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
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Jacobi Green
Lead XR Developer
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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