Successes of F@H

[dkro]

I'm wondering is there some list with information how F@H helped so far? I mean something for ordinary human who is not scientist?

[iceman1992]

You can check here https://twitter.com/foldingathome they've been giving more frequent updates

[JimboPalmer]

dkro, welcome to Folding@Home!

This is the good and bad part of F@H:

The results of F@H are given to the public domain with no strings attached, anyone can access that data and, if they have the skill to understand it, use it.

Sadly, to me, this means that a company who designs a treatment based on F@H data is under no obligation to admit they used our work rather than discovered it in house. I personally would prefer they had to publicly acknowledge our work. But that might mean some treatments would never get developed.

So, it is entirely likely that no "I mean something for ordinary human who is not scientist" results will ever be known. It does not serve the drug companies interests to admit we did the research.

The output of F@H is freely available data, not a prescription.

These are academic researchers, the goal of the University is papers, not products. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publish_or_perish

So, you are doing good work, work that serves humanity, but no fame will come of it, even in general.

https://foldingathome.org/papers-results/

[iceman1992]

Ah, actually you pointed out an important fact, "Sadly, to me, this means that a company who designs a treatment based on F@H data is under no obligation to admit they used our work rather than discovered it in house.". That's something that even I, as a long time folder, didn't really think of. That is very true, but is it at all possible for a scientist to find out that FAH results were used?

[JimboPalmer]

is it at all possible for a scientist to find out that FAH results were used?

I assume a researcher for F@H will recognize "Drug X uses the data I published", and perhaps even "Company X referenced the data on our server, that I published"
It just diminishes the chances of future research ever being used, to publicly claim that credit. That is frustrating for me as I want to know that I helped. (Because each project is broken into many tiny steps, none of us will ever be solely responsible for a solution, but I could bask in communal success)

Another point while I am ranting: There is almost no chance we are contributing to cures. It is a much better financial outcome for the drug company to provide an ongoing treatment, rather than a one time cure. I console myself with the idea that a condition treated is still better than a condition untreated. Just so you realize why i don't refer to cures up above.

Also note, I am very much a fan of F@H. I approve of their work and their goals. I would rather have treatments than glory. I just realize that reality means I don't get some feedback I wish I had.

[iceman1992]

There is almost no chance we are contributing to cures

In that case.... why do this at all?

[JimboPalmer]

There is almost no chance we are contributing to cures

In that case.... why do this at all?

One of the symptoms of COVID-19 is death, if there is a drug that can lessen the symptoms of COVID-19 while it runs it's course, I am in favor of that.

If you still had Alzheimer’s Disease but had no or fewer symptoms, what is that worth? Same for Parkinson’s disease, if you don't suffer the symptoms, what is that worth?

I am OK with treatments, although in some ideal world, I would prefer cures.

[iceman1992]

Okay so we are not contributing to cures, fine, but we are contributing to something, right? Something good results from all this?
That's what I want, to be sure that this isn't an exercise in futility.
I mean, sure the latest blog post about the covid demogorgon is cool and fascinating, but as a non-scientist I have no idea if that is purely academic or can lead to something actually used in practice, in treating real patients.

[JimboPalmer]

I have been folding since 2009 because I believe it is worthwhile, but my results are aggregated with many others to find how a protein folds, then published by a researcher at a University, then analyzed by the drug company where a new treatment is developed.

In the end, it is hard to see my part in this, and at times even F@H's part in this, but new drugs are combating the health issues facing the world. I am good with that.

I hope it makes a long term goal for you as well, but I cannot promise it ever will.

[iceman1992]

I realize my contributions are tiny, and I don't mind that, in fact relatively speaking, the tinier it is the better, because it means there are more people contributing as a whole.
I just would like to know that what we're doing will save lives, directly or indirectly, however many steps it takes from FAH results to actual treatment.

[bruce]

From what I read, there's already a cure .... but not the kind you're talking about. There is an unknown number of people who were infected with minimal symptoms who have recovered. Now there is an approved blood test to see if you carry COVAID19 antibodies. Like most other viral diseases, your body generally creates a "cure" In the way you should get the shot for influenza every year, there's no assurance that COVAID-20 or 21 will not emerge next year because the virus is "novel" and it will mutate.

The kind of cure we'd all like is one which can be used on a serious active infection which will soon lead to death to reduce the chances of that outcome.

[SparkiTom]

We are like the unsung heroes of war. Working behind the scenes for the greater good helping out however we can.

Just we new guys who most of us probably never even heard of FAH before this Cov19 had hit the world... mucho's respect/admiration to all the guys who have been into folding for years and years already. I'm really into this now.

[kiore]

We are generating open source scientific data on a massive scale this is incredibly useful even if we never see the direct link I see some people saying they only want to fold for this or that but really who knows where a discovery on one thing might lead to on others, searching for a cure for coronavirus could serendipitously discovery important information relevant to another field and visa versa. We see this in practical research on drug testing maybe a drug developed to target one thing actually works better on something else famously viagra was not developed for its current use, tetracycline an antibiotic messes with malaria parasites, aspirin was a fever reducer not an anticoagulant as it commonly used now. For this novel coronavirus any information about how it reproduces, infects hosts, fights attack may be critical.

[iceman1992]

Yeah I was talking more generally about diseases, not specific to Covid. I want our collective efforts to save lives in the future, no matter how indirect, and whatever disease it is.
Obviously current priority is Covid, but also cancer, Alzheimer's, etc.

[PantherX]

Projects from F@H has contributed to these diseases (https://foldingathome.org/diseases/):

Cancer
Breast Cancer
p53
Epigenetics
Kidney Cancer

Infectious diseases
Dengue Fever
Chagas Disease (African Trypanosomiasis)
Zika Virus
Hepatitis C
Ebola Virus

Neurological diseases
Alzheimer’s Disease
Huntington’s Disease
Parkinson’s Disease

Future project can increase the scope with continued volunteer support