Nanoengineered Lotion Delivers Gene Therapy Through the Skin
It uses agglomerations of nucleic acids, each about 1,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. When dispersed in a topical lotion, the nucleic acid clumps can breach all the skin’s layers. Once they’re inside the cells, they can selectively turn off disease-causing genes. The acid agglomerates can distinguish between healthy and mutant genes, like those that can cause cancer.
The acid clumps are actually small interfering RNA, also known as siRNA, which can regulate gene activity. They are highly customizable, and can be programmed to target a specific gene. In this case, the researchers studied epidermal growth factor receptor, which is associated with certain types of cancer. The RNA particles surround a tiny gold nanoparticle, forming a dense sphere. The resulting “nanostructure” can break through the skin entirely, and the RNAs broke down the EGFR gene.
Outfits like NimbleTV and Aereo want to finally fulfill the promise of web TV. But disrupting the massive home-entertainment industry won’t be easy. (via The future of TV (maybe) - Fortune Tech)
The Algorithm Didn’t Like My Essay
This spring, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation sponsored a competition to see how well algorithms submitted by professional data scientists and amateur statistics wizards could predict the scores assigned by human graders. The winners were announced last month — and the predictive algorithms were eerily accurate.
Full Story: New York Times
Fresh teen ass.
The lower Manhattan skyline is seen behind the Space Shuttle Enterprise, being transported on a barge to dock at Weeks Marine in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, for a four-day journey to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York June 3, 2012. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
PHOTOS: Enterprise on the Hudson
This is where I’ll be when the zombies come. — Tanya
I could kiss you for hours.