Pus-Poppin' Frogs

Why are drugs safe for some people and not others? The reality is that most drugs have at least some potential "side effects." Side effects might be simple rashes, headaches or diarrhea. Sometimes the side effects for a drug can be worse than the problem the medication is supposed to relieve.

How can we improve the effectiveness and safety of medications? It is obvious from our outer appearance that individual human beings are different from one another. These differences are not just "skin deep." The underlying chemistry responsible for processes such as breaking down the food and drugs we ingest can also differ. This variation amongst humans is written into each individual's DNA.

In SniPping Away at the Problem you learned that scientists can determine individual SNP profiles to identify differences in our DNA. In the 21st century we can expect research in pharmacogenomics, using SNP profiles and other types of DNA analysis, to provide safer and more effective drug therapies for everyone.

Now let's have some fun exploring how this can work.

Here is the problem: Four young amphibians have found that their normally sleek and slippery green skin is now covered in warty eruptions, yuk! These frustrated frogs are willing to try anything to get rid of their warts, so they've volunteered to be test subjects for some new medications.

Finding a solution: Gribbenhopp Pharmaceutical Company has developed three new wart medications and they would like you to test them out on these four warty and willing volunteers.

Gribbenhopp cannot afford to market all three drugs, so they have asked you to identify the one "wart remedy" that will cure the most frogs with the least side effects. Determine each frog's SNP profile, test the drugs and make predictions based on your results. Then take your study data back to the pharmaceutical company to help them decide which drug would be best to develop and market.

Are you ready?

Click on a file below to download and play Pus-Poppin' Frogs!

Pus-Poppin' Frogs v1.0.1 (Windows .exe file)
(Save the file to your computer and then run the setup program)

Pus-Poppin' Frogs v1.0.1 (Mac OS X archive)

Supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) [No. 1 R25 RR16291-01] from the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. The contents provided here are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.