use the checklist just below and upload by 11:29 PM for full credit. Absent with an excused absence? You get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Read the targeted-therapy notes in the PLTW course shell and find the molecule each drug targets. | _______ |
| Compare a targeted drug to broad in a two-column table. | _______ |
| Mark which patients qualify based on a marker in the sample case data. | _______ |
| Write one reason can fail when a mutates. | _______ |
| Add your targeted-therapy comparison to your Unit 3 PLTW tracker evidence. | _______ |
Working solo? Put your own name in "Who" for every row.
- You'll be able to describe how differs from broad .
- You'll be able to explain why a marker decides who qualifies.
- 1Do thisExplain how targeted therapy attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
- 2Use this resource
- 3Submit thisData table: Two-column table comparing targeted therapy and chemotherapy, with qualifying-patient markup and resistance explanation.
- 4Submit it here
- 1Open the drop folder.
- 2Sign in with your district Microsoft account, not a personal one.
- 3Upload the file, named Lastname_Firstname__Assignment Title.
- 4Your own upload panel says Uploaded with a green check: that is your receipt.
Turn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not. Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions) › Biopsy, imaging, staging, chemo, radiation, targeted therapy, response, side effects. › Data tableOpen the drop folder
Learn it · deck, reading, and vocabulary▸
The deck carries the prior idea forward, lets you inspect an analogy, maps the rule to biology, and ends with the same evidence decision and exit ticket used on this page.
Generated from this lesson's canonical data with a red-team citation check.
Both and radiation work by disrupting cell division, so they inevitably damage healthy fast-dividing tissues too, which is why side effects track the treatment method rather than the itself.
exploits a 's molecular signature to hit while sparing normal cells.
An airport checkpoint uses several imperfect checks before deciding what action to take.
- What can each check detect?
- What might create a false alarm?
- Why is one result not always enough?
A decision is stronger when the test fits the question and its limits are known.
Medical decisions also depend on biology, patient context, ethics, and professional judgment.
- • Checkpoint evidence maps to E1-E3.
- • False alarms map to test limitations.
- • The response maps to the justified next intervention or test.
Driving question: Explain how attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
What you already know: Both and radiation work by disrupting cell division, so they inevitably damage healthy fast-dividing tissues too, which is why side effects track the treatment method rather than the itself.
New idea: exploits a 's molecular signature to hit while sparing normal cells.
Visual or model: F1. F1. A lesson illustration or teaching diagram for Targeted therapy. Use it with E1-E3; it is a model or context image, not experimental or patient data. What to notice: Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision.
- Observe or measure the relevant feature in .
- Organize the observation with a stable evidence ID.
- Apply this rule: A decision is stronger when the test fits the question and its limits are known.
- Choose the option the evidence supports and state the limit of the conclusion.
Real biomedical example: Explain how attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
What the evidence supports: E1-E3 and F1 support the daily take-home when the response meets the stated success criteria.
What it cannot prove: The package does not support claims beyond this lesson's or any real patient diagnosis.
- • : A medical procedure that removes a small sample of from the body so it can be examined under a microscope for disease such as .
- • staging: Classifying how far a has grown and spread, which guides treatment choices and predicts likely outcomes.
- • : Treatment that uses powerful drugs to kill rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, though it can also harm some fast-growing healthy cells.
- • radiation: Energy that travels as waves or particles; in medicine it can image inside the body or destroy harmful cells like .
- • : A treatment that attacks specific molecules cancer cells rely on, harming those cells while sparing more healthy cells than older .
- • : Programmed, controlled cell death that the body uses on purpose, including to clear the seam between two tissues during .
- • : An unintended effect of a medicine or treatment that happens in addition to its intended benefit, ranging from mild to serious.
Use it now: Choose one decision option. Cite E1 and E3, then explain how the rule connects the evidence to your choice.
Go further, optional: The source links below are optional enrichment. Every fact required for today's local evidence decision appears in this lesson package.
Targeted drugs bind specific proteins or gene products overexpressed in cells.
Limit: E1 supplies context or an observation; it does not by itself establish the explanation.
exploits a 's molecular signature to hit while sparing normal cells.
Limit: E2 is a teaching statement or comparison and must be checked against the task evidence.
You'll be able to describe how differs from broad .
Limit: E3 supports only the result or product criterion named here; it cannot justify a broader clinical or causal claim.
PLTW-GEND-2026-11-16 · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: medical interventions team member
Decision: Your team must decide what the evidence from supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on the lesson page.
- • Select the option best supported by E1-E3.
- • Select a reasonable alternative and name the evidence it would require.
- • Delay the claim because the evidence does not distinguish the options.
Response: State one choice, cite at least two evidence IDs, explain the rule that connects them, and add one limitation. Submit it as the labeled and result claim.
