Bitcoiners' Novel Approach to Find Cure for COVID-19: Biohacking

[Darker45]

Calling the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a "potential hindrance" in urgently finding a vaccine that is capable of fighting COVID-19, a group of anonymous bitcoiners are now trying to take things into their own hands, disregarding the pharmaceuticals and FDA on the process.

According to the spokesperson of the group naming itself CoroHope:

FDA-compliant manufacturing is absurdly overregulated: paperwork for the paperwork, quadruple-checking, endless committees … just the worst of bureaucracy. So we can be more nimble.

Furthermore, the group is aware that whatever vaccine they would come up with may have a tiny chance of working. But that tiny chance is enough for them to pursue it and invest on it. But resources is something they also need, that is why they are also asking for donations. As others may naturally think of this as a potential scam, some personalities from the Bitcoin community are vouching for the anonymous group. Mark Friedenbach of Blockstream assures that "It is not a scam."

But would you give your trust to unknown Bitcoin fans bypassing the necessary agencies tasked to make sure drugs administered to people are properly checked and are safe to use? Bitcoin Core contributor, Bryan Bishop, left after 2 days of joining the biohacking initiative because "There's just too much liability."

Well, personally, I am torn between the greedy pharmaceutical companies and their red-tape and bribe-ridden partner-in-crime, FDA, and the reliability of an anonymous group's biohacking project.

Is this endeavor worth your donation? Is this kind of initiative which is too delicate even worth supporting?

Source:
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoiners-are-biohacking-a-diy-coronavirus-vaccine?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=Events&utm_content=Register&utm_campaign=FATF

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[Ucy]

Depends on the reasons for the pharmaceuticals & FDA processes, and how effective/good and safe they are. I think you could actually do things much better, quicker, safer and possiblee with good results if the process(which I assume are good/safe) are replicated on a self-regulated, truely decentralized networks.  In my opinion, it's quite risky for this to be done without rules and in secrecy. Would they take the risk if there is guaranteed consequences for careless mistakes?
They should be really transparent, open to the public when necessary, involve proven professionals for guidance and regulate themselves (self-regulation I guess). I am very OK with the anonymity as long as they can be held accountable for careless mistakes

[The Sceptical Chymist]

Well, personally, I am torn between the greedy pharmaceutical companies and their red-tape and bribe-ridden partner-in-crime, FDA, and the reliability of an anonymous group's biohacking project.

People tend to hate big pharma companies, and part of me doesn't blame them in the least--but it's hard to deny that they've produced some pretty good medicines over the years (and some serious duds as well).  Personally, I'd rather live in a world with multiple pharmaceutical companies competing with one another in a system of capitalism than a world without them. 

I don't think the FDA, CDC, or any other agency involved in fighting the coronavirus outbreak is being a hindrance.  I'm sure things aren't being done as quickly or efficiently as people would like, but that's life.  They've got the scientists who know what they're doing, so I say let them do their jobs.

Not sure where crypto comes into play, but this thread makes me think of Gridcoin.  Not sure if many people even know about it, but it's kind of a cool concept, where you earn gridcoins by loaning out your CPU/GPU to science projects that need computing power.  It made me think about whether a vaccine or some other piece of basic virology research could be aided by something like GRC.  Anyway, I'm not hyping GRC and don't own any--it just came to mind when reading OP's post.

[hatshepsut93]

I don't think the FDA, CDC, or any other agency involved in fighting the coronavirus outbreak is being a hindrance.  I'm sure things aren't being done as quickly or efficiently as people would like, but that's life.  They've got the scientists who know what they're doing, so I say let them do their jobs.

Right, regulations and rules often exist for a good reason, especially in such a dangerous field as biology. No way I would take a DIY vaccine made by some "biohackers", there's so many things that can go wrong with it. And how would they get samples of the virus in the first place? They can easily contribute to the spread of the virus if they aren't careful, or in the worst case scenario even cause it to mutate into a more dangerous form.

