November is Diabetes Awareness Month and the 14th November is World Diabetes Day. 2021 is a very special World Diabetes Day, as it is also the 100th year anniversary of the discovery of insulin, which has been paramount in the treatment of diabetes, and has saved millions of lives. Although diabetes is well known, many …
Repurposing or repositioning drugs is the process of using a drug that is already in use for a disease it was not initially indicated for1. There are both benefits and challenges to repurposing drugs, but in general this strategy has proved useful and has led to life-saving treatments. It has been estimated that almost 30% …
Increasing therapeutic opportunities through drug repurposing Read More »
In January 2019, scientists at the institute of neuroscience (ION) in Shanghai reported that gene-editing had been used to disable a gene in macaque monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). One of the genome-edited monkeys was then cloned to produce 5 genetically identical primates [1]. The disabled gene, BMAL1, affects the operation of the animal’s circadian rhythm, or …
A chatbot is ‘a computer program that can hold a conversation with a person, usually over the internet’ [1]. It uses artificial intelligence (AI): the use of computer systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence [2]. The development of machines simulating humans is creating a paradigm shift to effectively solve problems in …
According to Cancer Research UK, 28% of cancer patients receive chemotherapy treatment, which is around 102,760 people per year in the UK [1,2]. The most common type of chemotherapy is administration of the drugs directly into the patient’s vein (intravenous chemotherapy) and this is usually carried out in a hospital by a chemotherapy nurse [3,4]. …
VR education for safe chemotherapy drug delivery Read More »
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was recently suspended in several countries in those under the age of 60 due to concerns of very rare types of blood clotting, called cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CVST). This very rare clotting condition is associated with low blood platelets (thrombocytopenia). Last week, The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) safety committee concluded that …
The opioid crisis is another epidemic currently affecting America. In 2015 America experienced a fall in life expectancy for the first time in 100 years, which is very likely due to a huge increase in overdoses and suicide as a result of opioid addiction [1]. However, a drug called naloxone can be used as a …
How VR can be used to combat America’s opioid crisis Read More »
Telomeres are repeated sections of DNA found at the end of our chromosomes. In humans, the DNA-base sequence TTAGGG is repeated many times to make up each telomere. These telomeres are very important sections of our DNA – not only do they prevent our chromosomes from sticking to each other, but they protect important sections …
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one type of natural compound out of over 100 chemical compounds that are known as cannabinoids [1]. Cannabis plants, the source of cannabinoids, are called either hemp or marijuana, dependant of their level of one cannabinoid, in particular, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is associated with the psychoactive effects seen with cannabis use, whereas …
Is the hype around CBD warranted? Let’s look at the science. Read More »
Aging is a natural process that we all go through, which affects the appearance of our skin. Many cosmetic companies market products targeted at reducing the signs of aging: in fact, in 2018 the worldwide anti-aging product market size was valued at over $38 billion and it is predicted to increase to over $60 billion …
