One reason for my interest in diy bio was to be able to do some of my own health care. This is a far-off goal. I'm 48 and healthy at the moment, but who knows what I might need decades from now, and what might be possible decades from now. Access to health care is problematic at present, and I'm not optimistic about improvement in that regard. Best to develop capacities and wherewithal now. Diy might be the only option at some point.
I figured on taking many years to establish facilities where I live (Philadelphia) and get up to speed on modern methods. (I've got a decent amount of book-learning, but haven't worked in a lab since the 90's.) I did
not expect a need for diy medicine to be right around the corner. But here it is. My
mom has breast cancer. She's insured, had successful surgery, and expects chemo in the near future. And that may work out fine. But what if it doesn't? I wonder if there aren't things we can do to help her right now. Her cancer is of the HER2 type. Knowing that is useful for tailoring treatment. Perhaps there's more helpful information about her case that could be learned, but medical practice doesn't include testing for such. Does she have some mutation causing her to overexpress the HER2 protein? Perhaps it would be useful to know what that is. If things ever got real bleak, she'd be willing to try well-reasoned, innovative approaches not part of standard medical practice. Is there anyone on this list who'd be willing to consult and/or conduct laboratory work toward such ends? We'd be willing to compensate.
Thank you!
Fred Kittelmann
215-551-1490