[dothebeats]

Idk. At this point, the common goal of everyone is to find a vaccine capable of tackling down the virus regardless of their differences. Big pharma, independent research teams, FDA.. you name it, that's just the common goal. Now, I agree at their sentiments that there's just too much process involved in taking the necessary actions to start working on the vaccine. And at some point it got me to thinking that these big pharma companies are waiting for the virus to spread even worse before they release the vaccine to people, but that's just me every time I wear my tinfoil hat.

Now it would be interesting if the biohacking group comes first with the vaccine and it works out pretty well. This will be a big slap to the pharmaceutical industry and the government as a whole.

But would you give your trust to unknown Bitcoin fans bypassing the necessary agencies tasked to make sure drugs administered to people are properly checked and are safe to use? Bitcoin Core contributor, Bryan Bishop, left after 2 days of joining the biohacking initiative because "There's just too much liability."

I would love to know the reasons of Bishop as to why he left the initiative. For one, I am thinking of the capabilities of the involved scientists who will be working on the project, plus their equipment and their laboratories. Vaccines of the novel type of viruses are hard to create, especially if little to none is known about its nature etc.

[DarkDays]

There is a reason for all the bureaucracy.

If you pump the vaccines out before they are properly tested then you could induce much worst symptoms than the Coronavirus itself produces.

There have been cases where vaccines and even standard antivirals have produced such a strong immune response than the patient goes into shock or suffers sepsis.

Obviously these potential side effects would be unacceptable against a virus that only has a slight chance of killing.

We need to take our time with the vaccine, the immune system is not something that should be tampered with lightly.

[pooya87]

i'm sorry but this looks like a bunch of opportunists who have seen a way to make some money using the current drama  that is going on all around the world. besides what do "bitcoiners", bitcoin core devs,... know about medicine anyways? they better stick to things they have knowledge in and let other experts in other fields do their jobs.
and what's up with the anonymity?!!! that is another red flag for me that makes say this is just money grab project.

[Tipstar]

With such intensity of the pandemic, it would be wiser to let the officially recognized routes to look for a vaccine than organizing a crowdfund. We can raise a fund to provide for the labs that are already working for it or even to provide for test kit and mask for the places needing the most, buying the time is the best thing we can do. The vaccines trial has already started and if you are daring enough, you can even volunteer for it.

[fiulpro]

According to the stats , Canada have already found the Corona Virus vaccine, the animal testing was successful and now they are going to test on humans.

Even many other countries are very close to developing the vaccine , I do think that it would be good if instead of going other ways people can collaborate with each other.
This would drastically increase the efficiency and decrease the Makin time , so I do think maybe one can help them instead of going another way.

[camito]

Calling the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a "potential hindrance" in urgently finding a vaccine that is capable of fighting COVID-19, a group of anonymous bitcoiners are now trying to take things into their own hands, disregarding the pharmaceuticals and FDA on the process.

According to the spokesperson of the group naming itself CoroHope:

FDA-compliant manufacturing is absurdly overregulated: paperwork for the paperwork, quadruple-checking, endless committees … just the worst of bureaucracy. So we can be more nimble.

Furthermore, the group is aware that whatever vaccine they would come up with may have a tiny chance of working. But that tiny chance is enough for them to pursue it and invest on it. But resources is something they also need, that is why they are also asking for donations. As others may naturally think of this as a potential scam, some personalities from the Bitcoin community are vouching for the anonymous group. Mark Friedenbach of Blockstream assures that "It is not a scam."

But would you give your trust to unknown Bitcoin fans bypassing the necessary agencies tasked to make sure drugs administered to people are properly checked and are safe to use? Bitcoin Core contributor, Bryan Bishop, left after 2 days of joining the biohacking initiative because "There's just too much liability."

Well, personally, I am torn between the greedy pharmaceutical companies and their red-tape and bribe-ridden partner-in-crime, FDA, and the reliability of an anonymous group's biohacking project.

Is this endeavor worth your donation? Is this kind of initiative which is too delicate even worth supporting?

