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Derek Lowe
blogs.sciencemag.org · Personal blog · on HN since 2009
Derek Lowe, a medicinal chemist, writes the Science 'In the Pipeline' blog on drug discovery, vaccines, and hazardous chemistry.
What HN saysCommenters point to it as excellent background reading with citations, on topics like antibody-dependent enhancement and the aducanumab approval.
449HN people shared it
321linked it in comments
431stories submitted
8.7Kstory points
2 years agolast shared
2009people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1Things I Won’t Work With: Dioxygen Difluoride (2010)39 people · 81 points · first shared 2015 · 30 comments on HN
- 2Sand won't save you this time (2008)32 people · 201 points · first shared 2015 · 30 comments on HN
- 3Things I Won’t Work With30 people · 9 points · first shared 2015 · discussion on HN
- 4Derek Lowe: Things I Won't Work With29 people · 1 points · first shared 2015 · discussion on HN
- 5Myths of Vaccine Manufacturing16 people · 236 points · first shared 2021 · 218 comments on HN
- 6Things I Won’t Work With: Peroxide Peroxides (2014)10 people · 215 points · first shared 2015 · 102 comments on HN
- 7A Close Look at the Frontrunning Coronavirus Vaccines as of Apr 23 by Derek Lowe9 people · 8 points · first shared 2020 · 1 comments on HN
- 8New Data on T Cells and the Coronavirus8 people · 174 points · first shared 2020 · 89 comments on HN
- 9Ivermectin as a Covid-19 Therapy7 people · 61 points · first shared 2021 · 79 comments on HN
- 10Covid-19 Small Molecule Therapies Reviewed7 people · 9 points · first shared 2020 · discussion on HN
- 11Things I Won’t Work With: Dimethylcadmium (2013)6 people · 149 points · first shared 2015 · 26 comments on HN
- 12Things I Won’t Touch: Hydrofluoric Acid (2004)6 people · 81 points · first shared 2015 · 63 comments on HN
- 13GLP-1 and Obesity6 people · 5 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 14Does Prior Exposure to Coronaviruses Protect You?6 people · 2 points · first shared 2021 · discussion on HN
- 15Silicon Valley Sunglasses6 people · 2 points · first shared 2016 · discussion on HN
What HN people wrote when they linked it
kjellsbells · 2021-08-26
It gets weirder. I recommend reading Derek Lowes blog on the subject here
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/07/02/the-undersid…
ithkuil · 2021-08-12
Good read for ADE (antibody dependent enhancement) and coronavirus: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/12/antibody-dep…
raphlinus · 2021-08-08
For people curious about ADE (a fascinating topic that so far doesn't seem to have caused problems with SARS-CoV-2), here is some excellent background reading that covers many of the points made in the above comment, with citations and deeper discussion:
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/12/antibody-dep…
User23 · 2021-07-25
Fundamentally I agree with you and have been doing my best to remove 20th century laboratory science experiments from my diet. I mostly don't use Teflon at all and when I do I clean it using hot water jets instead of scrubbing it.
That being said, I'm not a chemist, I was just mostly awake during undergrad chem, and I know there are fluorine compounds that are enthusiastic oxidizers[1], but some like Teflon coatings are more or less chemically inert. I assume that's because the oxidization has been taken to the point it's going to go. Is there a fluorine compound that will happily oxidize Teflon? The point of my rambling is can it be conclusively shown in controlled laboratory experiments that these compounds are completely nonreactive with the human digestive tract?
[1] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_won…
omegaworks · 2021-07-13
> No one can deny that it would be very hard, almost impossible at this stage to admit the existence of a problem should one be identified.
On the contrary, publications would salivate at the prospect of dropping a bombshell like this. People love reading and watching salacious, outrageous coverups and how they unravel.
You would need a multi-national conspiracy with various state and private actors coordinating and suppressing information about negative effects of the vaccine for it to be at a scale "equally dangerous" to the extent of the deaths and injuries caused by actual infection.
And it's not like we have no data about negative side effects. We have data on side effects: getting them is literally a handful in a million chance and they're manageable when they occur[1].
1. https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/07/13/more-on-vacc…
aliasEli · 2021-07-09
The best article I have seen about the drug is by Derek Lowe:
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/06/08/the-aducanum…
Good HN thread:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27472107
Exmoor · 2021-07-01
I'll be interested to see how this compares to Malaria vaccine, R21, which was recently announced to be highly effective[0]. It seems like R21 is similarly effective and may not have the perception or scalability issues that a "live parasite" vaccine might have. That said, I'm just happy to hear that there's progress being made. Hopefully we can see the vaccine rolled out to the millions at risk ASAP.
[0] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/04/23/great-malari…
Previous HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26916237
adt2bt · 2021-06-25
I wonder how effective AI will be at enabling us to navigate chemical space for certain desired compounds. Knowing nothing about the problem, is it something akin to the protein folding challenge that AlphaFold[0] recently did well at?
Side note: I love Derek Lowe's writings. I don't know what it is, but every time I see a chemistry related link bubble up in HN, I have a gut feeling it was written by him. And I'm usually impressed. His Things I Won't Work With[1] series is amazingly well written.
[0] https://deepmind.com/blog/article/alphafold-a-solution-to-a-50-year-ol…
[1] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/search/Things+I+Wont+Work+With
Majromax · 2021-06-11
Derek Lowe has a recent article on the subject (https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/06/08/the-aducanum… that covers the issue in some detail by way of criticism.
