Very happy to share this cover art created by Audra Geras for the JCI!
Audra was commissioned by Dr. Tim Vartanian at Cornell to create this image showing how two epsilon toxin, ETX, producing strains of Clostridium perfringens, strains B and D, when found in the gut microbiome, appear to be implicated in demyelination damage of neurons in areas of the brain associated with multiple sclerosis. This important scientific research by Dr. Vartanian and his colleagues is impressive, exceptionally elegant work with the potential to lead to much-needed novel therapies for MS.
The lower left portion of the image shows both an ETX-producing strain (blue bacteria) in the mucus layer of the small intestine, as well as a non-toxin-producing strain (green bacteria). The ETX-producing bacteria are shown secreting ETX molecules that then enter the blood vessels in the intestinal villi. ETX is a pore-forming molecule. The formation of ETX pores in the endothelial cells of capillaries in the blood brain barrier (BBB) seen in the top right of the cover, damages the integrity of the barrier allowing the infiltration of myelin autoreactive CD4+ T lymphocytes into the brain parenchyma. These lymphocytes release inflammatory cytokines and cytokines that provide secondary signals to other cells in the immune cascade. This pathologic immune response leads ultimately to the destruction of the myelin insulation on neurons.
The challenges in creating this piece were both a crazy-short timeline, as well as the difficulty of depicting a story that takes place in multiple environments - the gut microbiome, the blood-brain-barrier and the brain parenchyma - all while staying aware of the title and copy placement on the cover.
Both Audra and Dr. Vartanian were very excited that this image was the final selection for use on the May, 2023 cover!
Very happy to announce that Audra's illustration, (shown below), Binding of GABAa Neurotransmitter Molecules to GABAa Receptor Complexes within a Synapse, won a 2021 Award of Excellence in the Association of Medical Illustrators annual adjudicated salon. Always a special honour to have your work recognized by your peers!
Audra submitted 2 illustrations to the salon this year. The 2nd, her illustration entitled Cells of the Retina, received an Award of Merit.
The illustration below depicts a view into a synaptic cleft to see GABA-A neurotransmitter molecules being released from presynaptic vesicles, then binding to pentameric, postsynaptic GABA-A receptor complexes.
GABA-A receptor complexes act as chlorine ion channels. The illustration shows chlorine ions moving through the channel into the postsynaptic neuron. The image also depicts a postsynaptic protein density lattice closely associated with the postsynaptic membrane. These lattices are very dynamic, both structurally and functionally and are believed to play a role in plasticity.
GABA-A receptors act to both hyperpolarize (excite) and depolarize (inhibit) neuronal action potentials, depending on complex regulatory influences. Nevertheless, they are generally considered to be the major inhibitory receptors in mammals.
Binding of specific molecules to these receptors results in a calming, anxiolytic, anti-seizure and pain reduction effect.
There are many drugs that exert their effects by binding to GABA-A receptors, including barbiturates, benzodiazepines and alcohol.
This illustration depicting the layers of the human retina is one of the most unusual and challenging images I’ve ever created. Designed as a wall mural, it is 6 times taller than it is wide!! The best way to view it is to imagine you are in a glass elevator that starts at the very bottom and then slowly moves up the height of the image allowing you to examine the startling complexity of each of the retinal layers.
Conceiving and creating this 3D illustration was so much fun, and as much an exercise in discovery for me, as it hopefully is for its viewers. I loved it! I certainly have a much more detailed understanding of the retina after all the research that was the necessary groundwork for its creation.
It is a fascinating fact that the arrangement of the human retina with the photoreceptors, (the rods and cones), placed in the 9th deepest layer is seriously counterintuitive, and almost seems like a design flaw. However, the more superficial layers are so transparent that light is still able to reach the photoreceptors. Interestingly, cephalopods (octopi, squid, cuttlefish…) did this much better. Their photoreceptors are found in the most superficial layer. Seems a superior design, wouldn’t you say?
Neuroplasticity is a subject I have been extremely interested in ever since reading Dr. Norman Doidge’s ground-breaking and inspirational book, The Brain That Changes Itself. The illustration I'm featuring in this post was inspired by my continued reading on this fascinating subject, as well as my personal exploration of techniques used to encourage positive neuroplasticity.
This is a conceptual 3D image of a brain neuron whose axon ends in multiple blossoming branches. It symbolizes positive neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is defined as the brain’s ability to grow new neurons and neural connections. We now know that this growth takes place throughout our lifetimes and that we can promote the weakening of abnormal or negative neural pathways, using a variety of techniques, replacing them with new, healthier, or more positive neural pathways. This is of special importance in conditions such as OCD, generalized anxiety disorder and neuropathic pain. An understanding of neuroplasticity has also revolutionized the treatment of stroke patients and other brain injuries.