Source:
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoiners-are-biohacking-a-diy-coronavirus-vaccine?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=Events&utm_content=Register&utm_campaign=FATF

Money is really the root of all evil. Money can make people go nuts and may be someone who doesn't care at all. Personally, I think when it comes to saving humanity, one doesn't stop and become indecisive. You have seen that there is a one point or check for its legibility so the best way here is to check two more points before diving in. But if you really want to help, you can do it personally such as donating to various groups and other departments to ensure that there will be a place for your help.

[Leonardo7]

I read that Israeli scientists are close to announcing a vaccine for the cure of Covid-19, and the WHO is already committed to sponsoring any regulated research on this vaccine. I won't know if they will allow an anonymous self-regulated group to come up with their result since it has to pass through clinical trials and approvals.

[Jet Cash]

They won't find a vaccine. You need to test it for at least a year, and to check on its interaction with other poisons that Big Pharma produces. In a year's time, the virus will have changed, and the vaccine will be useless. In fact there is a growing body of opinion that believes that the virus started with an inadequately tested rogue vaccine. That seems to fit most of the known facts surrounding the virus.

In the meantime, one of the most effective cures seems to be drinking hot water. For every one degree that you raise the core body temperature, you double the effect of the immune system. Of course they won't be publicising this, as you can sell hot water in pill form.

As a side note - the virus lives for a maximum of 3 hours on copper surfaces, but can live for up to 2 days on cardboard and stainless steel.

[Sanitough]

Honestly, it's hard to trust those people who are anonymous trying to find the cure for this corona virus, if they make cure for this, that would still be illegal without government's approval and even that cure will be created but there are still test to be created as usually for medicines they have side effect or after effect, and that could be another risk.

[imstillthebest]

Honestly, it's hard to trust those people who are anonymous trying to find the cure for this corona virus, if they make cure for this, that would still be illegal without government's approval and even that cure will be created but there are still test to be created as usually for medicines they have side effect or after effect, and that could be another risk.

we should be thankful because we know that there are people that are far more concern than the government and other higher sectors  . another to be proud of is that the guy is said to be a bitcoiner  . we must try it but there are risk or harm on trying it because its a medicine that aren't regulated by a pharmacy or big medical groups  but still we must try rather than got killed without doing anything to fight the virus  . sure can do something like basic treatment but this isn't enough to kill a strong virus like this one that needs a specific formula  

[layer1gfx]

i find the whole project questionable and a little bit too risky to be honest. i wouldn't send them bitcoin either. the whole idea smells bad and is unprofessional in my eyes. their hiding behind anonymity is also not helping - if this would be an ICO or something like that i would just laugh it off.

[kryptqnick]

Is this endeavor worth your donation? Is this kind of initiative which is too delicate even worth supporting?

Source:
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoiners-are-biohacking-a-diy-coronavirus-vaccine?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_term=Events&utm_content=Register&utm_campaign=FATF

I don't know, it doesn't look trustworthy to me. The pandemic might be very serious but it's not possible to assess its scope just yet. In Ukraine, for instance, there are only 3 confirmed cases, but an important thing to note here is that only 60 people out of about 35 million were tested! So there might be 10 cases, 100 cases or maybe over a million in Ukraine (or any country with a similar level of testing conducted), and we wouldn't know. Developing a vaccine is an important task of humanity, but I don't think that an anonymous isolated group asking for donations is what we need right now. It should be renowned scientists, working together and making sure that they're making it safe for humans, at least!

[layer1gfx]

another thought, this guy who claims to be able to develop a vaccine should maybe just go and join a professional team and develop it.
i don't see why biohackers who claim the government is making things too slow and difficult and want money to work on their own risky solution should make things better. respect for trying to help – but why not just go official and get hired? i am sure experts are more than needed right now.

[davis196]

Furthermore, the group is aware that whatever vaccine they would come up with may have a tiny chance of working. But that tiny chance is enough for them to pursue it and invest on it. But resources is something they also need, that is why they are also asking for donations. As others may naturally think of this as a potential scam, some personalities from the Bitcoin community are vouching for the anonymous group. Mark Friedenbach of Blockstream assures that "It is not a scam."

