CD4 Hunter

Name: CD4 Hunter
Rating: 4.2 (17 reviews)
Author: Drexel University

Education

Free

17 Ratings
Age Rating

13+
Years
Category

Education
Developer

Drexel University
Language

EN
English
Size

186.8
MB

Search. Attach. Invade. Multiply. Repeat. That’s your goal as an HIV virion, a CD4 Hunter™. How many target cells can you infect before you run out of time? Stay tuned for more games about other microbes that threaten our health. Follow us on Twitter: @Drexel_IMMID, #IMMID, #CD4Hunter Visit our website: www.drexelmed.edu/immid Game Features: CD4 Hunter is a fast-paced, educational mini-game in which players take on the role of a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virion. By immersing real science within simple game play, users learn about the first step of HIV-1’s fascinating and complex replication cycle: binding and attachment. CD4 Hunter invites players to enter the bloodstream and grow their viral population by infecting specific target cells, while evading the immune system. Download CD4 Hunter for free to: • Learn complex science through fast-paced and addictive game play; • Hunt for target cells in the human bloodstream; • Control and grow your viral population; and • Face antibody attacks as the immune system fights infection. Learning Goals: CD4 Hunter is the first in a series of mini-games to be developed by the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease at Drexel University College of Medicine, to introduce players to the dynamic world of infectious disease. CD4 Hunter was designed to supplement learning about the multi-stage process of the HIV-1 replication cycle, through interactive gameplay. This app is intended for use in biomedical science curriculum in higher education. Users apply knowledge about the biological processes involved during HIV-1 replication to advance in the game. CD4 Hunter focuses on meeting the following learning objectives: 1. Identify gp120 as a basic element of HIV-1 structure and apply knowledge about its function in the process of viral binding and entry. 2. Identify CD4+ T cells as targets for HIV-1 infection in humans and apply knowledge about their role in viral pathogenesis. 3. Identify and match the molecules on the surface of HIV-1 (i.e., gp120) and T cells (i.e., CD4+ receptor, and CCR5 and CXCR4 co-receptors) involved in viral binding and entry. 4. Apply concepts of viral tropism and immune evasion mechanisms to complete the HIV-1 infection cycle in CD4+ T cells. Credits: Executive Producer and Consultant Brian Wigdahl, PhD Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (M&I); and Executive Director, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease (IMMID), Drexel University College of Medicine Subject Matter Expert and Project Supervisor Sandra Urdaneta-Hartmann, MD, PhD, MBA Assistant Professor of M&I; and Director, the Center for Business and Program Development at IMMID, Drexel University College of Medicine Game Designer Carla Louise Brown, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of M&I and IMMID, Drexel College of Medicine Programmer and Artist Vincent Mills Co-op student at M&I and IMMID, Game Art and Production Program, Drexel University College of Media Arts and Design (Class of 2018) Animator and Artist Andrew Dean Bishop Co-op student at M&I and IMMID, Animation and Visual Effects, Drexel University College of Media Arts and Design (Class of 2018) SPECIAL THANKS TO: Subject Matter Experts Fred Krebs, PhD; William Dampier, PhD; Michael Nonnemacher, PhD; Vanessa Pirrone, PhD; Michael Wagner, PhD; and Mary Ann Comunale. Beta Testers Microbiology and Immunology Department graduate students Drexel University Entrepreneurial Game Studio *** Please help us improve this game by reporting any bugs to IMMID@Drexelmed.edu. We welcome feedback and suggestions for upgrades and improvements. *** ©2017 Drexel University

Ratings & Reviews

4.2

out of 5

17 Ratings

Suggestion
10/19/2018

ChappellaMoralis998
In the game, all cells infected with HIV die though in reality that is not always the case. Some cells become “virus producing factories” that keep producing more and more virions. To make the game more realistic and to add another element, once a player collected enough points maybe in a specified amount of time, the player could unlock one of these “factories”, making it easier to produce more virions. This could be another level.

Developer Response
Dear eep19, this is an excellent suggestion for future game features. Thanks so much for your review. Perhaps you'd like to play our new game, Malaria Invasion (free download).
Suggestion
10/19/2018

ChappellaMoralis998

In the game, all cells infected with HIV die though in reality that is not always the case. Some cells become “virus producing factories” that keep producing more and more virions. To make the game more realistic and to add another element, once a player collected enough points maybe in a specified amount of time, the player could unlock one of these “factories”, making it easier to produce more virions. This could be another level.
Developer Response 02/27/2019
Dear eep19, this is an excellent suggestion for future game features. Thanks so much for your review. Perhaps you'd like to play our new game, Malaria Invasion (free download).
Fun & informative—could be more detailed!
10/17/2018

gccpod
In the game, the extent of the replication process that is shown is pretty minimal— the HIV virus binds, enters the nucleus, and then morphs into more virions. This isn’t inaccurate, but is very simplified. It would be interesting to get a sense of how this replication occurs; namely, reverse transcriptase converts HIV RNA to DNA, and then enters the cell nucleus and combines with the cell’s DNA, etc. the game could show this process, or make the player convert RNA to DNA in some kind of matching game, as a “second level.”

