Astro the Astrocyte - Animation Story Board

Student - Julieta Hollevoet

Supervisor - Benedikt Berninger

“Astro the Astrocyte” is a hand-drawn, animated video that follows the story of an astrocyte that, through lineage reprogramming, becomes a neuron, representing research done at the Berninger Lab. It aims to educate the audience on their research and inspire them about neuroscience and the lab. It introduces different types of brain cells such as neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, and briefly explains neuronal signalling. The story also discusses what genes are and how they are used in lineage reprogramming, what lineage reprogramming is and why we do it.

The intended audience is high-school students with a general age of 13-18. Using a short story supported by colourful, dynamic illustrations will help to engage the audience and make the information more memorable.