ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute and DETV are presenting a series of videos to reach high school students of color and encourage them to pursue careers in science and medicine.

One of the main purposes of the series is to allow deeper conversations about inequity in access to science education and medical treatments for people of color and to discuss the need for more scientists of color.

The series is called “CRISPR in the Classroom” and focuses on sickle cell disease — a painful genetic illness that primarily affects Black populations — as an example of an ailment that could one day be cured by gene-editing technology. While many genetically inherited disorders involve multiple genes, sickle cell is caused by only one gene — making it easier to study and potentially find a cure.

The videos include patients, medical professionals and scientists talking about the challenges of the research and serves as a supplemental resource with the institute’s CRISPR in a Box Educational Toolkit, which provides teachers and students real-life experience with CRISPR, a technology that can be used to edit genes.

This summer, Appoquinimink High School in Middletown used the series during a five-week, gene-editing program developed by the state of Delaware with help from the institute.

Brandywine and William Penn high schools will also use the videos in their gene-editing courses during the 2021-22 year.

The series is available to schools across the United States.