2022 SCS Science Image Challenge

Winner - Main Category
Covid-19 vaccines and related complications

Covid-19 vaccines and related complications
During covid-19 vaccinations, rarely, platelet factor 4 (colorful, small proteins) misrecognizes vaccine particles (green and black) as pathogens and binds to them, preluding the rare vaccine-induced thrombosis.

Chun Kit Chan
Tajkhorshid Lab, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, Department of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Beckman Institute

   

Finalists - Main Category

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Anisotropic Art - Presented is a false colored transmission electron microscopy image of gold nanorods. Their absorption peaks are tunable throughout the visible and near-infrared light regions. Additionally, gold nanorods can undergo a variety of surface modifications. This adaptability makes them highly useful for applications such as biosensing and photothermal therapy. By: Nathan Forney, Murphy Lab, Department of Chemistry
Driving a muscle - Shown is an immunofluorescence image of innervation between a motor neuron (green) and skeletal muscles (red). During neural innervation of skeletal muscle, a neuromuscular junction forms at the interface becoming a chemical synapse for neuromuscular communication. Our work aims to discover the crosstalk between nerves and muscles. By: Kai-Yu Huang, Kong Lab, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
The golden soldier: an influenza antibody - Getting the flu can be inevitable. However, after the infection, the human body has an army of soldiers called antibodies to protect you from the next virus loaded sneeze. Image captures the influenza virus’ surface (brown) glycoprotein, hemagglutinin (green, blue), attacked by an antibody (in gold) and surrendering, which prevents the virus from infecting human cells. By: Defne G. Ozgulbas, Tajkhorshid Lab, Dept of Biochemistry, Dept of Chemistry, Beckman Inst
A Meal for the Mind - Multi-scale model of the minimal cell, resembling a bowl of spaghetti, including membrane (8 nm white cubes) from reaction-diffusion simulations,  DNA (yellow) from physically accurate Brownian dynamics of the entire chromosome, and ribosomes (red/pink) from all-atom structures. By: Zane Thornburg, Luthey-Schulten Lab, Department of Chemistry
Iron Icicles - In-vacuum solution phase experiments can be complicated. Here the liquid jet that allows the solution to enter the vacuum chamber has a clog that caused the solution to freeze, leading to this pretty rock-like formation of the sample. By: Rachel Wallick, Mirica and Vura-Weis Labs, Department of Chemistry

    

Winner - Cover Art Category
Supercharged protein monomers

Presented here are supercharged protein monomers (red, negative, and blue, positive) in the process of association to form a supercharged hexadecameric protein complex. Here, we explored the design rules of assembly using molecular dynamics and experiments. Image rendered using Blender and PyMOL. 

Prateek Bansal, Shukla Lab, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering