XVIVO Scientific Animation

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XVIVO Scientific Animation (or XVIVO) is an American scientific and medical animation studio based in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 2001 by David Bolinsky, former lead medical illustrator at Yale University, and Michael Astrachan. [1] The company is most known for its short film The Inner Life of the Cell , which debuted at the 2006 SIGGRAPH conference in Boston. [2] The project was commissioned by Harvard University’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, which currently holds the rights to the piece. [3]

Contents

The Inner Life of the Cell

In 2006, XVIVO released The Inner Life of the Cell, an 8.5 minute 3D computer graphics animation depicting the molecular processes of a white blood cell during leukocyte extravasation. The concepts and scientific knowledge for the film were given by Robert Lue, director of life sciences education, and Alain Viel, director of undergraduate research at Harvard University. The film was commissioned by Robert Lue to become part of the molecular and cellular biology department’s learning program, Bio Visions. [4] XVIVO’s John Liebler was the lead animator for the project. The film took 14 months to complete. [2]

The film has been noted for its cinematic take on science education, and has been described as "the pivotal moment for molecular animation." [5] In an interview with Bolinsky, he admitted "we didn’t really anticipate that it would go anywhere and when it did it took us all by surprise." [2] In 2007, Bolinsky delivered a TED talk on the merits of scientific visualization, and showcased an excerpt from Inner Life. [6] The New York Times covered the animation in a 2014 article, calling it "gorgeous" and saying "nothing quite like it had ever been made before", "it proved to be a huge hit, broadcast by museums, universities and television programs around the world." [7]

Inner Life is the first in a proposed series of shorts for Harvard’s BioVisions. The second installment, titled Powering the Cell: Mitochondria, was released in 2010 and depicts the process of cellular respiration. The third piece, titled Protein Packing, was released in 2014 and depicts the molecular crowding and Brownian motion of proteins within a neuron. [8]

The Vaccine Makers Project

In 2020, XVIVO partnered with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Medical History Pictures on a classroom-based program known as the Vaccine Makers Project. As part of the program, XVIVO produced two videos that bring to life the detailed processes of how the human immune system fights diseases at both the cellular and molecular levels with the help of vaccinations. The animations also explain specifically how COVID-19 vaccines work to prevent the disease. [9]

The Vaccine Makers Project animation, How COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Work, won Best Experimental/Animation Film at the 2022 Scinema festival. [10] was selected by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts to be recognized as a Communicator Award winner in the Use of Animation category [11] and won a CADC-Connecticut Art Directors Club Silver award in the miscellaneous video category. [12]

The Philadelphia Inquirer described the animation as "so clear. Very vivid. The explanation is excellent." [13]

2021 Innovator of the Month by Senator Chris Murphy

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy named XVIVO "Innovator of the Month" in December 2021, saying "We’ve been wrangling with misinformation for a while—and especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the best ways we can counter it is with clear, accessible information. XVIVO takes complicated scientific processes—like how the COVID-19 vaccine works—and turns them into easy-to-understand animations. I’m proud to recognize their innovative work, especially in addressing vaccine hesitancy". [14]

Wired Magazine feature

XVIVO was featured in the May 2013 issue of Wired (magazine) with an interview from XVIVO president and founder, Michael Astrachan. In it, he discusses how XVIVO brings biology to life through high-quality visualizations, stating "Scientists often have complex stories to tell, and we help them to simplify these through animation and images." [15]

In 2008, XVIVO issued a cease-and-desist letter to the chairman of Premise Media Corporation, Logan Craft, for alleged copyright infringement in the upcoming film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed . Resource DVDs issued for pre-release promotion displayed several animation sequences that were similar to those from Inner Life. The letter demanded that Premise Media surrender all copies of Inner Life and remove any infringed sequence before movie release.