I "group of people",who want to stay anonymous,want to create a vaccine,but the chance of that vaccine being successful is tiny,however they are asking for donations.Sounds like a scam to me(or a stupid joke).
So we have to believe that this is not a scam,only because a guy named Mark Friedenbach says this is not a scam.I've never heard of this guy.His opinion means nothing to me.
The big pharmaceutical companies will have to help for creating a coronavirus vaccine.Crypto projects aren't the solution.

[Hydrogen]

Is this endeavor worth your donation? Is this kind of initiative which is too delicate even worth supporting?

FDA regulation heavily favors big business. Their filing fee for applications alone is more than $1 million dollars. America is notorious for medical research being nearly 2x more expensive in contrast to identical research being conducted in foreign countries. This is one reason why stem cell research, cloning and other medical science is normally conducted outside america's borders.

In terms of developing a vaccine to immunize the public against chinese corona virus. It could be 100% impossible. We may be able to prove this via basic science deduction.

Reasons a corona virus vaccine might be impossible via current medical science

• Corona is being treated with anti HIV medication. If its biology is identical enough to HIV to respond to HIV drugs. We may not be able to develop a vaccine against it. For the same reasons we have no vaccine for HIV.
• There claims corona is mutating with 2nd strains of it being identified. A single vaccine will not be effective if there are multiple strains.
• The mortality percentage of corona is extremely high. Its credited with being fatal to between 1% and 5% of those it infects. By contrast H1N1 had a mortality rate of between 0.01% and 0.1%. The first wave of spanish flu also had a very low mortality. The exceedingly high mortality rate of corona is unusual and there are deductions which could be drawn from this which indicate a vaccine will be ineffective.
• Corona has been described by doctors as a cross between SARS and HIV. It simultaneously attacks the immune system like HIV and the lungs like SARS. There are things which may be deduced from this, in terms of how a virus like this could arise naturally. Which could indicate a vaccine against it will be extremely difficult if not impossible.

Based on this discussion on ACE inhibitors and related topics:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22500063

Other avenues of corona treatment could yield better results than a vaccine. But I don't know enough to say whether or not this is certain.

There could also be value in natural foods and plants which carry anti viral effects for treating corona. Google: "foods with anti viral properties". You might be surprised at some of the results.

[pooya87]

chinese corona virus

only politicians with a propaganda add the name of a country to the name of this virus

Corona is being treated with anti HIV medication. If its biology is identical enough to HIV to respond to HIV drugs. We may not be able to develop a vaccine against it. For the same reasons we have no vaccine for HIV.

it is not being "treated", it was only an experiment that has already failed to produce any positive results.
the reason for the experiment was that both viruses use the same enzyme.

There claims corona is mutating with 2nd strains

there is no evidence for this.

The mortality percentage of corona is extremely high. Its credited with being fatal to between 1% and 5% of those it infects. By contrast H1N1 had a mortality rate of between 0.01% and 0.1%. The first wave of spanish flu also had a very low mortality. The exceedingly high mortality rate of corona is unusual and there are deductions which could be drawn from this which indicate a vaccine will be ineffective.

3% is not considered "extremely" high. it is high. an extremely high mortality rate is 50% which Ebola had 4 years ago.
and it is not a fair comparison to only compare mortality rate.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-deadly-is-the-coronavirus-compared-to-past-outbreaks

It simultaneously attacks the immune system like HIV

as far as i know this is false.
people with weaker immune systems are more vulnerable to this virus as they are to any other diseases.
in fact this is one of the reasons why this virus spreads like crazy, because there are many infected people without any symptoms with stronger immune systems that spread it without being ill themselves.

[hatshepsut93]

i'm sorry but this looks like a bunch of opportunists who have seen a way to make some money using the current drama  that is going on all around the world. besides what do "bitcoiners", bitcoin core devs,... know about medicine anyways? they better stick to things they have knowledge in and let other experts in other fields do their jobs.
and what's up with the anonymity?!!! that is another red flag for me that makes say this is just money grab project.

