Art by Dr Sweena Chaudhari
 

This artwork depicts the focus of Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty's research group at CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in a Mandala form, with individual elements inspired by the Madhubani style of Indian folk art.

The centre is the interaction between a short CRISPR-RNA (in red) and an unravelled genomic DNA strand (in black), orchestrated by a Cas9 protein (striped).

Concentric layers surrounding this core show the long double stranded DNA and then the various forms of single stranded RNA with protein molecules interspersed throughout. These key cellular players are encased in a simplified and stylized version of the lipid bilayer.

Varied potential applications of this technology (agriculture, food, microbiology, cell and tissue culture, model organism research, diagnostics, and therapy) are depicted around this cell. The trio of humans in every corner represents the beneficiaries of this technology.

This art series celebrates the CSIR Young Scientist Awardees, led by Dr Somdatta Karak