Developer Response
Dear gccpod: Thank you for your review. This was a 6-month project for an undergraduate co-op game design and development student at Drexel University, so we had to adjust our expectations to the amount of time available for the project. We agree with you that more details and levels would be ideal, and hope to be able to add them in the future.
Fun & informative—could be more detailed!
10/17/2018

gccpod

In the game, the extent of the replication process that is shown is pretty minimal— the HIV virus binds, enters the nucleus, and then morphs into more virions. This isn’t inaccurate, but is very simplified. It would be interesting to get a sense of how this replication occurs; namely, reverse transcriptase converts HIV RNA to DNA, and then enters the cell nucleus and combines with the cell’s DNA, etc. the game could show this process, or make the player convert RNA to DNA in some kind of matching game, as a “second level.”
Developer Response 02/27/2019
Dear gccpod: Thank you for your review. This was a 6-month project for an undergraduate co-op game design and development student at Drexel University, so we had to adjust our expectations to the amount of time available for the project. We agree with you that more details and levels would be ideal, and hope to be able to add them in the future.
T-Cells Need to Produce more Virions!!!!!🔥🎉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
10/19/2018

Pduke3
There are many problems with the model, but here is one improvement I think you should make to improve the accuracy of the game. The T-Cells should depict the production of more HIV, because the game makes it seem like HIV can be easily killed by the immune system, while in fact t-cell’s production of many virions is what makes HIV so deadly.

Developer Response
Hi Pduke3. Thanks for your review. You bring up an excellent point that we discussed extensively during our mobile game design & development process. We agree that depicting an ever-growing viral population would be more realistic, but in designing the mobile game, we realized that it would be virtually impossible for a player to control such a large population. Since the goal of the game is to play endlessly to achieve your personal best score, succeeding in the game implies that HIV (the player) was successful at evading the immune system. We hope in the future to add a mutation feature to represent the immune evasion mechanism better.
T-Cells Need to Produce more Virions!!!!!🔥🎉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
10/19/2018

Pduke3

There are many problems with the model, but here is one improvement I think you should make to improve the accuracy of the game. The T-Cells should depict the production of more HIV, because the game makes it seem like HIV can be easily killed by the immune system, while in fact t-cell’s production of many virions is what makes HIV so deadly.
Developer Response 02/27/2019
Hi Pduke3. Thanks for your review. You bring up an excellent point that we discussed extensively during our mobile game design & development process. We agree that depicting an ever-growing viral population would be more realistic, but in designing the mobile game, we realized that it would be virtually impossible for a player to control such a large population. Since the goal of the game is to play endlessly to achieve your personal best score, succeeding in the game implies that HIV (the player) was successful at evading the immune system. We hope in the future to add a mutation feature to represent the immune evasion mechanism better.
Fusion
10/19/2018

hajausbejjeeb
Well many components of HIV infection couldn’t properly be shown and still have the game remain usable, I do think it would be relatively easy for you to include the fusion step more explicitly. Instead of making it seem like the virion just pops right into the cell, it would be more accurate to show it slowly fusing into it.

Developer Response
Dear hajausbejjeeb: Thank you for your review. This was a 6-month project for an undergraduate co-op game design and development student at Drexel University, so we had to adjust our expectations to the amount of time available for the project. We very much want to add fusion to the next iteration of the game. By the way, you might be interested in checking out our latest game, Malaria Invasion (free download).
Fusion
10/19/2018

hajausbejjeeb

Well many components of HIV infection couldn’t properly be shown and still have the game remain usable, I do think it would be relatively easy for you to include the fusion step more explicitly. Instead of making it seem like the virion just pops right into the cell, it would be more accurate to show it slowly fusing into it.
Developer Response 02/27/2019
Dear hajausbejjeeb: Thank you for your review. This was a 6-month project for an undergraduate co-op game design and development student at Drexel University, so we had to adjust our expectations to the amount of time available for the project. We very much want to add fusion to the next iteration of the game. By the way, you might be interested in checking out our latest game, Malaria Invasion (free download).

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included. Slowed down the speed of the tutorial.

Version 1.1 09/08/2017

No Details Provided

The developer will be required to provide privacy details when they submit their next app update.

Accessibility

Information

Seller: Drexel University
Size: 186.8 MB
Category: Education
Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later.

iPhone
Requires iOS 7.0 or later.

iPad
Requires iPadOS 7.0 or later.

iPod touch
Requires iOS 7.0 or later.
Languages: English
Age Rating: 13+

13+

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