Nature’s Palette: A tale of science and art

Two sisters, from seemingly different worlds, have joined forces in a unique collaboration to visualize the healthy immune system across age.

September 19, 2024

min read

<p>Two <span style="font-weight: 300;">sisters, from seemingly different worlds, have joined forces in a unique collaboration to visualize the healthy immune system across age. </span></p>

Sisters from seemingly different worlds have joined forces to visualize the healthy aging immune system.

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in this article

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Nature’s Palette:
A tale of science and art

By Jenny Burns

Meet Heidi Gustafson, an artist who finds beauty in the earth’s pigments.

Now meet Claire Gustafson, Ph.D., a scientist working to unravel the mysteries of the immune system.

Two smiling women at Immunology Lab reception desk in modern research facility

Two smiling women with arms around each other in modern office setting with bright lighting.

Two women collaboratively examining colorful data visualizations and charts on a large display screen.

Hands holding immune cell diagram showing NK, B cells, monocytes, and CMV status classifications.

Person pointing at colorful data visualization chart with blue, green, and purple shapes on screen

A vivid portrait of your immune system

Color palette swatch samples showing watercolor paint strokes in blues, greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and earth tones.

Smiling female scientist in white lab coat and glasses in modern laboratory with colleagues and equipment

Female scientist instructs male colleague at biosafety cabinet in laboratory setting

Two scientists in lab coats work with equipment inside a biosafety cabinet in laboratory.

Three scientists in white lab coats collaborate in a modern blue laboratory setting.

Meet a Vanishing T cell

Meet a Vanishing T Cell

The Mineral:

The Cell:

Person in black shirt holding textured gray stone or craft material indoors near plant

Discover how aging impacts vaccine response

Discover how age impacts immune response

The Mineral:

The Cell:

The globe with the United States highlighted in blue

“Building the Immune Health Atlas was truly a labor of love for our team. This comprehensive single cell resource will be invaluable for the field of immunology, helping us better understand how the immune system evolves with age and advancing research into immune-related diseases.”

“It brings joy to me to see how we can make science communication beautiful and accessible.”

Scientific Collaborators

Allen Institute for Immunology
Benaroya Research Institute
University of Pennsylvania

Produced By

Jenny Burns
Brian Cama
Jake Siegel
Steven Hurd
Erik Dinnel
Mei Chi Chin
Peter Kim

Feedback and story input by:

Zach Thomson
Lucas T. Graybuck, Ph.D
Mackenzie Kopp

Citations

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about the allen institute

The Allen Institute is an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded by philanthropist and visionary, the late Paul G. Allen. The Allen Institute is dedicated to answering some of the biggest questions in bioscience and accelerating research worldwide. The Institute is a recognized leader in large-scale research with a commitment to an open science model. For more information, visit alleninstitute.org.

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