This flowering neuron, created in 3D in the look of blown glass, represents the possibility of directing positive neuroplastic changes in our neural pathways that may lead to a healthier and happier life.
Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, wAMD, is a serious eye condition affecting primarily the elderly. Gradual degradation of the macula, the area of the retina that provides our sharpest focused sight, results in the loss of central vision. It also distorts remaining vision.
Central vision impairment has a devastating effect on quality of life as it makes driving, reading, general mobility, recognition of colours and faces impossible.
Wet AMD is the most common cause of vision loss affecting millions of individuals in North America every year.
This panel of 3 illustrations by Audra Geras shows the disease state and the changes seen with 3 commonly-used therapies.
Cosmetics research firm, Bella Aurora Laboratories, in Barcelona, Spain, recently installed one of Audra's paintings in the meeting room of their newly built research facility. This custom 3D mural of a melanocyte, (the skin cell type that produces skin pigmentation) was printed on fabric and backlit for maximum impact. So exciting to see the integration of Audra's art in this striking interior!
Here is a close-up of the art.
The last illustration we featured depicted tumor cell processing and presentation. This illustration has now become a diptych!
'Phagocytosis of Tumor Cells' is a new 3D painting created by Audra Geras to show the events that preceded antigen processing. Here is a look at this new diptych.
The diptych paintings are intended for a variety of uses. These include their exhibition as framed large-scale fine art giclées on canvas that are on permanent exhibit at Trillium Therapeutics Inc.
Is it possible there is a triptych coming soon?
Hope you enjoy this recently completed illustration explaining the basic MHC Class I immune process following the phagocytosis of a tumor cell.
The story starts following the phagocytosis and degradation of a tumor cell by a dendritic cell. Further degradation of tumor protein by proteasomes creates 8 to 10 amino acid long antigenic peptides. T cells become activated as a result of the presentation of these antigenic peptides by MHC Class I to the T cell receptor (TCR).
by Audra:
I have written in the past about the importance of discovering sources of inspiration everywhere in the world around us, and I wanted to share an amusing anecdote about a very recent example.
So... while preparing dinner one day, I became captivated by the beauty of the forming water bubbles at the bottom of my cast iron wok - sooo lovely and ethereal. I watched while they evolved and quickly snapped some photos to capture them before they disappeared. I showed them to my husband and told him laughingly, "You're going to see these turned into a conceptual painting of an ovum in the near future!". (Cue rolling eyeballs.)
Well... here is the inspiration, and the artist's representation that it gave rise to: an image of an ovum surrounded by its corona radiata.
I’ve always had a heightened awareness and appreciation for the intricacy and beauty of nature, both on the level of the ‘microverse’ and of the ‘macroverse’. Subtle and overlooked or neglected beauty especially fascinates me… like the unexpected delicacy and grace of a weed blooming from a crack in the city pavement. Sometimes, when the light is just right, and the shadows are just so, such vignettes are gifts of stunning beauty that, sadly, most often remain unnoticed – I’ve always noticed.
It’s astonishing how most people go through life oblivious to what’s around them. One morning, driving along the coast of Lake Ontario, I was stunned to see that the entire surface of the lake was covered by thousands of will-o-the-wisp-like spirals of mist rising every five feet or so. I’d never seen anything like it! It was a truly magical vista. But when I glanced at the other drivers around me, there wasn’t a single person who was taking even the slightest notice!
How sad… Of course my husband, Niclas, said that they were all busy watching the road, as I should have been – Hahaha!
The important point I want to make is that there are sources of awe and inspiration everywhere, one only needs to have a sensibility to their existence. Take the time to look… you may never have the chance again!
We've decided to feature recently completed projects in our blog section to let you know what we've been up to. Hope you enjoy this first image entitled, Glomeruli of the Kidney. The illustration was created by Audra for a biotechnology company.
This 3D illustration features the structure of a glomerulus, the basic filtration unit of the kidney, within the environment of a kidney cortex. Glomeruli are capillary clusters or knots that are enveloped by interdigitating podocyte cells and ensheathed by a capsule known as the Bowman's capsule. The Bowman's capsule is an expansion of the proximal convoluted tubule and consists of a membrane formed by parietal epithelial cells. The green cells shown are known as extraglomerular mesangial cells. These cells synthesize renin, a hormone involved in the renin-angiotensin autoregulation system of the kidney.
Glomerular disease impairs the ability of the kidneys to filter out and eliminate toxins.