PhagoMed – phage therapy

 

Phage therapy – animation

PhagoMed is an Austrian biotech company developing phage-based therapies against bacterial infections that don’t respond well to antibiotics. One of their lead candidates targets Bacterial Vaginosis – a big unmet medical need.
Our animation starts with the introduction to the problem – the prevalence, the symptoms, and the drama of recurring BV infections. Then it explains why it’s so difficult to get rid of BV for good, visualizing the limited activity antibiotics have on the bacterial biofilm.
In the solution part, we introduce PhagoMed’s first precision vaginal therapy. The drug candidate is based on endolysins – derived from phages – natural enemies of bacteria.
Finally, the Mechanism of Action animation shows how the drug precisely kills bad bacteria while sparing healthy vaginal microbiome. We finish the video with the hopeful message of how PhagoMed can potentially improve the health and quality of life of many women worldwide.

 

The style of the video

This video is a perfect example of the benefits of a 2D animation over a real-life video or 3D style. Such sensitive medical topics are difficult to show using real imagery or realistic 3D. Animation allows for simplification and makes the topic visually lighter, sparing all the unnecessary visual detail.
Unlike 3D, it also allows showing emotions, through facial expression, body postures, movements, making the message stronger.

 

What was the target of the video?

PhagoMed admitted that though they’d never had an issue explaining their science before, they knew that an animated video would become another great means to accomplish this goal. They also admitted that having a video as part of the company’s scientific communication material is the best practice in the industry today.
Their vision was to have a 2-minute animated video produced to:
  • reinforce their scientific communication
  • visualize the Mechanism of Action of their drug candidate to support their Business & Development activities
  • clearly communicate the mechanism of action of their drug that a non-scientist could understand with enough sophistication to be respected by the scientific community
  • help make partners understand the key message of the MOA
  • raise awareness of Bacterial Vaginosis

 

Where will the video be shown?

  • website
  • YouTube channel
  • presentations
  • email newsletters

 

What was the process like?

Once the animation was finished, we asked the client for their thoughts on the whole production and communication process. We’re happy to share some of their quotes:

 

“I thought the entire process was well managed. I thought your attention to detail and scientific knowledge made the process proceed smoothly.”

“In general, communication was just perfect. There was some ‘lost in translation’ in the part from understanding how much leeway one has with regard to change in design – how much effort it will take e.g. to change colors/sizes of part of the drawings, but in general, we were happy with the whole process.”

We now understand much better, that we need to define the revision process better, in a way that doesn’t leave any room for doubt and we will do our best to improve it.

“The entire process was good for our company. As the point of contact, I thought everything went smoothly. I have no criticism.”

“The process was not only done professionally but it seemed personal. If we ever need another video product there is no question we will reach out to your group.”

 

Check out our other phage animations