Raman Nanotheranostics (RaNT) - Disease diagnosis and cancer treatment

Dr. Ryan Stuart Edginton the Communities Engagement Manager of the EPSRC RaNT Programme from the University of Exeter, hired us to produce an animation which could explain the RaNT procedure.

Raman Nanotheranostics (RaNT) envisions a revolutionary all-in-one approach to disease diagnosis and cancer treatment, developing a new technology that wields the light enhancing powers of gold nanostructures. RaNT is being designed to locate and identify multiple different cancer targets in real-time, allowing for immediate, informed treatment decisions, and the delivery of on-the-spot therapy. RaNT aims to do all this non-invasively following a simple injection. They are developing the capability to detect from anywhere in the body, reducing the need for tissue biopsies and aggressive sampling, and they are advancing a new non-surgical treatment solution.

animation Type

Research and Science Communication

Clients

University of Exeter

Credits & Associates

RaNT is a collaborative research programme led by scientists at the University of Exeter with partners at the University of Cambridge, the UCL School of Pharmacy, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Rutherford Appleton Labs.
Script written by the RaNT team
Direction by the RaNT team
Style and storyboard design by Mair Perkins
Illustration by Mair Perkins
Animation by Mair Perkins
Voiceover sourced and edited by Ben Haynes
Music & sound design by Ben Haynes

Animation Production Process

Style design

A style frame was designed to give an idea of how the final animation would look. The style designs were created using Adobe Illustrator and Cinema 4D.

Sketched Storyboards and Animatic Video

A storyboard was sketched out based on the script. The storyboard images were then put into a video sequence with a draft voiceover recording so we could test the timings and ensure the script and images made sense when played together.

Cinema 4D models of the nanoclusters were used in the storyboard too.

At this point we made some script and image revisions before moving to the next stage.

Illustration of Animation Assets

Once the sketched storyboards were signed off, the storyboards were illustrated in the style design.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Illustrator for 2D assets and Cinema 4D for 3D assets.

Some revisions were made before moving onto the next production phase.

Animation

The animation phase started by preparing all the illustrations for animation. This involved separating artwork out onto layers and naming them.

Some illustration files were imported into Adobe After Effects then animated.

The Cinema 4D elements were animated then exported as image sequences and composited into After Effects with the 2D animations.

A professional voice over artist recorded the script then the audio track was mixed and edited so it could be animated in time to.

Results

The animation has saved the research group time in delivering presentations to communicate the medical procedure and enabled more time for group discussions.

"I use it at the beginning of all our 1-on-1 or group discussions, and feedback has been universally glowing! It has been a fantastic way of introducing the concept behind the technique without my having to launch into a dull 20 minute .PPT on the background. It gives us so much more time to have a full discussion and share points of view, which is the main aim of the sessions."
- Dr. Ryan Stuart Edginton the Communities Engagement Manager of the EPSRC RaNT Programme from the University of Exeter

Visit the RaNT website and Twitter.