Rick Byers

Citizen scientist, virology and molecular biology enthusiast.
@RickByers by day.
Account dormant, moved to 🦋:

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

6 years and 300+ experiments later, I've concluded that sequencing all the viruses going through my house is actually slightly useful, while still wildly impractical of course!
https://t.co/aMJ3DzZ6Na

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

@readwithai @josiezayner Yes but trying to keep your genome secret will soon be futile. Laws like GINA protect how genetic data can be used, not who can access it.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

@osmarks1 @josiezayner Here's mine: https://t.co/VoXaEcgY1p. Nothing bad happened to me yet.

[Josie Zayner @josiezayner]

Just FYI, human genomes aren't worth anything these days. Like 100k+ genomes publicly available, which doesn't include access to UK Biobank (500k+) or NIH(500k+)&c

If a company is selling your genetic data I would be surprised that there was a buyer tbh

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

@SethSHowes Love this, great work! But also I personally think genetic privacy is overblown, at least for those of us with trustworthy / responsible governments. I mean we're all spreading our genome everywhere all day, can't be secret for long. Here's my full genome: https://t.co/VoXaEcgY1p

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

@Throrf @SethSHowes I'm also a big fan of Plasmidsaurus, but they charge $1750 for a full flow cell: https://t.co/yikCfT3LH0. Sequencing companies like https://t.co/TzbZidIg7k are more like $500 for 30x coverage, vs. 10x for one nanopore flow cell.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

@MichalMi222 @SethSHowes FWIW I had no wetlab experience myself and also figured out a similar protocol (with some failures). It's definitely doable, but also a lot of work and risk. These days I prefer to send my samples out for sequencing but do all the other wetlab work at home still.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

@SethSHowes Great work! I have a similar story sequencing cold viruses at home: https://t.co/7zUq1LMrC5.

I also struggled with lack of a fluorometer and finally splurged for a Quantus, but always thought a DIY one should be doable. DIYNAFLUOR looks awesome, thank you!

[Seth Howes @SethSHowes]

I sequenced my genome at home, on my kitchen table.

I wrote up exactly how I did it - the equipment, protocol, theory, and cost:

https://t.co/Nkjqaho2zm

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

For the record, nobody got sick after this.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

We took a bit of a gamble this Christmas thanks to home PCR. My teenagers got the flu. Normally we wouldn't have family over or let them leave their rooms without a mask. But by the 24th PCR showed low viral load (CT>32) and rapid tests were negative, so we chose not to cancel.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

In good scientific fashion I am registering my experiment here prior to having results. If any of us get the Flu in the next few days I'll sequence it to compare to the virus my kids had.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

X was complaining I wasn't engaging enough. I hear all the cool science kids are on BlueSky now. I've moved this account as well (link in Bio).

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

My son's isolation failed to keep my daughter from the flu. I wish we had tried harder, her starting the flu now likely means she'll be sick most of the Christmas break. Of course it's possible she caught a different Flu at school, I'll sequence the full genomes later to check.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

Who else is trying to figure out what holiday plans they need to cancel due to sickness?

While imperfect, I am grateful to be able to use home PCR to help answer that question with data. I have a Rhinovirus and my teenage kids have Influenza A.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

When my Son started to feel sick I was worried that perhaps I had failed to isolate well enough from him. We ran a swab the next day to find he had Influenza A, not my Rhinovirus.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

But also there are several good studies for Iota-Carrageenan gel antiviral spray showing a similar effect. This is available OTC in Canada as "Salinex ProTect" so I've just bought some to try. https://t.co/2TW4zPatSd https://t.co/kIvhQD2lFR

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

What nasal sprays do you use for reducing cold / COVID transmission? My family has used Vicks Early Defense (physical gel) in high-risk settings for over a year. I'm convinced it's reduced colds substantially. But there's more evidence for antihistamine and antiviral sprays.

[Rick Byers @RickByersLab]

In particular this new study for Azelastine is very compelling. A 67% reduction in placebo-controlled trials! But only available with a prescription in Canada. https://t.co/wsVTuD5POc