As much as we love the idea of DIY, we can't deny that sometimes it conflicts with certain fields, and one of them is medicine. Is it a good idea to create our own medications or develop homemade vaccines? A group of “citizen scientists” associated with Harvard University thinks so, and has just published under a Creative Commons license a “preventive vaccine” to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 and its disease COVID-19…
Medicine and DIY: A Tricky Relationship
All it takes is a couple of minutes with a doctor to realize that health professionals don't look kindly on self-medication. However, even the harshest scoldings haven't managed to stop the general public from obtaining and using medications that are technically sold by prescription. One of the most common examples is amoxicillin, almost always accompanied by over-the-counter painkillers. It shouldn't be in our medicine cabinets… but.
Basically, what we've discovered is a logical resistance to people “doing medicine on their own”, and that's not limited to taking medications. We also find multiple conflicts between the open source community and respirator manufacturers. On one hand, they demand diagrams and specifications for low-cost repairs and other maintenance tasks, and on the other, they fiercely refuse to provide such information citing legal reasons. If a patient dies while connected to a modified respirator, the subsequent lawsuit could destroy a company.
The DIY Vaccine Proposal
And so we come to vaccines. COVID-19 is giving us a beating. Dozens of projects around the world are looking to develop an effective vaccine, or alternatively, a treatment that helps moderate its impact. Between the cost per dose and doubts about its availability, the process will be long, maybe too long. That has set in motion different groups attempting to create alternative solutions, and one of them is RaDVaC, formed by “citizen scientists” with links to Harvard University. What's their proposal? A DIY vaccine.
It is a vaccine that can be prepared and administered by the user themselves, and only requires five components: epitope peptides, chitosan, sodium triphosphate, sodium chloride, and water. These scientists were the first volunteers to test the vaccine, although the official document highlights several conditions. The most important: It is a preventive vaccine, not a therapeutic one. That means it won't be useful for someone already infected, and it should be used “weeks before” exposure to the virus.
Important Warnings and Limitations
The vaccine also doesn't equate to a clinical trial, and as expected, it doesn't have approval from any government agency. Finally, the document makes no promises about the vaccine's performance, nor guarantees its effectiveness, while also stating that it “does not constitute nor replace a doctor's opinion”. The text includes a list of possible risks, but its creators say that after months of testing, the worst they've found is a bit of nasal congestion (it's not injectable, but administered as a nasal spray).
The document spans 48 pages. If you want to download it, the link is below.
Access the document (PDF, English): Click here
https://old.neoteo.com/como-construir-un-respirador-con-filtro-de-aire-de-bajo-costo/
