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Antisense oligonucleotides are commonly generated as mixtures of a vast number of stereoisomers. A scalable chemical method (p 845) now provides control over phosphorothioate stereochemistry, enabling production of antisense oligonucleotides with high stereopurity. Iwamoto et al. show that the properties of stereoisomers vary substantially depending on their stereochemistry, with some mediating better target RNA cleavage than a mixture of stereorandom isomers. Image credit: Eric D. Smith
Funders need to pay more attention to research aimed at increasing the shelf life of human organs. Doing so could pay dividends for both transplantation and basic research.
Examining the types of claim amendments that have transformed isolated gene claims from patent-ineligible into eligible subject matter provides clarity into the threshold of eligibility for gene-related patents.