It could be like that, there's a lot of scammers that use this outbreak as an opportunity, there are cases of fake donations scams, malware spreading, stealing of medical supplies. But it could also be the case of amateur biologists who are into conspiracies about big pharma legitimately trying to develop a vaccine, which is still pretty scary, because these people likely not poses the necessary skills and don't follow all safety procedures, so it all might backfire.

[Darker45]

chinese corona virus

only politicians with a propaganda add the name of a country to the name of this virus

That is definitely improper to attach a country or a race or whatever to a virus, bacteria, disease, and so on. But what surprises me is that the likes of African Swine Fever (ASF), German measles, and so on are still being used officially until now but are not renamed nor perceived to be an affront to the places used. You have also mentioned Ebola which is basically taken from Ebola River in what used to be called Zaire where the outbreak also originated.

Does this standard have to do with who is stubbornly insisting to use it despite its impropriety?

Pardon for the off-topic.

[Hydrogen]

chinese corona virus

only politicians with a propaganda add the name of a country to the name of this virus

There is more than one type of corona virus. To ensure people know which I'm referring to, chinese corona virus makes sense. The name alone reminds us of its origins. Names like COVID-19 provide no useful information and are an inferior naming convention as far as I'm concerned.

Calling it COVID-19 is like eliminating the term hungarian notation in software engineering (as apparently that could be "racist"?) and instead calling it XWIN123456789 notation. I would prefer the term hungarian notation due to its history, being a better and more informative term.

Good ideas, money and practices push out bad ideas, money and practices. Chinese corona virus makes sense.

Corona is being treated with anti HIV medication. If its biology is identical enough to HIV to respond to HIV drugs. We may not be able to develop a vaccine against it. For the same reasons we have no vaccine for HIV.

it is not being "treated", it was only an experiment that has already failed to produce any positive results.
the reason for the experiment was that both viruses use the same enzyme.

Many doctors are describing chinese corona as a "cross between SARS and HIV". Almost as if someone with CRISPR technology melded both to create a hybrid virus. These aren't my words. This is the information I got from reading many news articles on the topic.

There claims corona is mutating with 2nd strains

there is no evidence for this.

There are many news stories claiming this.

How did you come to the conclusion there is "no evidence" for it, if you haven't bothered using a search engine to look for evidence?

The mortality percentage of corona is extremely high. Its credited with being fatal to between 1% and 5% of those it infects. By contrast H1N1 had a mortality rate of between 0.01% and 0.1%. The first wave of spanish flu also had a very low mortality. The exceedingly high mortality rate of corona is unusual and there are deductions which could be drawn from this which indicate a vaccine will be ineffective.

3% is not considered "extremely" high. it is high. an extremely high mortality rate is 50% which Ebola had 4 years ago.
and it is not a fair comparison to only compare mortality rate.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-deadly-is-the-coronavirus-compared-to-past-outbreaks

Naturally occurring viral infections generally begin with low mortality rates. As with the first wave of spanish flu. Sometimes, they better adapt to human biology and we see the mortality rate rise over time.

Weaponized bioweapons are different. They're engineered out of the box with noticeably greater mortality rates. The high mortality rate of chinese corona and recent ebola, where both are extremely well adapted to infect and kill humans. Could indicate they both are military products of a bioweapons division.

It simultaneously attacks the immune system like HIV

as far as i know this is false.
people with weaker immune systems are more vulnerable to this virus as they are to any other diseases.
in fact this is one of the reasons why this virus spreads like crazy, because there are many infected people without any symptoms with stronger immune systems that spread it without being ill themselves.

Like HIV, chinese corona isn't what kills people. Corona weakens their immune system similar to HIV. Then people die from pneumonia and other conditions. That's what the news is reporting anyway.

Are you chinese or currently in china? Maybe chinese news is saying something different.


...

That is definitely improper to attach a country or a race or whatever to a virus, bacteria, disease, and so on. But what surprises me is that the likes of African Swine Fever (ASF), German measles, and so on are still being used officially until now but are not renamed nor perceived to be an affront to the places used. You have also mentioned Ebola which is basically taken from Ebola River in what used to be called Zaire where the outbreak also originated.

