SCI-ART
Many colors of fibroblasts represented by peacock’s feathers
Through the peacock’s feathers, I’ve tried to convey the many colors of fibroblasts. Fibroblasts are the cells that make up the connective tissue matrix. Earlier thought to be structural or scaffolding cells, they are now known to be more dynamic. They actively communicate with other cells in the tissue in both normal homeostasis and repair.
Even though fibroblasts are studied the most, very little is still understood about them. They’re heterogenous in function and form based on the source and tissue and activation state. They have active roles in wound repair, fibrosis, cancer and fibro-inflammatory diseases.
This artwork is displayed at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
normalizing the TUMOR MICROENVIROnment to treat cancer
I’ve tried to communicate the potential of normalizing the tumor microenvironment as a therapy for cancer. This artwork is inspired by our research published in Science Translational Medicine (Wolf et al., 2019), wherein a biological scaffold is shown to recruit tumor-fighting immune cells in a cold tumor. It thereby delays tumor growth and improves the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies that rely on the engagement with those immune cells.
In the painting, the red cells are tumor cells that were initially happily growing but the biomaterial (UBM) brought an army of multicolored immune cells including type 2 helper T cells and macrophages that surrounded the cancer cells, scaring them away.
This artwork is displayed at the Smith Blg at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
This artwork is inspired by the research published by Radiation Oncology researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Mishra et al., Clinical Cancer Research, 2022). They have developed a novel radiolabeled peptide binder to image programmed death ligand- 1 (PD-L1) using positron emission tomography (PET).
Immune checkpoint therapies including PD-L1 inhibition are currently ineffective in a majority of patients. The novel tool peptide binder can provide vital insights into mechanisms involved in the resistance of solid tumors to these therapeutics. This tool has the potential to revolutionize PD-L1 PET imaging.
milestones in cancer
This artwork is to create awareness of the milestones in cancer and many more to come! Some are mentioned below:
2003: A large epidemiological study of more than 900,000 adults in the United States found an association between obesity and increased cancer death rate.
2004: Approval of the first epigenetic and angiogenic therapies, tracking cancer in liquid biopsies, and vaccination for cancer prevention.
2009: Development of tumor organoids that have facilitated basic and preclinical studies across many cancer types.
2010: Ipilimumab, an antibody to CTLA-4, approved by the FDA as the first immune-checkpoint inhibitor. Advancement in Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies.
2012: Full-length single-cell mRNA sequencing from individual tumor cells.
2013: The gut microbiota might influence host responses to cancer therapeutics via the immune system.
2017: Application of AI in cancer detection.
WARLI ART
Warli art is a tribal art form from Maharashtra, India. It is centered around the elements of nature. Farming is the main way of life and a large source of food for the Warli tribe. There is immense respect for nature and wildlife and for the resources that they provide. Warli clay huts are used as the backdrop in most paintings. most of them also revolve around the marriage of God Palghat.
Here, I share some of my paintings….
