Antisense oligonucleotides are playing large roles in disease prevention.

Throughout the course of oligonucleotide history, major improvements and discoveries have been made in molecular biology that have allowed antisense therapy to thrive. This has allowed researchers to thrive in understanding diseases at the molecular level, which has essentially facilitated the development of new drugs based on a rational design. This has opened up thousands of possibilities and is only the foundation of what is yet to come.

Antisense Therapy

biomedical-researchAntisense therapy is the application of rational design based on the concept of oligonucleotide chemistry. Zamenick and Stephenson were the first to illustrate this idea and present it to the world when they demonstrated that oligonucleotides could inhibit the replication of the Rous sarcoma in the body’s cellular system. Because of this principle, it allowed researchers to approach antisense in a simple way: inhibit the expression of a targeted gene at the RNA level and attaining complimentary oligonucleotides will follow. These are what are called antisense oligonucleotides, which block the expression of the protein that is encoded by the target RNA or synthetic DNA. If the inhibited proteins are the ones related to disease, then those oligonucleotides become a new class of drugs.

With the combination of both RNA and DNA synthesis in the cellular body, there are several reactions that occur that allow scientists to gain insightful data on to how the antisense oligonucleotide can overall affect a disease. This continues to be researched as antisense therapy continues to make a mark in the medical field, with impending breakthroughs just waiting to occur.

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Therapeutic device coatings continue to help patients in a variety of ways.

medical-deviceEver since the introduction of therapeutic medical device coatings, there have been enhanced functionalities of devices that were never possible due to restrictions. Some of these new product categories have improved patient outcomes, increased the duration of therapy, and delivered a combination of beneficial health factors that have overall transcended the medical field.

Coatings Play a Large Role in Healthcare

The beneficial effect of these coatings is determined through the therapeutic agent and the material of choice that is going to be coated. The means by which these coatings are applied to the medical device also play an integral role in the effectiveness of the agent.

Medical Device Coating Benefits

Thanks to the sputter deposition system in which these coatings are made possible, the industry has made possible the delivery of a wide range of drugs and the ability to elicit a wide range of tissue responses in patients. For example, a device that is highly prone to infection will benefit from a coating that will deliver antimicrobial drugs to stop foreign cell growth while the device remains relatively undetected as it enters the human body. Another example would be for a device that calls for a coating that provides a surface where cells can easily attach and grow on. By working this in conjunction with medication, it can impact and substantially increase the effects of the treatment, therefore providing a boost in one’s wellness and health.

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gigatech2Virtual and Augmented Reality are hot in tech circles right now. Unfortunately there are very few accessible VR platforms right now. The Oculus Rift requires high end computer hardware, the Playstation VR will require both a Playstation and the headset and the HTC Vive will have its own requirements and hardware. The most accessible virtual reality system has been the Samsung Gear VR, but that is only limited to a handful of Samsung phones.

Google aims to fix this by building out another platform on Android for VR, and it is called Daydream:

“On top of Android N, we’ve built a new platform for high quality mobile VR called Daydream. Together with Android manufacturers, we’re working on upcoming phones, and sharing designs with them for a VR viewer and controller that will be really immersive, comfortable and intuitive to use. Your favorite apps and games will be coming to Daydream too, including Google’s—like YouTube, Street View, Play Movies, Google Photos and the Play Store. More to come this fall.”

This could be the next step that virtual reality has needed to take off with the public:

“Daydream is very much our platform for virtual reality,” says Clay Bavor head of Google VR, not just a headset. The whole project is based on the premise that Google can shape every part of the VR experience, from individual smartphone components to the Android interface itself. “We knew what each [part] was going to look like as we were designing it. Nothing had to be a bolt-on,” he says. And if the phones contain all the tech, the headset itself doesn’t need “extra gizmos” like the Gear VR’s high-accuracy motion tracker. “It can just focus on being light and having great optics.”

Daydream’s remote control, which must ship with any headset, is also fairly simple. A white oblong that Bavor says feels “kind of like a pebble,” its built-in sensors let it detect rotation and (to a more limited extent) movement, allowing users to navigate the interface by using it as a laser pointer. “One of the first things we learn how to do as kids is point, right?” says Bavor. “And analog input — as opposed to buttons for doing things, buttons for aiming — it’s something that everyone gets.”

We can expect all upcoming flagship phones with Android N to have support built in.


gigatech1The Amazon Echo has been one of the most talked about and praised product from Amazon in tech circles. It is a digital assistant that uses voice to interact with you and perform simple tasks. These tasks can be anything from reminders to playing music from Spotify. Unconfirmed reports say that Amazon has sold as many as three million of units of the Echo.

Now Google is entering the game with Google Home. A unit that is similar to the Echo, but smaller and one that comes in different colors. From Google:

“Google Home is a voice-activated product that brings the Google assistant to any room in your house. It lets you enjoy entertainment, manage everyday tasks, and get answers from Google—all using conversational speech. With a simple voice command, you can ask Google Home to play a song, set a timer for the oven, check your flight, or turn on your lights. It’s designed to fit your home with customizable bases in different colors and materials. Google Home will be released later this year.”

It will be one of the many products that will use the Google Assistant:

“The assistant is conversational—an ongoing two-way dialogue between you and Google that understands your world and helps you get things done. It makes it easy to buy movie tickets while on the go, to find that perfect restaurant for your family to grab a quick bite before the movie starts, and then help you navigate to the theater. It’s a Google for you, by you.

The assistant is an ambient experience that will work seamlessly across devices and contexts. So you can summon Google’s help no matter where you are or what the context. It builds on all our years of investment in deeply understanding users’ questions.”

So far there are no indications of pricing or availability.