So Many Collaborations

I asked Gemini, "Who is The Cargo Cult Scientist?

"The term originated from a famous speech by physicist Richard Feynman called "Cargo Cult Science." He used the analogy of cargo cults in Pacific islands, who built elaborate mock runways and control towers in hopes of attracting cargo planes. Similarly, "cargo cult scientists" might go through the motions of research, collecting data and conducting experiments, but their work lacks the underlying foundation of scientific rigor and ultimately fails to produce meaningful results or contribute to genuine scientific understanding."

Okay then! Now let's look at a possible Cargo Cult Science project:

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for the Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) Program has awarded, through the Medical CBRN [Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear] Defense Consortium (MCDC) requirement 22-05, "Adjuvant Activity to Vaccines Prototype," a 5-year contract totaling up to $31 million including program options to the team of Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) and SaponiQx, Inc. (a subsidiary of Agenus Inc., NASDAQ:AGEN) to discover and develop next-generation vaccine adjuvants. Partners in adjuvant discovery and development since 2021, Ginkgo, which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, and SaponiQx, developing a visionary adjuvant development platform, will use a combination of high-throughput empirical and artificial intelligence/machine learning approaches, including Generative Molecular Design (GMD), to develop superior novel saponin-based adjuvants. -BOSTON and LEXINGTON, Mass., Feb. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

They are going to research and develop variants of naturally occurring compounds known as Saponins.

This is an important concept because the current method for obtaining saponins is to extract the compound from tree bark. The process is not environmentally friendly.

Back in 2021 "Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools we have to fight pandemics, but ensuring widespread access to efficacious vaccines continues to be a major challenge worldwide," says Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. "We're proud that our platform is being used by companies across the vaccine supply chain to develop and manufacture the materials necessary for life-saving vaccines."

Currently SaponiQx has one adjuvant available for supply (QS-21) and two in the R&D phase (QS-7 and QS-X. They have zero job openings. They have been working with Ginkgo since 2021.

The problem with Cargo Cult Scientists, according to Gemeni, "their work lacks the underlying foundation of scientific rigor and ultimately fails to produce meaningful results or contribute to genuine scientific understanding."

The collaboration touted in the recent press release by Ginkgo and SaponiQX has actually been ongoing since 2021. Where are the fruits of this labor? Meaningful results or advanced scientific understanding?

Instead we have a word salad. Who is now involved in making SaponinQX successful?

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) for the Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) Program... through the Medical CBRN [Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear] Defense Consortium (MCDC) requirement 22-05, "Adjuvant Activity to Vaccines Prototype," ...Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) and SaponiQx, Inc.

The Cargo? A 5-year contract totaling up to $31 million.

Dying of Cancer

My mom died in 2023 from ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed in 2022, underwent surgery to remove a large tumor, underwent chemotherapy and died in July of 2023. There were no experimental drug trials offered as alternative therapies. There was no semblance of medical science advances. No antibodies against a specific protein on a cancer cell. No attempts to stop cancer cells from growing by targeting angiogenesis. No oncolytic viruses were injected into her body to take out cancer cells. No RNA anti-sense drugs, no RNA interference, no DNA gene therapy, no new anything. Just surgery, chemotherapy, death. 

And it was not a very good existence. My mom became weak to the point we were ready to put her into a nursing facility. She lost her appetite often and simply had to force herself to eat something for energy. In the end we found her lying on the couch unable to get up. We called 911. She went to the hospital. The nurse told us that our mom would be released later that day. Nope, was our response. Two days later my mom passed away at the age of 77.

I suppose this is how we go. At 77 you are in danger of succumbing to a number of things. Our cells have kept us going for over 28,000 days. We wake up with renewed energy. We go to bed with the energy spent. We wake up recharged. Along the way we may do bad things regarding diet and exercise. We may breath in air pollution. We may challenge our systems with drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco. When we feel something is wrong we go to the doctor and they diagnose the symptoms. 

As each day comes and goes we are one day closer to the end. As we approach the age of 77 we are getting close. We don't know how long we have but that is for the best. A positive attitude can go a long way. 

Sleep is biochemistry inside the brain. Our bodies need to sleep so our cells can be replenished. There is a cleansing process that occurs during stage 4 sleep. There is a pleasant dream phase called REM. If we drink too much the biochemistry shuts down the day in a sudden sleep. We call that passing out. We awake before the normal amount of sleep feeling poisoned. Food can also affect the sleep process. Too much Western society fast food or processed food will also cause trouble. A day of eating mostly vegetables and natural food with a fair amount of exercise that ends at the same hour (no drugs/alcohol/cigarettes) will lead to a pleasant nights sleep with an awakening with restored energy. 

In the end my mom was not pleased with how she slept. She awoke with little energy. She made her way to the recliner where she would spend the day. Good Morning America was followed by Gunsmoke, Leave It to Beaver, Happy Days, The View... The last show made her an angry old person. The old time shows made her happy as if in a state of REM sleep. No mental challenges. The future was filled with chemotherapy and ultimately death. I don't mean to be depressing but for her it had become real. She did not have the energy to fight back. 

So that is all. Cancer is wrapped up in the complexity of our DNA. It makes itself known when we can no longer stop the force it has on the overall system. We have little to show for our research. Just money spent and careers of the successful scientists.