About The Artwork
Cover Illustration for Cell, on behalf of Professors Shefali Verma, Marylyn Ritchie, & Joan O’Brien of the University of Pennsylvania
Year: 2024
Submitted for consideration to the journal Cell, to accompany the manuscript "A multi-cohort genome-wide association study in African ancestry individuals reveals novel risk loci for primary open-angle glaucoma" - In their paper, Verma et al. addresses the striking lack of diversity in genetics research by elucidating the genetics of glaucoma in individuals of African ancestry. The mosaic eye in this submitted cover illustration is created from 1200 smaller eyes, each representing 5000 individuals as a visual illustration of the estimated 6 million individuals who were bilaterally blinded by primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in 2020. The blurriness at the periphery of the eye represents the loss of peripheral vision caused by POAG. The African continent appears in the pupil of the eye mosaic. The mosaic shows how individual contributions by thousands of subjects can reveal an entirely new image—or in this case, a deeper understanding of this blinding disease in the most affected population.