XVIVO Scientific Animation (orXVIVO) is an American scientific andmedical animation studio based inHartford, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 2001 byDavid Bolinsky, former leadmedical illustrator atYale University, and Michael Astrachan.[1][2] The company is most known for its short filmThe Inner Life of the Cell, which debuted at the 2006SIGGRAPH conference in Boston.[3] The project was commissioned byHarvard University's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, which currently holds the rights to the piece.[4]
In 2006, XVIVO releasedThe Inner Life of the Cell, an 8.5 minute 3D computer graphics animation depicting the molecular processes of a white blood cell duringleukocyte 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.[5] XVIVO's John Liebler was the lead animator for the project. The film took 14 months to complete.[3]
The film has been noted for its cinematic take on science education, and has been described as "the pivotal moment for molecular animation."[6] 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."[3] In 2007, Bolinsky delivered aTED talk on the merits of scientific visualization, and showcased an excerpt fromInner Life.[7]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."[8]
Inner Life is the first in a proposed series of shorts for Harvard's BioVisions. The second installment, titledPowering the Cell: Mitochondria, was released in 2010 and depicts the process of cellular respiration. The third piece, titledProtein Packing, was released in 2014 and depicts themolecular crowding andBrownian motion of proteins within a neuron.[8]
In 2020, XVIVO partnered with theChildren'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 2022Scinema 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]
ThePhiladelphia Inquirer described the animation as "so clear. Very vivid. The explanation is excellent."[13]
U.S. SenatorChris 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]
XVIVO was featured in the May 2013 issue ofWired (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 acease-and-desist letter to the chairman of Premise Media Corporation, Logan Craft, for allegedcopyright infringement in the upcoming filmExpelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Resource DVDs issued for pre-release promotion displayed several animation sequences that were similar to those fromInner Life. The letter demanded that Premise Media surrender all copies ofInner Life and remove any infringed sequence before movie release.
Premise Media denied infringement and later filed its own lawsuit in theDistrict 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]
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