Claim ceiling: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about . It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Reason for review: Your team must decide what the evidence from supports before submitting the labeled and result claim named on the lesson page.
Context: Explain how attacks specific molecules so it spares more healthy cells.
- • T1: Read the targeted-therapy notes in the PLTW course shell and find the molecule each drug targets.
- • T2: Compare a targeted drug to broad in a two-column table.
- • T3: Mark which patients qualify based on a marker in the sample case data.
- • T4: Write one reason can fail when a mutates.
- • T5: Add your targeted-therapy comparison to your Unit 3 PLTW tracker evidence.
- • E1: Targeted drugs bind specific proteins or gene products overexpressed in cells.
- • E2: exploits a 's molecular signature to hit while sparing normal cells.
- • E3: You'll be able to describe how differs from broad .
Measurements: No patient measurement is supplied unless it appears explicitly in E1-E3 or F1. Do not invent a value.
Figure finding: Teaching diagram for . Trace the labeled testing, treatment, or biological process and identify where evidence limits the decision. This is a teaching model, not patient or experimental data.
Uncertainty: This is a composite classroom scenario. Missing history, measurements, or confirmation tests remain unknown and limit the conclusion.
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Tap the speaker to hear a term. Add two of these to your notebook glossary with a definition and an example in your own words.
Pick just 2 or 3 words from today and make them yours: write what each one means in your own words, name the context clue or evidence that helped, then give one example from what you actually did in Targeted therapy. Try your own words first; the glossary is there if you get stuck. This is voluntary and counts as extra credit, so keep it short.
Saved on this device. Show Mr. Mendoza or add these to your notebook glossary to claim the extra credit.
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched treatment and therapeutic choices by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/3.3_Treating-Cancer; keywords:, radiation, cancer. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched treatment and therapeutic choices by path:Medical-Interventions/Unit-3_How-to-Conquer-Cancer/3.4_Building-a-Better-Cancer-Treatment; keywords:treatment, cancer. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
Check yourself · commit, then reveal▸
Claim ceiling for this check: The supplied lesson evidence can support an observation, pattern, classroom mechanism, or next-step decision about . It cannot by itself prove causation, establish a real clinical diagnosis, or justify action outside this classroom task.
Fast retrieval with instant answers, not the commit-then-reveal check above. Try each from memory first: write what you remember about the earlier units, then check yourself here.
Go further and get help▸
I can name the procedure's purpose and the evidence I will record. I can identify each named hazard and the control that reduces it: Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start. My data table is ready before materials are handled.
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • Wear the required PPE, keep the bench clear, handle equipment only as directed, and know where the eyewash, sink, and spill kit are before you start.
- • Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
- 1Before materials are handled, identify the purpose, variables or comparison, controls, measurement units, and stop-work condition.
- 2Read the targeted-therapy notes in the PLTW course shell and find the molecule each drug targets.
- 3Compare a targeted drug to broad chemotherapy in a two-column table.
- 4Mark which patients qualify based on a tumor marker in the sample case data.
- 5Write one reason targeted therapy can fail when a tumor mutates.
- 6Add your targeted-therapy comparison to your Unit 3 PLTW tracker evidence.
- 7Record each result in the prepared table before interpreting it. Mark missing, repeated, or invalid results truthfully.
- 8Complete the named cleanup and waste route, remove PPE safely, wash hands when required, and confirm the station is ready for the next group.
| Trial or sample ID | Independent condition | Measured result with units | Observation before interpretation | Quality-control note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before the procedure, predict the result and cite the rule behind the prediction.
After the procedure, compare the result with the prediction and name one limitation or source of uncertainty.
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today is individual work you can do from home: complete the same target above, then submit your Data table.
Open the drop folderTurn this in at the drop folder with your district Microsoft sign-in, or hand it to Mr. Mendoza in class. Both count as submitted. Doing the activity in myPLTW does not.
Class still runs. Complete the online activity above (it's self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
National Cancer Institute: Types of cancer treatmentYou've passed Unit 2, so the optional extra-credit track is open. Complete reserved-unit work from home, including virtual labs, for extra credit. Each item shows its correct submission route.
Open the extra-credit track- CompleteEvery required part of the artifact is present, nothing left blank.
- AccurateThe science and the data are correct and match the evidence.
- Scientific reasoningYou explain your claim with evidence and reasoning (CER), not just an answer.
- Professional communicationClear, organized, labeled, and written the way a clinician or scientist would.
- SubmittedTurned in the right way, on the class site or handed to Mr. Mendoza in class, and confirmed. Not in Schoology: that is where the report-card grade appears later.
- Error analysis and method · counts doubleName a specific limit of the method and how it moved your result, and compare what you predicted to what happened. "Human error" does not count; say what about the procedure or instrument caused it.