An undergraduate experimental research program, involving the screening of efflux pump inhibitors, to improve student research skills in biomedical science

Abstract

Participating in scientific research is essential for undergraduate students that major in biotechnology, public health, biomedical science, and medical laboratory technology to develop their research skill. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) represent a transformative pedagogical approach that integrates authentic research projects into conventional curricula. However, a systematic experimental training system is lacking. Here, we present the Antimicrobial Resistance-focused Pharmaceutical Developing Research (APDR) program, which broadly covers multiple courses and key topics, such as microorganism isolation and identification, drug sensitivity detection, protein expression and homology modeling, and molecular docking and new drug screening, with the potential for publishable research outcomes. Students enrolled in this program mastered various research skills and demonstrated a 2.4-fold increase in published articles per capita compared with those not enrolled in this program. Significant improvements in follow-up course scores in genetic engineering (18.5%), microbiology (6.9%), and molecular biology (10.7%) were observed among participants. Furthermore, 44.1% of participants demonstrated scholarly productivity as exemplified by authored or co-authored publications. Therefore, a systematic APDR program offers students a positive learning experience to enhance students’ research skills. and provides a pedagogical tool that can be adapted to improve students’ ability to engage in biomedical research.