Investigating the Antibacterial Properties of Plants

In this resource, students investigate the antibacterial properties of plants. Their investigation is placed in the context of a case study of Julian Ma, Professor of Molecular Immunology and joint head of the Infection and Immunity Research Centre at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London.

Julian specialises in ‘pharming’ – the production of medicines by plants. In particular, he hopes that his work will enable people to produce medicines at a lower cost than traditional methods, allowing them to become available to many millions of people across the world. 

Students read the case study and watch the video about Julian's medical research, and then carry out a practical using the disc diffusion method, testing various plants to see if they make chemicals which have antimicrobial properties.

The video of Julian Ma is available online here. 

This resource includes full teachers' notes, foundation, higher, extension and plenary activities, a case study, a students' worksheet and technical notes for the practical.