Northern Ireland Science Festival, in conjunction with Linen Biennale and funded by Northern Ireland Arts and Business, recently rolled out the virtual red carpet to premier Fusion Antibodies Head of Scientific Affairs, Dr Anthony O’Kane’s ‘Translating Linen.’

To create this piece, Dr O’Kane translated the DNA and amino acid sequences of linen into a melody, by creating a musical scale based on the amino acids of proteins generated by DNA. This piece was then overlaid with historical footage of sights and sounds of Northern Ireland linen mills provided by Northern Ireland Screen.

On completing the project, Dr O’Kane said:
“The arts and sciences do not just overcome barriers between disciplines but eliminate them such that the possibilities are limitless.

The genetic code determining the shape, structure and function of every organism is written in the codex of DNA. Patterns of 4 bases clustered to form chains of 21 amino acids that form the proteins that govern everything in a process known as translation, hence the title of this project.”

Anthony continued:
“Art has always been integral to science. It gives scientific ideas shape and imagination. Look into any science lab notebook to see how important art is to the very creation of scientific knowledge. Simple sketches in lab notebooks can be invaluable resources for researchers when they need to remember how they conducted an experiment, or even what the results were.”

James Fair, CFO of Fusion Antibodies said:
“We were delighted to partner with Linen Biennale on this innovative project.

Innovation is at the heart of our organisation and we are proud to play our part in supporting the arts sector during this difficult time. This project is the perfect example of how organisations are successfully adapting to try and survive the impact of the pandemic.

Now, more than ever, we need to share the rich array of research in the world of science and the arts with the public and open the window to a world of thought-provoking research, and we are immensely proud of the work completed by Dr O’Kane for this project which does just that.”

Alan Clarke, Chair of R-Space Gallery and the Linen Biennale concluded:
“We are delighted to raise the curtain on Dr O’Kanes ‘Translating Linen,’ and we are extremely grateful to Arts and Business for their funding and for support offered by Northern Ireland Screen which made it possible.

Finally but by no means least a huge thank you to all who participated in our programme, attended our virtual events and have helped to maintain the momentum of the festival despite current restrictions.”

To listen to the full commentary and see the amazing end result of this project visit https://www.nisciencefestival.com/e21371-translating-linen---dr-anthony-okane

About Fusion Antibodies plc
Fusion Antibodies is a Belfast-based contract research organisation providing a broad range of antibody engineering services for both therapeutic drug and diagnostic applications. Services include antigen expression, as well as antibody generation, development, production, purification, sequencing, characterization and optimisation. The Company also offers antibody humanisation services using its proprietary CDRxTM platform, while undertaking the production of antibody-generating stable cell lines to provide material for use in clinical trials.

Fusion Antibodies was established in 2001 as a spin out from Queen’s University Belfast. Since 2012, the Company has successfully sequenced and expressed over 250 antibodies and completed more than 200 humanisation projects. Fusion Antibodies has an international, blue-chip client base, including eight of the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies by revenue. The Company’s ordinary shares were admitted to trading on AIM on 18 December 2017.

The mission of Fusion Antibodies is to enable pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to develop innovative products in a timely and cost-effective manner to the benefit of the global healthcare industry. The Company’s growth strategy is based on combining the latest technological advances with cutting edge science to deliver new platforms that will enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to get to the clinic faster with the optimal drug candidate and ultimately speed up the drug development process.