Case study
Opsin Photoreception Lab
A source-driven raylib simulation of retinal isomerization, GPCR activation, and phototransduction mechanics.
Overview
An interactive visual lab for explaining how light-driven retinal state changes propagate through an opsin receptor model into downstream phototransduction signals.
Problem
Biochemical pathways are hard to reason about from prose alone. This project turns the photoreception cycle into a visible, inspectable simulation with molecular and membrane-level context.
What I Built
- A raylib visualization of membrane, transmembrane helix, retinal, transducin, PDE, cGMP, and cation-channel states.
- A visual cycle showing spectral overlap, retinal conformer state, and reset behavior from 11-cis to all-trans.
- A molecular side panel that grounds the simulation in a retinal scaffold and source identifiers.
Technologies Used
- C
- raylib
- Scientific visualization
- Biochemical modeling
- Interactive simulation
Key Technical Challenges
- Compressing a dense biological pathway into a diagram that remains legible at a glance.
- Coordinating multiple state changes so the animation reads as a coherent phototransduction cycle.
- Balancing scientific specificity with a visual model that can run as a lightweight desktop demo.
Links
What It Demonstrates
- Systems visualization
- C graphics programming
- Scientific communication
- Interactive model design