Choose your own adventure: teaching protein expression and purification through interactive storytelling

Abstract

The transition from linear, manual-heavy lab instruction to interactive, nonlinear storytelling offers several advantages for biochemistry education. Traditional training models for beginners often fail to capture the decision-driven reality of recombinant protein production, where each protein has unique behaviors and properties that cannot always be addressed using standard protocols. The present article explores the implementation of the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ (CYOA) model within the Biochemical Society’s Engineering Recombinant Proteins (ERP) national training course. With Twine, an open-source digital tool, we have developed an approach that allows researchers to navigate bespoke experimental pathways and experience ‘low-risk failure.’ This interactive framework lays the foundation for using more advanced technical resources and handbooks. Our approach has allowed us to have increased delegate engagement and confidence, providing long-term resource access with iterative content updates. The present article introduces and explores interactive storytelling for teaching protein expression and purification, and we hope this tool will help equip the next generation of researchers to master the complexities of recombinant protein production. The links and files for the most recent CYOA versions can be found through our Zenodo page, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18712788.