Effective teaching of laboratory methods to students is crucial for developing the next generation of immunologists and clinical laboratory specialists. A key immunology assay for students to learn is neutrophil chemotaxis, which is a laboratory test that measures how well neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) migrate in response to a chemical gradient, simulating an immune response in the body.
Teaching Neutrophil Chemotaxis
At the University of South Australia (UniSA), Laboratory Medicine students are a large cohort of undergraduates studying immunology for careers in clinical diagnostics. However, instructors at UniSA faced difficulties teaching neutrophil chemotaxis face-to-face with students due to a lack of inverted microscopes, limited laboratory time, and limited access to true patient cells.
To address this need, Professors Maurizio Costabile and Gareth Denyer, developed and piloted a laboratory simulation replicating the under-agarose method of quantifying neutrophil chemotaxis. The researchers found that after second-year undergraduate students used the simulation, they not only performed exceptionally well in their written laboratory report, achieving grades comparable to those in other face-to-face labs, but also reported a significant increase in their understanding and confidence in the material.
“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, confirming that the simulation provides an accessible, resource-efficient way to bridge the gap between theory and practice,” shared Dr. Costabile.
Equity in Science Education
Dr. Costabile strives to promote greater education equity in science. Laboratory simulations can benefit institutions without advanced laboratory facilities, while still providing high-quality clinical immunology experiences.
“I hope this free-to-access simulation provides an immediate solution for immunology educators facing challenges with resources, lab time, or access to specialized equipment and patient samples. My goal is also to inspire fellow colleagues; this pedagogical model is not limited to just chemotaxis; its potential applications are vast,” Dr. Costabile added.
The researchers plan to expand this work by developing a full suite of simulations that cover other key neutrophil functions, teaching students about techniques for measuring neutrophil activity and detecting neutrophil defects.
Laboratory Simulation as a Teaching Tool
Inspired by conversations at IMMUNOLOGY2025™, Dr. Costabile has also made a simulation to teach the fundamentals of flow cytometry, enabling students to identify cell populations based on CD marker expression in health and disease settings. This is all part of Dr. Costabile’s vision to build a library of laboratory applications that make challenging aspects of immunology accessible and interactive for all learners.
“We hope this line of research inspires the development and adoption of more virtual tools for teaching complex diagnostic assays, ultimately ensuring that the next generation of scientists and clinicians is well-prepared,” said Dr. Costabile.
When asked about the importance of publishing immunology-education-related research, Dr. Costabile said, “Publishing my education-focused research is vital because it moves us beyond anecdotal teaching methods and toward evidence-based practices that are proven to work. By rigorously evaluating how we teach, we ensure that we are not only disseminating scientific knowledge but are also effectively training the critical thinkers and problem-solvers who will become the future leaders in immunological research and medicine.”
If interested in accessing the free simulation, please contact Dr. Costabile at maurizio.Costabile@unisa.edu.au.
The full research article is available in ImmunoHorizons. ImmunoHorizons is committed to publishing high-quality research articles on immunology education, curriculum innovation, laboratory technique education, interdisciplinary approaches, and novel pedagogical strategies to inform future generations of immunologists.
