Broader scholarship eligibility urged
Broader scholarship eligibility urged
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/rural-life-other/broader-scholarship-eligibility-urged
Medicinal marijuana company up for review
Craig Bunt, Otago University’s inaugural professor of agricultural innovation, said outdoor cannabis growing for medicinal purposes is a risky area, with issues around background microbial loads being one risk area.
https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/news/medicinal-marijuana-company-up-for-review/
Pink bras, corn and the intriguing political history of genetic engineering
Inaugural Professor of Agricultural Innovation at Otago University, Craig Bunt, says there has always been an approval process for GE.
“When it comes to agriculture, a lot of what we do needs approval. And so if it’s not approved, then people interpret that to mean it’s banned.”
New paper: Advancements in oral insulin: A century of research and the emergence of targeted nanoparticle strategies
Abstract
With the growing prevalence of diabetes, there is an urgent demand for a user-friendly treatment option that minimizes side effects related to the use of subcutaneous injections. Scientists have dedicated over a century to developing an oral dosage form of insulin that can be administrated orally. The oral route of administration is the most desirable route for regularly dosed drugs in terms of safety and patient compliance. However, oral delivery of insulin remains a formidable challenge due to its intrinsically limited ability to cross the intestinal epithelium membrane and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. This article reviews oral insulin research over the past decade, with a particular focus on surface modifications of nanoparticles (NPs). Various strategies involving controlling surface charges, utilizing protective proteins, and targeting specific receptors with ligands have been explored. Notably, surface modifications of the NPs for targeting specific intestinal receptors have shown promise in enhancing insulin oral absorption and bioavailability. Advanced technologies such as oral microneedles and gene therapy have also been developed, but their safety requires further assessment. Despite encouraging preclinical results across numerous strategies, the current clinical evidence is less optimistic. In summary, the present findings highlight the substantial journey that still lies ahead before achieving successful oral delivery of insulin.
Practical Applications: This review provides a summary of recent progress in oral insulin delivery, particularly highlighting surface-modified functional nanoparticles serving as an effective drug delivery system, which offers valuable information to the researchers. Due to the limited effectiveness of oral protein drugs caused by biological barriers, innovative technologies and drug delivery systems have been developed to overcome these obstacles and achieve therapeutic goals. This review concluded that surface modifications to nanoparticles can improve insulin stability and permeability, thereby enhancing oral bioavailability. It could assist researchers in developing more effective and patient-friendly oral drug delivery systems.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejlt.202300271
Free-market approaches do not sit well with science
Free markets do not respond well to things that are slow to change – we need to set deep and long-lived national research, science, and technology goals
Read here; https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/06/10/free-market-approaches-do-not-sit-well-with-science/
‘Nature’s ninjas’ could shield fruit and bees
“Nature’s ninjas” could help protect kiwifruit and bees from dangerous pathogens if new research by a team of Canterbury and Otago scientists pays off. Link to full article ‘Nature’s ninjas’ could shield fruit and bees (farmersweekly.co.nz)
Researchers seek bio weapons against pathogens
A team of researchers have been tasked to find, grow and scale production of viruses that will kill pathogens and bacteria that have an economic impact on the horticulture and bee industries. Link to full article Researchers seek bio weapons against pathogens (farmersweekly.co.nz)
