Speaker: Prof. Arthur J. Olson (The Scripps Research Institute, US)
Biology has become accessible to an understanding of processes that span from atom to organism. As such we now have the opportunity to model a spatio-temporal picture of living systems at the molecular level. In our recent work we attempt to create, interact with, and communicate physical representations of complex molecular environments. I will discuss the challenges and demonstrate three levels of interaction with complex molecular environments: 1) human perceptual and cognitive interaction with complex structural information; 2) interaction and integration of multiple data sources to construct cellular environments at the molecular level; and 3) interaction of software tools that can bridge the disparate disciplines needed to explore, analyze and communicate a holistic molecular view of living systems.In order to increase our understanding and interaction with complex molecular structural information we have combined two evolving computer technologies, 3D printing and augmented reality1. We create custom tangible molecular models and track their manipulation with real-time video, superimposing text and graphics onto the models to enhance their information content and to drive interactive computation. We have developed automated technologies to construct the crowded molecular environment of living cells from structural information at multiple scales as well as bioinformatics information on levels of protein expression and other data2. We can populate cytoplasm, membranes, and organelles within the same structural volume to generate cellular environments that synthesize our current knowledge of such systems. Examples of applications of this technology will be discussed. The communication of complex structural information requires extensive scientific knowledge as well as expertise in creating clear visualizations. We have developed a method of combining scientific modeling environments with professional grade 3D modeling and animation programs such as Maya, Cinema4D and Blender3 , as well as the Unity Game engine. This gives both scientists and professional illustrators access to the best tools to create and communicate the science and the art of the molecular cell.
1Gillet, A., Sanner, M., Stoffler, D., Olson, A.J. (2005) Tangible interfaces for structural molecular biology. Structure:13:483-491.
2Johnson GT, Autin L, Al-Alusi M, Goodsell DS, Sanner MF, Olson AJ. cellPACK: a virtual mesoscope to model and visualize structural systems biology. Nat Methods. 2015 Jan;12(1):85-91.
3 Autin, L., Johnson, G., Hake, J., Olson, A.J., Sanner, M.F. (2012) uPy: A Ubiquitous CG Python API with Biological-Modeling Applications. Computer Graphics & Applications 32(5):50-61.
