MITOTrumps

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells. They process our food molecules into ATP – a molecular fuel for the rest of the cell. They carry out many other important biological processes, and are therefore central to the correct functioning of the human cell; they also contribute to a wide range of human diseases when they don’t function properly.

MITOTrumps is a card game based on comparing and contrasting mitochondrial proteins. Each card includes an image of a mitochondrial protein, along with several numerical statistics relating to it. The challenge of the game is to choose the best statistic on your card that is most likely to beat the other players’ cards.

To play: divide the cards in a deck equally between the players, with each player holding their cards in a stack facing them such that they can only see their own top card. One player reads out a statistic and their score, e.g. “Amino acids: 298”, and all the other players check the number of amino acids on their top card. The person in the group with the highest number of amino acids on their card gets to take each of the cards from the other players and add them to the back of their stack. They then call the next stat! This continues until one person has all of the cards, and they are declared the winner.

The cards will be printed on A7-size paper (an eighth of A4) so that the text is easier to read, and the cards will also be available as a PDF on the Mitochondrial Biology Unit’s website for individuals and schools to print and play.

Find out more about MITOTrumps at: https://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/public-engagement/mitotrumps

Our teaching resources page for schools is available at: https://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/teaching-resources-schools-0