Premise Media denied infringement and later filed its own lawsuit in the District Court for the Northern District of Texas. [16] Premise claimed that the pre-release footage was different from the final film, and any inspiration drawn from Inner Life constituted fair use due to XVIVO’s choice to make it freely available on the internet. The lawsuits ended with both parties agreeing to dismiss the case. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cell (biology)</span> Basic unit of many life forms

The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane; many cells contain organelles, each with a specific function. The term comes from the Latin word cellula meaning 'small room'. Most cells are only visible under a microscope. Cells emerged on Earth about 4 billion years ago. All cells are capable of replication, protein synthesis, and motility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of biology</span>

Biology – The natural science that studies life. Areas of focus include structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.

Cell biology is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and functioning of organisms. Cell biology is the study of the structural and functional units of cells. Cell biology encompasses both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and has many subtopics which may include the study of cell metabolism, cell communication, cell cycle, biochemistry, and cell composition. The study of cells is performed using several microscopy techniques, cell culture, and cell fractionation. These have allowed for and are currently being used for discoveries and research pertaining to how cells function, ultimately giving insight into understanding larger organisms. Knowing the components of cells and how cells work is fundamental to all biological sciences while also being essential for research in biomedical fields such as cancer, and other diseases. Research in cell biology is interconnected to other fields such as genetics, molecular genetics, molecular biology, medical microbiology, immunology, and cytochemistry.

Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messenger RNA</span> RNA that is read by the ribosome to produce a protein

In molecular biology, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of RNA that corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene, and is read by a ribosome in the process of synthesizing a protein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNA</span> Family of large biological molecules

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself or by forming a template for the production of proteins. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) are nucleic acids. The nucleic acids constitute one of the four major macromolecules essential for all known forms of life. RNA is assembled as a chain of nucleotides. Cellular organisms use messenger RNA (mRNA) to convey genetic information that directs synthesis of specific proteins. Many viruses encode their genetic information using an RNA genome.

The central dogma of molecular biology deals with the flow of genetic information within a biological system. It is often stated as "DNA makes RNA, and RNA makes protein", although this is not its original meaning. It was first stated by Francis Crick in 1957, then published in 1958:

The Central Dogma. This states that once "information" has passed into protein it cannot get out again. In more detail, the transfer of information from nucleic acid to nucleic acid, or from nucleic acid to protein may be possible, but transfer from protein to protein, or from protein to nucleic acid is impossible. Information here means the precise determination of sequence, either of bases in the nucleic acid or of amino acid residues in the protein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry</span> Research institute in Martinsried, Germany

The Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry is a research institute of the Max Planck Society located in Martinsried, a suburb of Munich. The institute was founded in 1973 by the merger of three formerly independent institutes: the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, the Max Planck Institute of Protein and Leather Research, and the Max Planck Institute of Cell Chemistry.

In molecular biology and biochemistry, glycoconjugates are the classification family for carbohydrates – referred to as glycans – which are covalently linked with chemical species such as proteins, peptides, lipids, and other compounds. Glycoconjugates are formed in processes termed glycosylation.

<i>The Inner Life of the Cell</i>

The Inner Life of the Cell is an 8.5-minute 3D computer graphics animation illustrating the molecular mechanisms that occur when a white blood cell in the blood vessels of the human body is activated by inflammation. It shows how a white blood cell rolls along the inner surface of the capillary, flattens out, and squeezes through the cells of the capillary wall to the site of inflammation where it contributes to the immune reaction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bolinsky</span> American artist

David Bolinsky is a former lead medical illustrator at Yale. He is a co-founder of XVIVO, which produced the movie The Inner Life of the Cell for Harvard's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Lue</span> American researcher and academic (1964–2020)

Robert Arnold Lue was a Jamaican-born American cellular biologist. He was a professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, where he was the Richard L. Menschel Faculty Director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching. Lue had been co-editor of the Harvard Data Science Review, and was previously the university's UNESCO Chair on Life Sciences and Social Innovation. Lue led LabXChange, an online learning platform, in partnership with the Amgen Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Goodsell</span> Structural biologist and scientific illustrator

David S. Goodsell, is an associate professor at the Scripps Research Institute and research professor at Rutgers University, New Jersey. He is especially known for his watercolor paintings of cell interiors.

