Our Story

CyberCell VR came to life when sickle cell clinicians and scientists from Nemours Children's Health came together with immersive technology specialists from OnXR, Inc to share their talents and solve an important problem facing people living with sickle cell disease.  

Patients and clinicians struggle with making decisions together about sickle cell treatments. One reason is how hard it is to understand how treatments work in the body.  That made discussing and deciding on treatments difficult. Patients and clinicians taught us that the traditional ways of explaining options weren’t measuring up. So, we partnered together and went to work. 

We decided to break the mold and transform the way individuals learn about their health and engage in healthcare decisions. By combining immersive technology and creative design, we were able to translate complex scientific information into an exciting experience that is clear and actionable and empowers people making health decisions.   

Our Solution - Cyber Cell VR

CyberCell™ uses VR technology to take people on a journey like never before. Through a 3D interactive simulation, participants experience what happens to the cells and blood vessels when someone has sickle cell disease and learn how disease-modifying medicines work to help. With the learner in the center of the action, CyberCell™ fosters a deeper understanding, which helps communication about health and treatment choices. 

Our Team

Aimee Hildenbrand, PhD 

Senior Research Scientist, Nemours Center for Healthcare Delivery Science 

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University 

Research Lead for CyberCell 

Fredric Freeman, MSUX 

OnXR Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director 

Technology + Creative Lead for CyberCell 
Subject Matter Expert for CyberCell 

Corinna Schultz, MD, MSHP 

Pediatric Hematologist, Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware  

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University 

Narrative Designer, Writer and Medical Editor for CyberCell 

Melanie Pitone, MD 

OnXR Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer 

Production specialists

  • Jacobi Green

    Lead XR Developer

  • Allie Alvarado

    Sound Design, Voiceover artist 

It takes a village

Special thanks to all the team members who helped shape CyberCell: Benjamin Bear, Alyssa Decino, Jesus Arroyo, Danielle Morely, Stephanie Hubbard, Sherman Finch, Cassandra Tubwell, Cris Rocha (SHSU Creative Health and Humanities XR Lab) and all the patients, families and care team members who offered their time and expertise. 

Early versions of CyberCell were developed with funding support provided by Nemours and the Donaghue Foundation

Our Partners