Articles by Sean
What’s the Big Deal About Gene Therapy? From the First Approvals to CRISPR
For decades, gene therapy was one of medicine’s most tantalizing promises: instead of treating the symptoms of a genetic disease, fix the genetic problem itself. In 2017, that promise finally started to become reality. Today, doctors can supply working genes, reprogram a patient’s immune cells or edit DNA directly, and some treatments now have years of follow-up. But these advances come with practical questions: can the treatment reach the right cells, how long will it work, what risks might emerge later, and who can afford it? […]
The Rise and Fall of Tributyltin as an Anti-Fouling Agent
A long-standing area of research is that of stannanes, also known as organotin compounds. First discovered almost 200 years ago, they continue to be relevant in industry and academia today. Although the mono- and tetra- substituted derivatives of tin are relatively non-toxic, di- and especially tri- organotin compounds are extremely toxic and can have serious adverse effects on the human body as well as the environment. This has been well-studied in the case of tributyltin, an anti-fouling agent that has since been banned. […]
How To Decide Between Liquid or Gas Chromatography
Chromatography is a technique used by scientists throughout all disciplines. Many different chromatography techniques exist, each catered to a specific type of analyte. That’s because the principle behind it is simple, the separation of a mixture of compounds into individual components based on their physical or chemical properties. Arguably the most popular options are liquid and gas chromatography, in which the mobile phase is either a liquid solvent or an inert gas, respectively. […]
How A Dose Of Iodine Could Kill You (Or Save Your Life)
Ever since the advent of nuclear warfare during World War II, the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction continuously makes its way into headlines. The devastation that nuclear reactions can achieve is undeniable. However, their effects can propagate beyond the immediacy of blast damage and thermal radiation. Another danger lurks in the form of radioactive isotopes, such as iodine-131, with the threat of both short and long-term adverse health effects. […]
Basics of Infrared Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is not only an important part of a scientist’s arsenal but also a big part of everyday life. Take a moment to appreciate that the myriads of colors in dyes and paints are made possible by chemical compounds that possess certain spectral characteristics, or how the chemical composition of distant galaxies can be characterized based on their observed spectra. In this tutorial, we will be discussing how infrared spectroscopy works, along with its applications. […]
Sean is a consultant for clients in the pharmaceutical industry and is a lecturer at a local university, where unfortunate undergrads are subject to his ramblings on chemistry and pharmacology.