Many of the negative comments here seem to have missed something important:
> Consider this a pre-registration. I intend to share my test results here.
How about, instead of totally dismissing this - in classic HN fashion - with "this can never work" or "this is magical thinking", we let the guy share his results?
If it works, that will be a massively important result. If not, it won't be surprising, but _at least he will have tried_. I for one think the expected value leans overwhelmingly in favor of at least one person actually trying.
> If it works, that will be a massively important result. If not, it won't be surprising, but _at least he will have tried_. I for one think the expected value leans overwhelmingly in favor of at least one person actually trying.
It won't be an important result, at all.
Vaccines are tested on the thousands, one person having a positive response isn't interesting at all, especially when you already have effective vaccines rolling out globally.
>If it works, that will be a massively important result.
1. No, it won't be a massively important result. It might have been important a year ago, but now it will be completely and utterly useless. Testing a vaccine takes a long time. It maybe kind of working and maybe kind of being safe is irrelevant when we have already started mass vaccinations.
2. The author has no good way of testing it. He will take an off-the-shelf antibody test, but no one will know how to interpret those results.
> How about, instead of totally dismissing this - in classic HN fashion - with "this can never work" or "this is magical thinking", we let the guy share his results?
Sure. How about instead of sharing wishful thinking covered in "this will work because science" OP waits until there are actual results before posting?
Anyone can make a vaccine candidate. Few can make a vaccine. Even fewer can make a safe vaccine.
> How about... OP waits until there are actual results before posting?
It seems to me there's value in posting the details before the results are in:
- Helps prevent publication bias, by encouraging posting negative results
- Elicits comments from knowledgeable people who may be able to help
- Discourages doctoring the story after the results are in
> Even fewer can make a safe vaccine.
I don't know, the article, whitepaper, and comments seemed to make a pretty convincing case for the nasal vaccine attempt here to be not very dangerous - probably useless at worst. Do you have a more substantive counterargument?
That's not what we're really seeing here, is it? The article is lowkey touting success when it's just an early experiment. OP is not "making vaccine" as the title states.
> - Elicits comments from knowledgeable people who may be able to help
Also not the case here.
> - Discourages doctoring the story after the results are in
Not really. One thing doesn't prevent the other from happening.
> I don't know, the article, whitepaper, and comments (...)
Do you have a more substantive counterargument?
Yes, the scientific method and bona fide peer review
> Consider this a pre-registration. I intend to share my test results here.
How about, instead of totally dismissing this - in classic HN fashion - with "this can never work" or "this is magical thinking", we let the guy share his results?
If it works, that will be a massively important result. If not, it won't be surprising, but _at least he will have tried_. I for one think the expected value leans overwhelmingly in favor of at least one person actually trying.