Gene Cross-Talk Animation

I’ve produced over a dozen videos and animations about genomic science, and “Gene Cross-Talk” is one of my favorites. I was thrilled when Fulbright Foundation gave me a Senior Scholar Award to work with the evolutionary geneticist, Dr. Dan Mishmar, to produce the video.

I made the video in the Mishmar Lab at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. Working with Dr. Mishmar to get the details right, I wrote, narrated, illustrated, and animated the 3-minute video.

Designed for a general audience, “Gene Cross-Talk” is freely available for educational use. You can download the animation here. Check out all the animations on Vimeo and my YouTube channel.

Waking Sleeping Beauty

This is an evolutionary tale about jumping genes — chunks of DNA that hop around the gneome. Scientists prefer the term “transposon,” I call them rascals because when they jump, they change the genetic sequence, which can cause mutations.

Transposons make up about half of the human genome. Are we in trouble? No! Evolution put pressure on them, over millions of years, to stop jumping. They sit quietly in our genomes today, remaining inactive, silent, and asleep.

The research that Drs. Perry Hackett, Scott McIvor, David Largaespada, and Steve Ekker began in 1997 have led to real-world applications. From waking an ancient transposon to an innovative, life-saving genetic tool, the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System demonstrates the value of basic research.

HLA: Making the Match

“HLA” is short for Human Leukocyte Antigen System. It’s the immune system we inherit from our parents and ancient ancestors. Bioinformatics scientists specialize in deciphering the critical components of HLA. They identify the genes and specific variants to ensure accurate patient-donor matches.

This animation talks about their research at Be The Match and how it can improve successful outcomes for people who need stem cell transplantation.