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CAR-T Cells: Engineered Cancer Killers

The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is a unique Australian institution consisting of a world-leading cancer research program integrated within a world-leading cancer hospital. Based on 25 years of research, we are the first site in Australia fully licensed to manufacture Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cells for treatment of blood cancers such as leukaemias and lymphomas. The process involves engineering a patient’s own T cells to express Chimeric Antigen Receptors, or CARs on the cell surface. When the CAR-T cells are re-infused into the patient, they multiply rapidly and the CARs enable them to specifically seek and destroy cancer cells throughout the body. For some patients this has proven to be a miracle treatment when all other options have been exhausted.

'CAR-T Cells: Engineered Cancer Killers' first explains how cancer cells can avoid detection by our immune cells. We then learn how our immune cells can be super charged by CAR-T technology to kill cancer cells and how this works at the molecular and cellular levels using 3D animation and ground-breaking microscopy techniques. The production informs patients and the interested lay person about this unique technology and the great progress made by Peter Mac scientists into understanding cancer biology and developing revolutionary treatments, such as CAR-T cells, to combat cancer.

'CAR-T Cells: Engineered Cancer Killers' has already garnered multiple awards, including Best of Show for both Science and Health categories at the Doctors Without Borders Film Festival, Best Documentary Short, Award of Excellence at the Vegas Movie Awards, The Premier Award and Medical Education award at BioImages 22 and a Platinum Award at the AVA Digital Awards. The production was also included in the extremely competitive Computer Animation Festival at SIGGRAPH Asia 22.

  • Dr Maja Divjak
    Director
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?, Clostridium tetani and Tetanus, Bordetella pertussis and Whooping Cough
  • Dr Maja Divjak
    Animation
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?, Clostridium tetani and Tetanus, Bordetella pertussis and Whooping Cough
  • Dr Maja Divjak
    Writer
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?, Clostridium tetani and Tetanus, Bordetella pertussis and Whooping Cough
  • The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
    Producer
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer? The Peter Mac Story: Breaking New Ground. Changing lives, What is CAR-T Cell Therapy? Peter Mac's Prehabilitation Program
  • Kelly Ramsbottom
    Microscopy
  • Jesse Rudd-Schmidt
    Microscopy
  • Dr Clare Fedele
    Narration
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?
  • Dr Clare Fedele
    Script Editing
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?
  • Dr Carol Ginns
    Project Management
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?
  • Prof Ricky Johnstone
    Project Management
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?
  • Prof Rick Pearson
    Project Management
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?
  • Ryan Granger
    Sound Design
    Paper Champions, Relic, The Story Lives On
  • Johnsen Cummings
    Sound Design
  • Joel Taylor
    Sound Design
  • Reuben Street
    Cinematography
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?, Fringe Dweller, Once Upon a Mountain
  • Frank Guarnaccia
    Cinematography
    What Goes Wrong in Cancer?, Fringe Dweller, Once Upon a Mountain
  • Bianca Von Scheidt
    Key Cast
    "Research Assistant"
  • Dr Clare Slaney
    Key Cast
    "Senior Post Doctoral Scientist"
  • Rachel Xu
    Key Cast
    "PhD student"
  • Dr Kevin Sek
    Key Cast
    "Post Doctoral Scientist"
  • Aaron Harrison
    Key Cast
    "Research Assistant"
  • Dr Criselle d'Souza
    Key Cast
    "Post Doctoral Scientist"
  • Dr Joe Zhu
    Key Cast
    "Post Doctoral Scientist"
  • ThuNgoc Nguyen
    Key Cast
    "Research Assistant"
  • A/Prof Jane Oliaro
    Key Cast
    "Chief Scientist"
  • Prof Joe Trapani
    Scientific Advisors
  • A/Prof Jane Oliaro
    Scientific Advisors
  • A/Prof Paul Neeson
    Scientific Advisors
  • Prof Phillip Darcy
    Scientific Advisors
  • Prof Yves Gaudin
    Scientific Advisors
  • Prof Bruce Levine
    Scientific Advisors
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Documentary, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Science, Technology, Animation, Molecular Animation, Biomedical Animation, SciArt, Cancer treatment, Cancer, Cancer research, Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells, CAR-T cells, CAR T, Chimeric Antigen Receptor
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 31, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD 1080p
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Doctors Without Borders Film Festival, Summer 22

    Best of Show, Science AND Health categories
  • Vegas Movie Awards, October 22

    Best Documentary Short, Award of Excellence
  • HPCwire Readers' Choice Awards 2022

    'Best Use of HPC in Life Sciences', Official Nomination
  • SIGGRAPH Asia 22, Computer Animation Festival
    Daegu
    Korea, Republic of
    December 6, 2022
    Official Selection
  • BioImages 22, BioCommunications Association

    Premier Award AND Medical Education Award, Interactive Learning and Website Division
  • AVA Digital Awards 2023

    Platinum Award
  • SCINEMA International Science Film Festival 2023

    Official Selection
  • Raw Science Film Festival 2023

    Finalist
Director Biography - Dr Maja Divjak

Dr Maja Divjak is the inaugural Biomedical Animator at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she is creating animations about cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to cancer. After completing her PhD analysing tumour necrosis factor in asthma, Maja spent quite some years in scientific sales, but was keen to bring together her love of art and science in some shape or form. A chance meeting with world-renowned Biomedical Animator Dr Drew Berry, at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, opened the doors to the wonderful world of science animation. Maja then pursued her dream of becoming a Biomedical Animator, studying Multimedia at Swinburne and 3D animation at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.

She was then offered a coveted fellowship with Dr Berry at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. The fellowship was part of the VizbiPlus project, which aimed to train three fledgling animators to communicate cutting edge research at their host institutions, using visually captivating 3D animation. Following this she became resident Science Animator at the Gene Technology Access Centre before joining the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre as the inaugural Biomedical Animator.

Her first animation for the VizbiPlus project detailed how inflammation causes type 2 diabetes, via a unique structure known as the ‘inflammasome’. She also created a companion piece focusing on the insulin receptor structure and what might be happening in insulin resistance. Her subsequent animations for the Gene Technology Access Centre about whooping cough and tetanus have highlighted the importance of vaccination. A selection of these creations have twice been exhibited at the Vivid Festival of Light, Music and Ideas. Her first production for the Peter Mac 'What Goes Wrong in Cancer' has won several awards. These include a Jury Award at the Raw Science Film Festival, a platinum Remi at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, the Medical Education Award- Motion Media at BioImages, awards of Outstanding Excellence at the Doctors Without Borders Film Festival and Official Selection at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I work at the interface between art and science, using animation for scientific education and illustration of biological processes. Many people are frightened of science, both the ideas and the language. I wish to remove this fear by making science accessible, through the use of visual, 3D representations, rather than abstract concepts. The ultimate aim of my animations is to bring awareness to the drama unfolding inside our cells all day, every day, that like breathing, we are often completely unaware of. I want people to learn of the existence of this world, to acknowledge that it is extraordinary and also to realise that things can sometimes go awry, leading to situations such as cancer.