IamA Human Guinea Pig Getting the Newest Ebola Vaccine AMA!

Ok i'm going to be the guy that asks here, but they don't give you Ebola right?

No. Its a viral DNA vector. It causes some of my cells to express ebola proteins to illicit an immune response. The DNA can't replicate and will be gone within a couple weeks.

I was told about a thousand times that I cannot get Ebola from it and it was even on a true/false quiz testing my understanding about the study this morning.

I've never had a better moment to say this but, YEAH SCIENCE BITCH.

That is next level vaccination right there. Preventing the virus while making it impossible to actually get it? That is something I could get behind.

Every time I get vaccine for the new flu, I get the flu and it pisses me off.

When this ebola vaccine becomes official I will be in line for it.

I think the universal, one-time-dose flu vaccine is pretty close to being figured out. I think there's at least one that's already in clinical trials. A different flu vaccine was scheduled to start human trials here this month, but got pushed back when Ebola became a high priority.

Thank you for answering my question, and even though you said you are just doing it for the money, you are a far braver person then I can be. Its people like you that end up saving lives and never get thanked for it. Good luck, and I hope that everything works out for you!

Its not just for the money, I'm very interested in translational research and experiencing it from the guinea pig side is very rewarding. But yeah, the money helps. This one study will fund most of my grad school application costs, though not in time for application season.

Do you need to stay in shape, eat healthy and all that jazz to keep participating on these trials?

I'm supposed to maintain my lifestyle. I've been asked to not start any new diets or workouts. I'm not obligated to do so, but if I do it could cause fluctuations in my bloodwork which will cause problems for the researchers and probably result in me getting stuck with more needles.

whore.

Just kidding. How much are they paying you, and how long are you expected to "check in" after they release you into the wild?

EDIT: I found your response to how long you have to check in:

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2gnn1r/iama_human_guinea_pig_getting_the_newest_ebola/ckkssh4

I also gave the numbers for each visit somewhere, but its almost $1700 over 48 weeks.

Question 1.)
We will be giving you straight up bleed out the ass Ebola.
[ ] True [ ] False

[ ] True [X] False

Does this help people who already have Ebola as well, or is it just for people who are at risk of catching it, but haven't already got it?

Its currently a vaccine for prevention, not a treatment for those already infected.

Have you ever considered a surgery to become full human instead of a human/guinea pig hybrid?

I was born this way. I'm going to own it.

You don't have to answer if it is too invasive, but how much money are we talking about here?

$100 for each of 2 pre-trial evaluations. $275 for today. $25 for keeping a 7 day diary. Then $175 each time I come back for blood draws.

Uh, so where do I sign up?

If you're close to DC/MD/VA, check out the VRC website.

If not, researchmatch.org is great.

That's not a lot of money to suffer from serious complications if the vaccine has flaws. Damn, I don't know if I could ever be part of trials like this. I would just worry too much

If anything goes wrong and is related to the study, I'll get free treatment at the NIH Clinical Center. Its full of most of the best doctors in the world, so I'm not worried.

I also never signed anything that says I can't sue them if something does go wrong. There's actually a line in my consent form that says I can.

They injected you with live Ebola??!!!

No.

No, they gave him similar virus thingy which makes his body respond to ebola. The virus cannot replicate and thus the viral charge will never become significant enough to kill him. Or so we hope... Don't die OP

Stayin' alive(so far)

To everyone that has made comments about how little it is:

There are serious ethical issues with large monetary incentives in terms of consent. When you're offering a lot of money, you are taking away a bit of choice from those in extreme poverty to not do the study. In fact, most of the monetary compensation given in studies are given as reimbursement, and do not count as a monetary incentive (money for taking work off, gas money, food money, child care money, etc). Of course, this can be taken into the extreme (any amount of money is exploitation and violates consent) and some do, but there is a balance to be drawn between social good and human rights. This is why IRB's (institutional review boards) exist and has to approve of every study in the U.S.

Right. its not an incentive but a reimbursement for my time. All benefits to me are not in any way an intention of the study.

How do they test to see if the vaccine is effective? (Assuming they don't send y'all to Liberia or anything; if they do, I hope they pay well.)

They draw blood and check for antibodies

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I call to check up tomorrow, then they'll draw on Sunday, next Wednesday, 3 weeks after that, then it gets spaced further and further until the last one at 48 weeks.