There is a movement in the world to destroy historical statues and landmarks to encourage people to forget history. To make it easier for ruling elites to revise history in whatever image they choose.

Ruling elites prefer COVID-19 to chinese corona virus.

Because it gives them wiggle room to invent whatever story they desire around the origins and reality of it.

COVID-19 is easier for people and history books to forget its origins. That's the only reason that terminology is pushed.

[bitbunnny]

i'm sorry but this looks like a bunch of opportunists who have seen a way to make some money using the current drama  that is going on all around the world. besides what do "bitcoiners", bitcoin core devs,... know about medicine anyways? they better stick to things they have knowledge in and let other experts in other fields do their jobs.
and what's up with the anonymity?!!! that is another red flag for me that makes say this is just money grab project.

It could be like that, there's a lot of scammers that use this outbreak as an opportunity, there are cases of fake donations scams, malware spreading, stealing of medical supplies. But it could also be the case of amateur biologists who are into conspiracies about big pharma legitimately trying to develop a vaccine, which is still pretty scary, because these people likely not poses the necessary skills and don't follow all safety procedures, so it all might backfire.

Like always in situations like this many pretend to be something they are not to use that for their personal gain. Many just use current drama and people's fear to make some money, we have to be aware of that.
To be honest, I don't trust amateurs in such serious situation like this, it's better to be in hands of professionals no matter what some think of medical and pharmaceutical industry.

[pooya87]

There are many news stories claiming this.
How did you come to the conclusion there is "no evidence" for it, if you haven't bothered using a search engine to look for evidence?

i've also read the news but all i've seen them provide is guesses. and the doctors i talk to say there has not been any evidence although they say there might be a new strain.

Like HIV, chinese corona isn't what kills people. Corona weakens their immune system similar to HIV. Then people die from pneumonia and other conditions. That's what the news is reporting anyway.

Are you chinese or currently in china? Maybe chinese news is saying something different.

no i'm not from China.
i usually read these things in more reliable sources that aren't news sites or ask a doctor in person. as i said i'm not sure about it but i have never heard it attack immune system, what it attacks is the cells creating and protecting the respiratory tract. if the infection goes any lower and reaches the lungs we get the severe cases. that is when everything starts to fall apart.

[joeperry]

I think that to be vigilant, especially in times like this, is the wisest thing to do. Even in times like this, there are still people who intent to do no good to others and nonetheless this might be one of those scam act of those who wants to generate money from deceiving others.  And in accordance to the assumed founded cure this pandemic disease, COVID-19, evidences of such experimented vaccines and other products of medicine are still insufficient to justify and support their effectivity to cure the said disease. I would want to use this opportunity to inform everyone to please be careful not to take any medication unless prescribed to you directly by the doctors as every medication has side effects.

[thirdprize]

Covid-19: Trump sought to buy vaccine developer exclusively for US, say German officials
https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m1100

[layer1gfx]

I think that to be vigilant, especially in times like this, is the wisest thing to do. Even in times like this, there are still people who intent to do no good to others and nonetheless this might be one of those scam act of those who wants to generate money from deceiving others.  And in accordance to the assumed founded cure this pandemic disease, COVID-19, evidences of such experimented vaccines and other products of medicine are still insufficient to justify and support their effectivity to cure the said disease. I would want to use this opportunity to inform everyone to please be careful not to take any medication unless prescribed to you directly by the doctors as every medication has side effects.

absolutely, scammers gonna scam... fake charities and whatnot.

there were first cases of people trying to prevent getting infected with covid-19 by taking 10 pills of chloroquine - and ended up in hospital poisoning themselves.
 

and even if the pharma industry suddenly changed and became do-gooders overnight...
my guess is that it would take some more time until we would hear from something useful to help battle the nuflu or its side effects...

so trump is looking for talented vaccine developers? that sounds like a good job for our "expert" in that biohackers team.