3 ms·

This is likely going to be an unpopular question and maybe I m just really naive, but is the protein really so complex to synthesize that a kit could not be mad

This is likely going to be an unpopular question and maybe I m just really naive, but is the protein really so complex to synthesize that a kit could not be made to make a small batch at home? I ask this because I have recently been studying what is required to produce non naturally occurring amino acids and while not trivial, it can be done. Are there not biohackers that figure these things out as a hobby? I know, totally unsafe, but if your only other option is death, then I think such discussions should be on the table. Derivative works so to speak.

hep_c_throwaway 7y ago
I paid $1300 for a 12 weeks course of generic Harvoni from India. I paid using credit card and it arrived within a week. Normally I'm a law-abiding citizen, but as you said, if it comes down to choosing between violating intellectual property laws and death, it's an easy choice to make.
- chmod775 7y ago
  Considering even a 12 week vacation in India while you undergo treatment is cheaper than the alternative and also legal, the pricing of the US drugs is very... interesting. There's probably plenty of other countries where you could get treatment for cheap too.
  - greenyoda 7y ago
    Hardly anyone with a regular job can just decide to take a 12 week vacation. You'd either have to convince your employer to let you take an unpaid medical leave (and you'd need to have enough savings to survive for 3 months), or you'd need to quit your job and hope to find another when you get back (not that easy for those outside the tech industry).
DrAwdeOccarim 7y ago
That's a great question. In this case, the drugs are small-molecules (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir) and they're complicated ones at that. So trying to make that at home would be impractical. But you're on to something I've been personally interested in for a while. You can make proteins at home in cells, but to get them pure enough for injection is near impossible without expensive manufacturing equipment and testing equipment. I think the real win is going to be using mRNA coding for the protein of interest formulated in lipid nanoparticles. This type of idea would be easier to make sterile and have basically no risk of endotoxin/virus issues recombinant proteins have. I give it 10 years before garage biohackers start really getting this idea to work.

hep_c_throwaway 7y ago

I paid $1300 for a 12 weeks course of generic Harvoni from India. I paid using credit card and it arrived within a week. Normally I'm a law-abiding citizen, but as you said, if it comes down to choosing between violating intellectual property laws and death, it's an easy choice to make.

chmod775 7y ago
Considering even a 12 week vacation in India while you undergo treatment is cheaper than the alternative and also legal, the pricing of the US drugs is very... interesting. There's probably plenty of other countries where you could get treatment for cheap too.
- greenyoda 7y ago
  Hardly anyone with a regular job can just decide to take a 12 week vacation. You'd either have to convince your employer to let you take an unpaid medical leave (and you'd need to have enough savings to survive for 3 months), or you'd need to quit your job and hope to find another when you get back (not that easy for those outside the tech industry).

DrAwdeOccarim 7y ago

That's a great question. In this case, the drugs are small-molecules (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledipasvir/sofosbuvir) and they're complicated ones at that. So trying to make that at home would be impractical. But you're on to something I've been personally interested in for a while. You can make proteins at home in cells, but to get them pure enough for injection is near impossible without expensive manufacturing equipment and testing equipment. I think the real win is going to be using mRNA coding for the protein of interest formulated in lipid nanoparticles. This type of idea would be easier to make sterile and have basically no risk of endotoxin/virus issues recombinant proteins have. I give it 10 years before garage biohackers start really getting this idea to work.