Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
At-Home HIV Test
I just read
an article today about a new HIV test that can be taken in your own home. This
product was endorsed by a group of people in the Food and Drug Administration. The
significant thing about this test is that it only takes twenty minutes and you
don’t need to take a trip to a clinic to get tested for HIV. This incredible
new HIV test was created in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
by a company called Orasure. The new test has been accurate
ninety three percent of the time. This means that out of 50,000 people, 3,800
people have a chance of not getting accurate results. Although 3,800 people may
not get accurate results, this still means that 45,000 people will get accurate
results that they may have HIV.
In my
opinion, this new HIV test is incredible. First, it is cheap. Even though it is
not something you can buy from your local pharmacy yet, you can still buy it
from your doctor. The price is around twenty dollars. Next, it can save you
money because people don’t need to guzzle gas and go to a clinic to get an HIV
test. Also, it doesn’t take a long time to take this test. This test gives results in only twenty minutes. Lastly, it is a test that you don’t have to send
to a lab. All other at-home HIV tests have to be sent back to a lab to get
tested.
Article:
Picture:
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Drugs for Humans Grown in Plant Cells
Today, I read an article about a new drug for humans that was approved by
the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. The cool thing about this new drug is
that it was genetically created into a plant cell. This is the first drug made
like this that was approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. The drug
that was put into these plant cells is called Elelyso. Elelyso is a treatment
for a disorder called Gaucher disease. This disease is a lysosomes storage
disorder that can cause lung disease, easy bruising, and seizures. This amazing
drug was accepted on Wednesday June 2, 2012. Even though this idea of using
plant cells to make human enzymes isn’t the first, it shows that the FDA may
allow future “bio-pharmed treatments”.
I feel that by getting the trust of the FDA, scientists can create more
treatments using plant cells. By doing this, people will be able to receive treatments
for diseases and disorders much faster. This will save time and money for
treatments. Also, more and more drugs can be generated in plant cells and then
given to patients. This process will make treatments easier for doctors and
patients. Lastly, this gives another treatment option to patients.
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