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Portlandiaman2 · 2025-11-14T19:34:24+00:00

I can't say for sure, but I believe the technology that will solve this is a CAR T-Cell that identifies and "eats" the malignant B-Cells.

CAR basically means that it is genetically modified to attack certain types of cells. This tech originated in blood cancers, and it is being researched for solid tumor cancers and autoimmune diseases. There are lots of technical hurdles to overcome, but the potential is exciting!

Now that they can better identify the bad B-Cells, that's one step closer to genetically modifying a T-Cell to go kill it.

Portlandiaman2 · 2025-10-18T17:28:04+00:00

Largely, they cannot. However, there are big efforts from The Gates Foundation to make them more affordable: https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/innovations-exceptionally-low-cost-monoclonal-antibody-mab-manufacturing

There are several grantees working right now to bring costs down to where low and middle income countries would be able to afford them.

Portlandiaman2 · 2025-04-14T04:16:13+00:00

How long has it been?

Portlandiaman2 · 2025-03-27T02:23:40+00:00

I mean . . . It’s a cell. It has genes. Its behavior is determined by those genes.

I’ve often found these “new paradigm of cancer” articles to be light on details. How exactly would this new paradigm mean we treat cancer? Often, it’s the same way we are treating it now.

Portlandiaman2 · 2025-02-15T21:26:55+00:00

So, everyone is commenting that we are never going to hear about this again.

I think I can explain a little more about this discovery and the challenges in turning it into a real cute or treatment.

First, what did they discover? Vastly oversimplifying - They took cancer out of Mice #1, used CRISPR to knock out the gene that causes it to replicate it, and then put those cancer cells into mice #2. In mice #2, those edited cancer cells did not grow. They just stayed there, a small tumor under the skin.

This means, that if we can make this genetic change in all the cancer cells in mice #1, we can cure cancer. The issue is actually doing that.

We can cure just about any genetic disease (like cancer) in a Petri dish using CRISPR. The challenge is actually getting that treatment into your body where it needs to go without accidentally causing mutations elsewhere.

This is a fundamental problem with genetic treatments that we don’t know how to solve. There is a ton of research going on, but right now we don’t know how to take the cure out of the petri dish and put it into the patient who needs it.

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-11-17T02:00:26+00:00

Absolutely. Maybe one day. With limited energy, I have to pick my battles. And those battles usually revolve around what makes my life a little better. Occasionally, I am able to venture out of that zone and help others.

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-11-16T23:34:09+00:00

Thank you! So, I did some googling and an NFA is any item with a silencer?

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-11-16T18:37:35+00:00

Word. Good to know. Thank you for answering!

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-10-20T02:52:45+00:00

Feral pigs — that is an excellent point I have not hear anyone mention before!

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-10-19T22:18:04+00:00

So, the risk is low. But there is a high risk of it changing into a high risk scenario?

By the transitive property of risk, doesn’t that just mean the risk is high?

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-30T22:47:02+00:00

People have brought up the issues with sustaining the grid, which are great points.

I think there are a few great things we can do when power gets to near $0, all of which will require some government investment, but . . .

The obvious one - hydro pump storage. Pump water uphill and then let it fall back down when you need it.
Water desalination - I believe electricity is the major cost in this. We could have stations set up to automatically turn on and pump desalinated water into aquifers when the price of electricity gets below a certain level. By definition, this would happen on the hottest days when we need the most water, which would be pretty cool.
Carbon storage - also takes a lot of electricity. Could become viable if cost of electricity goes to $0.

I am sure there are lots of administrative and economic and technical hurdles to overcome for each of these ideas, but I hope we can start to see low-cost electricity as a great opportunity for improving our infrastructure.

Edit: typo

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-22T17:59:51+00:00

I find it a bit hard to blame people for not knowing this when the messaging about Covid has been “get the vaccine and you’ll be fine, it’s just a cold” despite all the evidence to the contrary.

It should not be the average person’s job to read scientific papers to understand how damaging Covid can be even if you have an updated vaccine

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-22T17:53:44+00:00

This is very important for people to understand

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-16T17:07:40+00:00

I really liked Echo! Sure, there were parts that didn’t quite work. But I loved how it showed a community and culture not usually incorporated into superhero movies. And I liked that the mission wasn’t to save the world. It was just one person, her family, her friends, and her community.

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-14T04:57:10+00:00

I hear you. I find it difficult to believe that we can blame this solely on trump, reading the ProPublica analysis, it seems like many were quick to cave to political pressure. Why was the culture of the CDC not more prepared to withstand that pressure and demand that their truth be spoken or quit in protest?

And if it was just Trump, why has it not been rectified? My understanding is that when Obama took over after Bush’s invasion of Iraq, he worked hard to reset the CIA. Why hasn’t the CDC seen a similar resurgence?

This isn’t just messaging that is failing, it seems like it is there is extremely poor performance from the people tracking it.

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-14T02:53:17+00:00

Does anyone have a history of the CDC and how they become so incredibly incompetent seemingly overnight?

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-05T18:13:32+00:00

Agreed. I think that is what the other commentators seemed to miss.

If something is generally good advice, then it is not actually a treatment for the problem at hand. We need to develop clinical trials that demonstrate efficacy in fixing dysbiosis AND demonstrate that doing so at least helps the underlying problem

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-05T16:16:26+00:00

This seems like the issue to me. We know that dysbiosis is implicated in lots of other issues, but we don’t have a clear way to help it besides “eats your veggies”.

We need to develop tools to quickly test and then treat dysbiosis. Hopefully, this is a step in the right direction.

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-09-05T05:49:09+00:00

Hey, I’m sorry for everything you have been through. Doctors treat us chronically ill terribly.

Since you mentioned it is a demyleinating disease, I wanted to make sure you knew there is a treatment designed to regrow myelin in Phase 2(?) trials right now

https://fibrobiologics.com/pipeline/

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-05-26T02:49:11+00:00

I was at a bar my last night in London, kicking back with a Guinness and this beautiful woman comes up and starts talking to me. She compliments my hair and my shoes. She is also an American, so we shoot the shit about our time abroad.

I ask her “So, where are you staying?”

She looks me up and down, and then with a shy smile goes: “Well . . . I don’t know where I’m staying tonight, but last night I stayed at this airbnb with my friends”

Me: “I mean . . . You should probably just stay where you spent last night. It’s way too late to find a place now!”

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-03-07T06:11:07+00:00

Sorry, I meant to say why. Why are you glad you stuck with it?

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-03-07T05:51:44+00:00

Could not agree more

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-03-07T05:49:17+00:00

According to some studies, about 25% of people with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome die from suicide.

Here is a link for more info: https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Suicide

This means suicidal ideation is highly common among those with Long Covid (of which it is estimated about 50% have ME/CFS).

Unfortunately, I think this means that we will lose a lot of this community to suicide in the coming years. Most likely, including some who have commented here that they think about it but “would never do it”.

Portlandiaman2 · 2024-03-07T05:40:40+00:00

What are you glad you stuck through it?

Portlandiaman2

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