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The worst one is a severe allergic reaction, but they've never seen that in the VRC and they're well prepared if it does

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They only have a sample size of 12 (13 with me) so they really don't know for sure, but the components of the vaccine have been used in other studies, just not this combination. That gives them a general idea. The worst they've had is a fever from one of the other two people that got the same dose I did

Shit bro, you're #13. That doesn't bode well (at least to my superstitious side)

I cross my fingers whenever I pass a graveyard, just in case I'm in a situation where I need to get a hit.

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That would make for a much more interesting AMA

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I'm not one to let karma go wasted

Again, whore!!!!!

Jk much love! You sexy Ebola beast.

I feel like a dirty whore, bit I'm still gonna post a pic of the unexpected swag they gave me in a new thread.

We've made a lot of pregnancy jokes because there's a lot of warnings about unknown effects on a fetus. This is the first study where they've drawn blood and actually remembered to uncheck the 'pregnancy test' box

What do you think is going to happen with you after you get the vaccine?

I might get a fever, but I don't expect to feel any different tomorrow. I'll be back to work later this afternoon.

What if you turn into a zombie dude?

That's a loaded question with too many variables. BUT! I'd hope I become a fast, smart zombie and manage to actually spread the zombie factor and get the zombie apocalypse going so I don't die alone in the initial panic. Then I hope I (un)live long enough to be cured by meeting an open-minded, hot, and uninfected girl who falls in love with me.

Someones been watching Warm Bodies while waiting for their vaccine!

I'm a huge zombie movie fan. If I end up like Fido I'm gonna eat all the neighbors

Is that any good?

Initial trailers made me think 'huh, never thought of that angle on the zombie apocalypse before... seems interesting'. Then later trailers made me think it was a paper thin rom-com that was only trying to bank on "you know what's hot right now? Zombies."

Its pretty good. Ive liked Nicholas Hoult since Skins.

Wow. Good answer. Have you been waiting for someone to ask 'what if you became a zombie' for a while?

Yes. I've been bragging to all my friends that I'm getting vacced against the zombie apocalypse. I'll be buying a good hatchet this weekend, just in case

Fast zombies are bad enough... Smart, fast zombies... Jesus christ now there's a movie I'd like to see.

My all-time favorite zombie movie

That's why a scientist will be standing by with a sharpened axe, duh. They are professionals, they take precautions against this sort of thing.

These might be relevant

Are you growing stronger every day?

Its too soon to tell. Will update.

You're awesome for doing this. People like you are what make medical science work. What made you want to get the vaccine?

Graduate school applications aren't cheap and this one study will cover most of them (eventually), but I'm headed for a career in biomedical research and the guinea pig experience is enlightening.

Have ignorant people treated you differently when they found out you're doing this? Like, they think you're going to cough on them and transmit non-existent ebola?

I havent spent a lot of time in public since this morning, but most people think I'm at risk of getting Ebola and are concerned. The odds of me getting Ebola are the same as me going sterile from a GMO seedless watermelon: zero

What is it like knowing that if the current outbreak of ebola goes from epidemic to pandemic, that you'll likely be one of the few that survive?

I relate it to a lot of the zombie movies I watch

Are you in isolation, or otherwise hospitalized, during the study?

I'm hanging out in the "post vaccination room" and can't leave for 3 hours, but I'm not quarantined. A few people have come by just to say hi and to read my shirt 'cause the doctor who's in charge keeps telling everyone about it.

What's your shirt say? "Keep calm" and something something...

What is that, a coffee machine?.

I felt it was appropriate since I had to be here at 7am

Ouch, gotta get up before 7? I would just demand a mainline IV filled with coffee.

I fainted when I got an IV for a drug study in June. I'm one of those people

fellow sourcefed lover I see...

Apparently I got mentioned in a Congressional hearing this morning, but I'd rather get a shout out from PhillyD. Lee Newton really, but I feel that might be overstepping.

Have you experienced negative side effects in the past? Are you not worried that you're causing damage to yourself long term? Do you participate in any other risky behavior?

Seriously though, what the hell. Please tell me you're not planning on doing this forever. I worry for your safety, internet stranger.

The worst one I ever did was an anxiety study. As a healthy volunteer they induced anxiety with electric shocks to my fingers, but the worst part was the sound they blasted in my ears to distract me from the task.

