HARTFORD–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that XVIVO Scientific Animation, based in Wethersfield, has been named December’s “Innovator of the Month.” Founded in 2001, XVIVO produces medical animations to make scientific processes and research developments easier to visualize and understand. Their work includes 3D animations, educational videos, medical illustrations, and interactive science applications, including virtual reality and augmented reality. They have worked with leading researchers, institutions like the National Institutes of Health, and companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries for over 21 years.

XVIVO recently partnered with the Vaccine Makers Project, a program of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (VEC@CHOP) and Medical History Pictures (MHP), to produce two animations about how the COVID-19 vaccine fights the virus, helping to address vaccine hesitancy and misunderstanding of how mRNA vaccines work.

“We’ve been wrangling with misinformation for a while—and especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the best ways we can counter it is with clear, accessible information. XVIVO takes complicated scientific processes—like how the COVID-19 vaccine works—and turns them into easy-to-understand animations. I’m proud to recognize their innovative work, especially in addressing vaccine hesitancy,” said Murphy.

“XVIVO Scientific Animation is honored to be named Innovator of the Month by Senator Chris Murphy and appreciates the state of Connecticut’s support of the biotech sector and the digital media industry.” said Michael Astrachan, Founder and President of XVIVO. “Over the last 21 years, we’ve been proud to work with innovators across our state and globally, bringing their scientific accomplishments to life. We look forward to continuing our mission in Connecticut to innovate, educate, and inspire!”

Murphy believes entrepreneurship and innovation are the building blocks for a strong economy. In the U.S. Senate, he has introduced two bipartisan pieces of legislation to incentivize angel investors to put more money into startup companies—the Angel Tax Credit Act and the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act. Startup companies create an average of 2 million jobs each year.

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