Color-mapping Single Cells

💬 Context

Biotech research relies heavily on using microscopy techniques to monitor live cellular activities. Usually, the information generated from the state-of-the-arts equipments are transformed into bar graphs or trend lines to highlight a correlation. In this project I wanted to visually transform raw information and highlight the beauty of our microscopy experimental scheme in addition to showing quantitative and statistically sound data.

🧐 Problem

Scientific Problem

Within the biotech research industry, it is common practice to show a measured rate of cellular death in trend line plots. If you want to be fancy, then you would show a video recording of cellular death. The problem is that trend line graphs do not show the full behind the scenes footage of cellular activity. On the other end, videos are cool but cannot be displayed/printed as a main component of a scientific manuscript figure. A video file is generally attached as a supplementary file and is almost always left in the background of a particular scientific body of work.

Challenges

1. Highlight the rate of cell death captured by a state-of-the-art confocal microscope imaging technique

2. Translate the cool factor of a video (3D information) into a still image (2D data)

3. Visualize using appropriate color pallets to highlight the timeframe when substantial cell loss is observed

🔲 Design Process

I used the Design Thinking approach to systemize the process and overcome this problem.

I drew inspiration from an image that I saw in a manuscript published in Nature magazine and tailored my data to it. I took raw images used to construct a movie and superimposed them onto a single image. I used an “active contours detection” feature in Icy for Bioimage Informatics to segment single cells in a superimposed image. Finally, I tracked and pin-pointed the fluorescence signal to a specific time point for color-mapping the entire image.

The Published Final Figure

🏆 This figure was published in a prestigious academic research magazine Science in Twenty21

🔳 Design Decisions

The color-coded image in itself was quite complex and needed a way to balance the rest of the content within the final figure. I did that by…

• Grid structure - Snapshots of individual images at various time points (2h – 72h) were first introduced to the audience. The color-coded image was then presented to highlight how quickly the cellular bodies resulted in apoptosis between 50h – 60h. Finally, at the bottom, I showed the quantitative data to reveal statistical trends

• Reduction - The information presented in the manuscript figure was limited. Many logo-fied elements included in the initial design process (not shown) were eliminated

🪔 Takeaways

1. Learned to use color to communicate information in a different dimension

2. When adding complexity to a design, something else has to be reduced

Why not browse more of my projects?

Biomedical Illustration | Tissue Chip Ad | Coffee Table Book | Studio Branding | 🔒 L7 HUB Design | Just Things

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