ISC Tube 2026 Winner: Ollie’s HILIC Adventure

How six hours, a few AI tools, and sprinkle of chromatography humor produced Jonathan Maurer and Megane Aebischer’s winning entry for ISC Tube 2026

October 9, 2026
2 min

The Analytical Scientist

Overview

University of Geneva researchers Jonathan Maurer and Megane Aebischer won first place in the ISC Tube 2026 competition with a short video explaining oligonucleotide retention in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC). They used generative AI tools and simple editing software to create the video in about six hours, despite having no prior video-production experience.

Background

HILIC is a chromatographic technique, and the winning video focused on explaining how oligonucleotides are retained using this method. The ISC Tube competition invites scientists to communicate chromatography through short, creative videos, with winners selected by live audience voting. The 2026 competition took place during the 35th International Symposium on Chromatography in Prague on September 6–10. The researchers said their group works on oligonucleotide retention in HILIC, which prompted them to enter.

Data Highlights

Item	Reported detail
Competition	ISC Tube 2026
Result	First place
Researchers	Jonathan Maurer and Megane Aebischer, University of Geneva
Video subject	Oligonucleotide retention in HILIC
Production time	About six hours
Symposium dates and location	September 6–10, 2026; Prague

Key Findings

Maurer and Aebischer received first place in the ISC Tube 2026 competition.
Their video aimed to explain the retention mechanism of oligonucleotides in HILIC in an entertaining way.
The researchers had no prior experience directing, producing, or editing videos.
They used ChatGPT to generate character images and Gemini to create sequences, using prompts and reference images to maintain consistency between scenes.
They assembled sequences, transitions, and voice-over with simple editing software; the process took about six hours.
The researchers identified developing ideas and jokes as the most difficult part and advised other scientists to start with an idea, some time, and motivation to try.

Clinical Implications

The article describes a science-communication project rather than a clinical study and reports no patient outcomes or treatment recommendations. Its findings concern the researchers’ approach to creating an explanatory chromatography video, not the clinical use of oligonucleotide therapeutics.

Conclusion

Maurer and Aebischer’s winning ISC Tube entry used a short, AI-assisted video to communicate oligonucleotide retention in HILIC. The researchers reported completing it in about six hours despite having no previous video-production experience.