A pre-med student in New York City is taking microscopic images of diseases and other biological structures and turning them into prints for her innovative new athletic apparel and accessories line. Lizzie Cochran, a student at Columbia University, has launched a KickStarter campaign to fund her upcoming fashion line Epidemia Designs, which she came up with after spending days upon days staring at cells through microscopes in her biology classes, and then spotting an article on epidemics that displayed images of deadly diseases from recent history. 'The one that jumped out at me was the flu of 1918 virus,' Lizzie told Today. 'It was one of the most devastating epidemics in the history of the world, but there on the page, colored with dyes, it just looked incredible, interesting and vibrant.' Scroll down for video . From the microscope to the mat: Proposed clothing line Epidemia will take images from biology and print them on eye-catching active apparel . Picture of health: Among the designs is a sports bra showing images from a healthy mammogram . Lizzie, who will be returning to her native Texas for medical school in the fall at University of Texas San Antonio, was soon mocking up ideas for clothing incorporating the beautiful and unique imagery she'd seen on slides during her classes. Using mirroring, Photoshop and kaleidoscope effects, each biological subject was turned into an eye-catching pattern that could be printed on fabric. The designs in the line include scarves printed with rabies and chicken pox patterns, a flu of 1918 tote bag and yoga pants depicting polio, muscle cells and rabies. The patterns will also be available for printing on iPhone cases after the company, which has already raised $13,798, reaches its $15,000 crowdfunding goal. In her design work, Lizzie also began to see the potential for changing perceptions of infectious diseases, as well as the relatively apathy towards them that results in the preventable deaths of 1.5 million children per year simply because they haven't been vaccinated. The brains of the outfit: Pre-med student Lizzie Cochran came up with the idea for the fashion line after studying biology under a microscope . Giving 'cell phone' a whole new meaning: Epidemia will offer phone cases with eye catching patterns from microscopic images including that of heart tissue, chicken pox and polio . From the Petri dish to the yoga pant: Epidemia legging,s like the pair featuring a lung x-ray design pictured, will initially be priced at around $75 . 'Frankly, it's unacceptable,' Lizzie told Today. 'It's not like we're trying to solve an unsolvable problem. We really have the power to lead the way toward a healthier future. We already have the tools.' With this idea in mind, Lizzie is promising to send 15 per cent of the profits to funding projects aimed at limiting the impact of preventable diseases such as polio, rubella and hepatitis, as well as expanding medical care access around the globe. Now, with an expanding team - and an exploding online following - Epidemia's goal of $15,000 has nearly been reached, meaning the line is just on the cusp of going into production. Team Epidemia: Based on the strength of her idea, Lizzie has enlisted a new VP of retail, Taylor Newby (third from right), and several friends as models for the project . Showing off their muscles: The Kickstarter campaign to produce the clothing for the public has nearly reached its goal of $15,000 . The first group of designs lined up will be called 'She's Got It' will have the theme of beauty in a woman's body and will feature images of brain, nerve, heart and epithelial (stomach). Aside from bringing awareness of preventable diseases to the forefront, the 'She's Got It' line has its own unique purpose. 'We hope women will wear these clothes and feel empowered to join the discussions of public health, science and technology that are so vital to our world,' Lizzie explained. 'Our hope is that our stylish, feminine, fun, and most importantly, interesting designs will appeal to girls of all ages - and maybe encourage them to get involved in the scientific community.'
Pre-med student Lizzie Cochran has created clothing and accessories influenced by the microscopic structure of anatomy and disease .
She has set up a KickStarter campaign to fund her venture, called Epidemia Designs, and has nearly reached her goal of $15,000 .
15 per cent of profits will go to projects aiming to lower the impact of preventable diseases around the world .