CFTR Demonstrator

Interactual in partnership with The Culture Experiment, held a creative workshop at Vertex in Munich to develop a concept for a Kinetic Demonstration of the effect of their ALYFTREK and Trikafta triple-combination therapy drugs.

The chosen concept shows a representation of a cell membrane with chloride ions represented by red foam balls. During a demonstration CFTR channels are opened allowing the chloride ions to pass through the membrane until equilibrium is achieved inside and outside of the cell pictured. As each additional channel is opened an infographic lights up indicating the changing status of the condition.

Interactual built early rigs (one pictured) to test that the concept was achievable. The demonstrator was given a test outing at a small event in Leipzig where it was found to be extremely sensitive to low humidity levels resulting in static build up that directly and radically affected the demonstration.

Interactual resolved this issue by :-

• Grounding non-visible surfaces over which air flows through the application of copper tape

• Matching contact materials on the Triboelectric scales to the EVA balls (the screen material is PET and the screen-printed graphic backdrops were printed onto a PET self-adhesive substrate mounted onto grounded copper sheet)

• Installing ionisation curtain bars (used for static management on production lines). This works by creating a flood of positively and negatively charged particles (ions) in the air, which then neutralize any static charge on all the internal surfaces in the closed loop air flow system.

The demonstrator has now been shown at Cystic Fibrosis and Respiratory congresses throughout Europe in 2025 and it is planned that it will be used again at events throughout 2026.