Hopefully once we map out more largely ignored human systems, we can rely more on in silico studies. https://www.humanimmunomeproject.org/ https://www.humanimm

Hopefully once we map out more largely ignored human systems, we can rely more on in silico studies. https://www.humanimmunomeproject.org/ https://www.humanimmunomeproject.org/ > For those we can’t cure, we can treat symptoms. We may not be able to remove the virus causing a cold from your system, but we can give you painkillers for your headache, tissues for your nose, or cough suppressant medicines. It’s not an ideal solution, but it is part of a realistic answer. This is such a gamble. For example, I am one of the 1/10 of the population who has Long COVID from an early infection prior to vaccines thought no worse than a cold. There are also folks who got vaccinated and experience the same syndrome I do. I would never risk these odds to have to deal with over 3 years of constant debilitating pain when I was a previously healthy 29 year old now pushing 32. At this rate, I will likely see 5 full years of my life in a struggle before any treatment hits the shelves given there are very few things that can "treat the symptoms". https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.09.23298266v1 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.09.23298266v... > At the start of this piece, I said I wasn’t fussed with the risk. Looking back at this later, I’m supposed to call this hubris. I still itch across most of my upper body. I’m alternating acetaminophen and ibuprofen. As I edited this piece weeks after the trial, I struggled with fatigue that made it difficult to work. Being released from the hospital only to develop worse symptoms is more than a little strange, but it did mean being taken care of by my partner and eating homemade meals at the worst moments, both of which I enjoyed. All in all, though, I don’t think it was hubris at all. The risks were reasonable, the pay made up for the itch, and I think the benefit to science doubly so. Imagine if this were more debilitating like another illness (ME/CFS, Long COVID, Cancer, etc). Would you seriously risk years of your life for $5k? The only way I'd ever do this is as a sacrifice to the good of humanity. But we all know that our sacrifices aren't seen as anything further than a small paycheck in the grand scheme of pushing science forward. That needs to change and we need to devote more gratitude to people who are participating. Give them actual funds to sustain their symptoms with or find ways to dedicate their name towards the good of science often.