I'm not much of a regular risk taker. I went skydiving once 9 years ago.

I'm applying to graduate schools and that shits not cheap.

Ok, I feel better now. I was getting anxious thinking about you taking a bunch of untested drugs as an ongoing means-to-an-end. I applaud your effort in doing what it takes to get into graduate school, although I do wish you could find something else. Donate plasma maybe??

I'm persuing a career in research so this is just way more interesting and I feel like I have a decent understanding of what they're doing

I've been curious in "supplementing my income" as well. How effective is this way, and is it pretty easy too?

I work in the Clinical Research Center so its usually just a matter of taking a long lunch or a morning off (like today). I've never seen any negative effects and the compensation is always worth it.

Though, I have a friend who got $50 for a muscle biopsy and her was limping for days. I won't do anything that invasive.

$50 for a biopsy, don't those things hurt like hell, especially a muscle one?

Yeah. He missed a kickball game because it was from his leg and he couldn't run. That's the only study I wouldn't recommend. fMRI studies are super cush though

Cool! I believe the only person I know who did an MRI was my mum during her cancer treatment, and she is mildly claustrophobic so it wasn't fun for her, but it doesn't seem to bad to me to just be lying there, except that you have to remain completely still.

fMRI is where they ask you questions and stuff to gauge your brain responses, right? I believe she had to do that too.

Yup. Its very claustrophobic and loud, but if you get passed that, they have a problem with people falling asleep.

I'm sorry she was in it for cancer. Playing "spiderman or green goblin" was a lot more fun.

A random question, but do these trials disqualify you for receiving life insurance? If not, I have to assume the premiums are ridiculously high.

(Former) life insurance agent here.

If he were to apply for life insurance while doing this on the side it would be counted as occupational hazard. He may or may not qualify for a standard plan, if he does qualify his premium would either be high or he can put in a stipulation on the contract that states that the insurer does not have to pay the insured if his demise was related to this specific hazard. That could keep his premiums relatively low.

And whether he is applying for term or whole life also factors in..

Thanks for this.

I'm not sure. Its possible, but I get free treatment for anything related to the study.

I just installed the Official Reddit AMA app. Is it working?

I tried to do this with it and couldn't figure it out. I got a notice saying that I was trending from it, though

I got the same notification. I clicked on it and this AMA popped up.

Hah! I thought it was just for me since it was my AmA. Guess I'm not special.

Did you die?

Still not dead yet

Do you think you'll feel pressure to go to Africa and help since you're potentially safer than other health care workers? From yourself or outside influences?

I would actually love the opportunity, but I don't even have a passport so it's unlikely and no, I doubt I'll be pressured.

So how do they test your immunity to ebola after the vaccine?

I think its a basic antibody pull-down. Just blood tests from my end.

Will you be immune to Ebola after this?

Maybe, maybe not. I think the monkeys needed a booster after a time to keep up immunity, so that might be the case. The harsh reality is that 95% of positive animal trials end up with zilch in humans

Coffee machine? Are you a SourceFed fan or did you just find that shirt?

I've been subscribed to PhillyD for like 5 years. Been following SourceFed since its beginning. The story on Tide being an underground currency is my reigning favorite.

Hi, How can you be sure you did not receive the Placebo? Well you can't be sure otherwise the trials become biased. So how can you be sure you got the Ebola Vaccine?

There is no placebo in this trial. Time and volunteers are too precious at the present time.

Do you secretly make a wish with every injection that maybe, just maybe...superpowers?

Yup. My wish is specifically for Animorph powers. Y'know, since its DNA and all.

What are the Ebola pains like?

I hope I never have to know.

So this must be a double blind study, 50% chance of a placebo?

No blinds here. Since they're not exposing me to Ebola, a blind would only prove that the side effects I feel are specifically from the vaccine. Technically it would be needed to show the vaccine itself caused the antibody productions, but the odds of me developing them any other way are slim

If you get the actual cure, will you get some particular reward? Will you continue this as a way to get income?

Its not a cure, just a vaccine. It will be cool to be the 13th (or even 3rd) human of 8 billion to be immune to such a scary virus, but I'll still be a broke scientist, so I'll probably be looking into more trials when I become eligible again.

Aren't you terrified?

Not at all. There's almost no real risk, its all theoretical. And the people here a really, really nice