A medical animation is a short educational film, usually based around a physiological or surgical topic, that is rendered using 3D computer graphics. While it may be intended for an array of audiences, the medical animation is most commonly utilized as an instructional tool for medical professionals or their patients.

Alain Viel is the director of Northwest Undergraduate Laboratories and senior lecturer in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University.

Janet Iwasa is an American data visualization expert and assistant professor of biochemistry at the University of Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Rossi</span> Canadian stem cell biologist

Derrick J. Rossi, is a Canadian stem cell biologist and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of the pharmaceutical company Moderna.

mRNA vaccine Type of vaccine

An mRNAvaccine is a type of vaccine that uses a copy of a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) to produce an immune response. The vaccine delivers molecules of antigen-encoding mRNA into cells, which use the designed mRNA as a blueprint to build foreign protein that would normally be produced by a pathogen or by a cancer cell. These protein molecules stimulate an adaptive immune response that teaches the body to identify and destroy the corresponding pathogen or cancer cells. The mRNA is delivered by a co-formulation of the RNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles that protect the RNA strands and help their absorption into the cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason McLellan</span> American structural biologist

Jason S. McLellan is a structural biologist, professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin who specializes in understanding the structure and function of viral proteins, including those of coronaviruses. His research focuses on applying structural information to the rational design of vaccines and other therapies for viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). McLellan and his team collaborated with researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Vaccine Research Center to design a stabilized version of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which biotechnology company Moderna used as the basis for the vaccine mRNA-1273, the first COVID-19 vaccine candidate to enter phase I clinical trials in the U.S. At least three other vaccines use this modified spike protein: those from Pfizer and BioNTech; Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals; and Novavax.

A nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (modRNA) is a synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) in which some nucleosides are replaced by other naturally modified nucleosides or by synthetic nucleoside analogues. modRNA is used to induce the production of a desired protein in certain cells. An important application is the development of mRNA vaccines, of which the first authorized were COVID-19 vaccines.

References

  1. ↑ "Inner Life Of Xvivo - Hartford Courant". Articles.courant.com. 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Kim Zetter (2013-03-28). "Lives of a Cell, the 3-D Version". Wired.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  3. ↑ "BioVisions". Multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  4. ↑ "Cellular Visions: The Inner Life of a Cell". Studio Daily. 2006-07-20. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  5. ↑ Erik Olsen (15 November 2010). "Where Cinema and Biology Meet". The New York Times . Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  6. ↑ TED2007. "David Bolinsky: Visualizing the wonder of a living cell | Video on". Ted.com. Retrieved 2013-10-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ The New York Times (10 April 2014). "Watch Proteins Do The Jitterbug". The New York Times . Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  8. ↑ Zimmer, Carl (10 April 2014). "Watch Proteins do the Jitterbug". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Videos & Animations". The Vaccine Makers Project. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  10. ↑ "VMP mRNA Animation Wins "Best Experimental/Animation Film" Award at 2022 SCINEMA International Film Festival". The Vaccine Makers Project. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  11. ↑ "Winner's List - Communicator Awards". Communicator Awards. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  12. ↑ "winning.work – How COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Work" . Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  13. ↑ "CHOP vaccine videos reach millions with special-effects wizardry, but will they persuade the hesitant?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  14. ↑ "Murphy Highlights Wethersfield's XVIVO Scientific Animation as "Innovator of the Month"". Chris Murphy. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  15. ↑ "Our inner space: CGI renders reveal the beauty of our hidden biology". Wired UK. Wired. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  16. ↑ "Expelled's Copyright Woes". NCSE. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  17. ↑ "EXPELLED/XVIVO Agreement: No Infringement". Reuters. 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on 2013-11-09. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
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