Uncovering Primary Hyperoxaluria

Client: Dicerna Pharmaceuticals

Mechanism of Disease Showcased in a Unique Way

5+ years in use

3 different versions created for different marketing teams

Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) is a rare genetic disorder that can cause life-threatening kidney damage in people of all ages. In PH, dysfunctional genes in the liver cause the overproduction of oxalate, a compound the size of a grain of sand, which accumulates into crystals that eventually form kidney stones to devastating effect. VUE was tasked with bringing the mechanism of disease to life in a video to be used at several congresses prelaunch.

Marketing Insight

Because the oxalates were sand-like, we leveraged that metaphor to create a video concept that was a beautiful mix of creative thinking and medical expertise to highlight what was happening in the body of a person with PH.

Solution

Mechanism of action or mechanism of disease videos are all about science 99% of the time. For primary hyperoxaluria, we used sand art because it’s attention-grabbing and a beautiful art form and because it made sense conceptually. This film was a fusion of real-life footage of a person making sand art and 3D animation. A closeup of the hands, falling sand, and the mesmerizing process of the art being formed helped us build curiosity. As the voice-over talked about the disease and how it affects people, the sand artist helped us bring the story to life. Various camera angles revealed the sand art of a boy and multiple organs affected by primary hyperoxaluria.

To highlight the severity of this disease, we combined the unique sand art visuals with medically accurate 3D-rendered graphics of cytoplasm and blood flowing through the body to deposit the calcium oxalate crystals in the eyes, heart, bones, and skin.

To add to what made this project unique, this request was at the heart of the pandemic, so the client, agency, and artists working in the studio never met in person. Everything was done virtually.

CAPABILITIES PROVIDED/CAMPAIGN DELIVERABLES
- Mechanism of disease video production
  - Medical script writing and storyboarding
  - Vendor coordination
  - Artist talent search and liaising
- Persona-based customized disease state landing page