India’s IMTECH microbiology research and technology centre has installed an integrated virtual reality system that allows scientists to visualize and interact with molecular data in stereoscopic 3D.
Staff were awestruck by the stunning visual impact and real-time interaction of the system, according to Srikrishna Subramanian, IMTECH’s principal scientist.
“The utility of this system is such that researchers can use it to interactively visualise biological macromolecules at an atomic level, allowing detailed structural analysis,” he said.
The immersive, interactive 3D visualisation system comprises the Virtalis ActiveWall VR system and Virtalis’s own software enabler for PyMOL, an open source molecular visualisation system. The system draws on active stereo technology and features a custom screen, specialist computer, custom software and powerful projectors.
Movements within the ActiveWall environment are tracked using a tracking system. This added functionality alters the perspective of the visuals according to the user’s position and orientation within the scene to give a natural and accurate sense of relationship and scale.
A hand-held controller allows the immersive experience to be enhanced further. The user can navigate through the virtual world, pick and manipulate molecules in real-time and make decisions on the fly.
“Our lab specialises in developing new computational approaches to study protein structures by carrying out evolutionary analysis and the classification of protein families/folds,” Subramanian explained. “Complete VR integration of the open source PyMOL software was a very important factor in choosing Virtalis, as PyMOL is the only visualisation tool most of our students use owing to its intuitive GUI and strong command-line scripting abilities. We now have an easy to use, interactive platform on which we can visualise molecules of interest in 3D.”
IMTECH is currently using its ActiveWall with VR-enabled PyMOL to visualise biological macromolecules (especially proteins) in 3D in order to study the interaction of these molecules with one another and with other biological moieties. The system is also deployed in a teaching course on protein structures, as it helps students to visualise macromolecular interactions such as protein-DNA interaction in specific contexts like multiple-drug resistance.
“ActiveWall makes group discussions more interactive because the minute details of a particular protein or macromolecule are much clearer in 3D on a large screen,” Subramanian said.
“We now have a better appreciation of how a protein’s function is modulated by atomic level interactions and the audience can see these macromolecules in rich interactive detail.
“The hand tracking system gives power to modulate a structure as and when needed during the course of a discussion and to visualise from multiple viewpoints. Overall, the Virtalis ActiveWall fosters an atmosphere of active discussion and participation for all.”
For more information:
IMTECH: www.imtech.res.in
Virtalis: www.virtalis.com