This research article provides the details of a current immunotherapy study performed by scientists at MIT. Immunotherapy is a relatively new and very promising cancer treatment that is now a focus of many cancer research labs. The article discusses what immunotherapy is, how T cell activation works, and how the treatment has eliminated some tumors in mice. As an interactive activity, students can practice making annotations in the margins of the article to check for understanding. Overall, students who read and dissect this article are learning how to comprehend complex biomedical research studies. As a supplemental activity, teachers can distribute the worksheet quiz posted in WISELearn. This set of questions (true/false, fill in the blank, multiple choice, short answer) assesses the students' comprehension levels of the current MIT immunotherapy research. An answer key is provided. The skills learned from investigating this article can hopefully be used to investigate other current biomedical research for human diseases and disorders.

Fundamentals of Biology focuses on the basic principles of biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and recombinant DNA. These principles are necessary to understanding the basic mechanisms of life and anchor the biological knowledge that is required to understand many of the challenges in everyday life, from human health and disease to loss of biodiversity and environmental quality.