The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

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Breast stem cell animation screening in New York film festival

 

A 3D animation depicting the function of breast stem cells during pregnancy has been selected for screening at the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York on 17 October 2011.

The animation, created by Walter and Eliza Hall Institute animators Mr Drew Berry and Ms Etsuko Uno, explains in exquisite detail how the breast carries out its primary function – producing milk to nourish offspring.

Mr Berry and Ms Uno created the animation in 2010 to highlight the institute’s research into breast development and breast stem cells.

In 2006, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers Professors Geoff Lindeman and Jane Visvader discovered breast stem cells. They built on this development last year, with their discovery that the descendants of breast stem cells – luminal progenitor cells – are likely to be responsible for breast cancers that develop in women carrying certain gene mutations.

Ms Uno said rendering new discoveries such as these into 3D animations is both a challenge and a privilege. “Working with scientists such as Dr Lindeman and Dr Visvader to help translate their work into a medium we can all understand is incredibly rewarding,” she said.

“As with all of our animations, we aim to make science accessible to the general public, to explain complex biological processes in a clear and visually attractive manner.”

Now in its fourth year, the Imagine Science Film Festival showcases films that are both scientifically accurate and visually appealing. The festival runs from 16 to 25 October, with screenings at five locations throughout New York, including Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Drew Berry and Etsuko Uno’s animation studio WEHI.TV develops innovative techniques for visualising scientific discoveries. Their animations are in high-demand for use in news and current affairs programs, documentaries, museum installations and education programs.

WEHI.TV animations have received many awards, including an Emmy and a BAFTA, and have been exhibited in museums and art galleries worldwide. Exhibition highlights include the Guggenheim and Museum of Modern Art (New York), The Royal Institution of Great Britain (London), the University of Geneva’s Genome Dome (Geneva), and Centre Pompidou (Paris).

WEHI.TV is also recognised by the scientific community for its accurate depiction of biology, with numerous awards including first prize in the National Science Foundation’s ‘Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge’ in 2006 and 2008.

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Update: on 25th October 2011 it was announced that Mr Berry and Ms Uno's animation had won the Imagine Film Festival's Visual Science Award.

For further information:

Alice Robinson
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