LEGOS Blend Art and Science

A Duke Ph.D. student uses LEGO bricks to make brain research easier to understand

Man sitting on couch pointing to a box of LEGOs
Max Bucklan used art and science to create an award-winning video explaining alternative splicing.

This is a summary of a story by Carol Harbers on Duke University School of Medicine.

What do brightly colored LEGO bricks and cutting-edge genetics have in common? Just ask Duke Ph.D. student Max Bucklan.

Bucklan, a second-year student in Duke’s University Program in Genetics and Genomics and a researcher in the lab of neuroscientist Simon Gregory, created a LEGO video that transforms a highly complex area of brain tumor research into something almost anyone can understand.

The stop-motion animation project, titled “Breaking Down Brain Complexity, Brick by Brick,” won a biomedical video contest sponsored by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation.

The inspiration struck when Bucklan learned about the competition, weeks before the deadline. Drawing on his longtime interest in science and filmmaking, he used LEGO minifigures and bricks to illustrate his research on a rare pediatric brain tumor. In particular, the LEGOS depict alternative splicing, a process in which genetic instructions are assembled in different ways to produce a variety of cellular outcomes.

In Gregory’s lab, researchers use advanced RNA sequencing to map genetic activity and identify potential targets for new treatments.

For Bucklan, LEGO became more than a creative tool. It served as a bridge between specialized research and public understanding.

“I felt that using physical props to explain complex molecular biology concepts could make science more accessible to a general audience,” Bucklan said.

His mentor, Gregory, praised the project for blending art and science to make difficult concepts relatable.

“The novelty of the way he’s characterizing a devastating pediatric disease makes the work easier to relate to,” Gregory said.

The winning entry earned Bucklan a trip to New York City, publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and a $5,000 educational award.

To learn more about his project and view the video, visit Duke University School of Medicine.