We all know someone whose life has been touched by cancer. Whether at the bedside, treatment clinic or dining table, it challenges the mental and physical fortitude of all those afflicted.

Close to a century of research has deepened our understanding of this complex disease, but much work remains to be done. Cancer is still the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 8.2 millions deaths in 2012 alone. Although widespread, the general public is often uninformed regarding the underlying physiological features of cancer.

Our goal is to develop an interactive experience that portrays cancer at the cellular level, highlighting lessons learned from the vast tomes of knowledge generated by cancer research to date. As an abstraction of the disease, we place our audience in control of a single cell as it undertakes the journey from transformation to metastasis. Unlike other educational interactive platforms, our group aligns scientifically accurate (and above all interesting) biology with engaging game mechanics to create a unique experience that truly educates and conceptualizes pathology through interaction. Our team, led by Rados Jovanovic, Kevin Neibert and Sebastian Alvarado will develop Cell using perspectives shared first-hand from clinicians, researchers and patients.

While we acknowledge that cancer is very personal and highly sensitive issue for some, we believe that a respectful portrayal of this disease can form the basis of an important lesson providing understanding and awareness for others.