Claude Gagna

I am a Professor in the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, holding a central position as a senior biology educator in lecture and laboratory learning in the anatomical sciences. I also hold adjunct Professor positions at the Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School in the Departments of Dermatology (Medicine) and Pathology. Additionally, I am a molecular biologist, DNA nanotechnologist and inventor who produces patents, refereed conference proceedings/abstracts, book chapters, copyrighted materials, original peer-reviewed journal article publications, and obtains internal and external grants. As a 25 year faculty member at NYIT, I have spent the past few years working on a novel interdisciplinary project involving biology and art. BioArt has become very popular, and I am introducing a new approach to BioArt, namely, Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art. It involves an interdisciplinary blending of canvas art, interacting with life sciences [i.e., anatomy and DNA], namely, eye tissue preservation, and artistic design. I have always been interested in ways in which biology can be connected to art, both visually and on a DNA level. My project represents an innovative way to create art, using animal eye globes and all their parts (e.g., cornea, ocular lens, iris, retina), including external eye muscles and optic nerves. All my Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art-based materials are obtained from eyes, or eye parts, processed with my novel tissue preservation methods. These novel methods use fixation chemicals to simultaneously conserve the anatomical/morphological structures of the eye and all its internal/external parts, while ensuring that the DNA and RNA within the preserved cells is also kept intact (i.e., preventing biodeterioration). I have published peer-reviewed articles which support my claims of superior preservation of both tissue and DNA simultaneously. This academic research characterizes cellular processes that be be used to treat cancer. Preservation of tissues with intact cellular DNA, within the eyes, results in art with undamaged, unaltered DNA of the dissected eye globe, which could be extracted in the future. My work goes beyond biologically inspired art, to creating art with eye tissue-based parts, eye tissue-based paint and eye tissue extracted DNA-based paint. As a DNA research scientist and a University/Medical School Professor, who teaches the anatomical sciences and molecular biology, I wanted to unite both theses extreme ends of the scientific spectrum into single pieces of art, namely, Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art. Since art is viewed via our naked eyes, I believe that people would find the relationship between their visualizing art, and art based on eyes and DNA very interesting. My work exhibits perfectly preserved whole and partial eye morphology, and perfectly dissected eyes that display the organ in both naturally simple and aesthetically pleasing forms (e.g., flowers, flattened eyes, the double-stranded helix of DNA and chromosomes), and creative ideas based on my novel eye tissue/DNA paint. As an academic, anatomist and molecular biologist, I have worked for many years to create an interdisciplinary Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art project at home that involves the following: ● Eye tissue-based canvas paintings (e.g., ocular lens paint, retinal paint, vitreous humor paint, iris paint, whole eye paint), ● DNA-based canvas paintings (e.g., DNA extracted from ocular lens, and different eye parts), ● Biological/chemical-based paints (e.g., reagents used by histotechnologists to reveal/study/preserve DNA in tissues), ● Specific animal eye-based canvas paintings (e.g., mammals, bovine, sheep, pig, and fish). ● Petri dish art based on DNA-chemical color reactions. My canvas-based Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art uses animal eye globes, from normal and diseased ocular tissues. My Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art is based on novel cell/tissue preservation that allows for capturing the precise morphology of entire eyes, and individual parts of eye globes (such as cornea, lens, retina, iris, optic nerve, vitreous humor, choroid, ora serrata, sclera, and eye muscles). Another form of my art work involves the use of antique and new medical microscope slides with tissue sections revealing eye globes. In some cases the tissue-based paint, DNA-based paint and traditional oil/acrylic paint was mixed with biological chemicals/stains/dyes in order to add color. I created a DNA-based paint, which represents a great deal of work since I needed to obtain extremely large amounts of this tiny molecule. Sizes of eye globes in my art collection range from very small (e.g., mice) to extremely large (e.g., marlins). My Anatomical/Molecular Biology Art represents a visual preservation of eyes and its surrounding tissues, and its DNA, and has 4 intellectual components to it, namely: ● Aesthetic work of eyes and purified DNA, ● Biopreservation or biobanking (i.e., future retrieval of functional DNA from extinct species), ● Eyes are compared in order to enhance comparative anatomy and evolution,

Creation of BioArt based on a novel approach of using animal eye tissue and molecular biological techniques, that preserve DNA in tissue, to create canvas art. DNA is being positively exploited in several ways to both promote art and and conserve biodiversity. This approach preserves the genetic material of animals which might one day go extinct. DNA poems regarding social issues, such as diversity, equity and inclusion.