In short, the medication does appear to reduce the beta-amyloid plaque buildup in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's. However, in the phase 3 study that plaque reduction did not appear to result in any clinical improvement in patients. The Phase 3 trial was "stopped for futility."
That's why the advisory panel could recommend rejection -- the drug did not appear to help patients. But equivalently, it did do the thing it set out to do, so that justified (ish?) the final approval.
dtgriscom · 2021-05-28
Oh, yeah. He's great at anthropomorphizing molecules and atoms. Check out his "Things I Won't Work With" series for a great sample: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/category/things-i-wont-…
nceqs3 · 2021-05-27
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/ - In The Pipeline by Derek Lowe is fantastic
Clewza313 · 2021-04-29
Which Derek Lowe tears to shreds in a followup:
> These claims are bullshit. Posting them is a disgrace.
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/04/28/russian-vacc…
For the record, I believe that's the very first time I've seen him use the word "bullshit", and I've been following him for over 10 years.
b0sk · 2021-04-29
Here's a follow-up post on the behavior by the Sputnik V Twitter account https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/04/28/russian-vacc…
Greg Lowe is a very respected commentator on all things vaccines.
an_d_rew · 2021-03-18
For those that want a bit of evidence and scientific background on this, Derek Lowe's writings are, as usual, an excellent source. https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/03/16/what-is-goin…
It is a scientifically and statistically rigorous look at the available data that takes into account how people probably feel about the whole issue.
ethbr0 · 2021-02-22
(I am not an epidemiologist)
(Edit: Please ignore below.
Checked the latest literature and cross-reactive antibodies have not demonstrated correlation with either preventing infection or hospitalization. [0] [1]
[0] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/10/does-prior-e… [1] https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.06.20227215v1 (pending publishing in Cell, but linked ArXiv for availability) )
Because pre-existing coronavirus antibodies have been proven cross-reactive to SARS-CoV-2.
And different populations have different endemic coronaviruses circulating in them.
This isn't some great mystery. This is a normal Tuesday for how human immune systems are supposed to work, as a species.
m4rtink · 2021-02-15
All your points should be addressed in this (IMHO excellent) blog post:
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/02/myths-of-vac…
In short - mRNA vaccines are cutting edge & require the most high tech machines and processes in some of their stages, which create the bottleneck. As for partnering/licensing - that's preatty much a thing & has been for a while, still there is quite some time to get a new production line working in a safe and predictable manner.
BTW, there is also a companion article about the bottlenecks for adenovirus based vaccines (Astra Zeneca and others), which have a different set of bottlenecks:
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/08/how-you-make…
rediguanayum · 2021-01-19
Fantastic write up on the supply chain which is the overlooked challenge to these vaccines. I'll need to reread it (and again). Also good are the "In the pipeline" blog posts by Derek Lowe in Sciencemag about vaccine development: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/
smegger001 · 2020-12-26
I am reminded of the classic article "things I Won't Work With" by chemist Derek Lowe on the subject of Peroxides
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2014/10/10/things_i_won…
they don't sound safe
losvedir · 2020-11-20
I wouldn't call it "simpler", exactly. Yes, it's just getting the immune system to react to a single protein (albeit by injecting genetic material rather than the protein itself) rather than sending in a whole modified virus, but it's based on a fancy new vaccine technology that hadn't been successfully developed and deployed yet, I believe. Anyway, this[0] is a great rundown of the kinds of vaccines out there and in development. Both this one (Pfizer/BioNTech) and the other one that released data recently (Moderna) are mRNA vaccines.
[0] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/04/15/coronavirus-…
KSteffensen · 2020-11-05
It's chlorine triflouride. Things that can light asbestos on fire doesn't mess around.
Another bit of discussion on the stuff here[0], including the John Clarke "Ignition" quote you refer to.
[0]: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_sa…
mattkrause · 2020-10-27
Sure. Nobody (seriously) believes that correlations can’t be suggestive of a causal relationships....but they do need to be followed up.
It’s more that the AZ field has found this particular correlation over and over and over again. Despite millions (possibly closing in on billions) of dollars, however, it’s proven difficult to turn it into a causal link. A-Beta antibodies repeatedly fail, both before and after the plaques appear. Various types of inhibitors don’t work. If a method does something to amyloids, someone has probably tried it already, often in an expensive and ill-advised trial.
This is only barely hyperbolic: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2018/06/12/an-alzheimer…
Balgair · 2020-10-16
"It looks like there is no case at all to be made for some of these therapies, and for remdesivir, it looks like the argument now is “Does it help a bit or just not at all?” The only thing that I’ve seen that really seems to be making a big difference now is dexamethasone, and we may soon (I hope) be adding the monoclonal antibodies to that list. The SOLIDARITY enrollment is still moving along at 2000 patients/month, and will be looking at these and other newer ideas as it continues. And that means abandoning the older ideas, because – as we’re finding out – they’re not much help. It’s time to move on."
Just so everyone knows, this is the same guy that writes the 'Things I Won't Work With" blog. It's all about insane chemical compounds and is very much one of the best blogs ever written.
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/?s=things+I+won%27t+work+with
dekhn · 2020-08-26
Personally, I think the Nobel in Chemistry should have gone to Harry Noller (UCSC), who established that the core function of the ribosome is implemented by RNA, not proteins. After 20+ years of making his case and generally not being believed (even though he had excellent data), a competitor did a crystal structure proving him right and won the prize.
https://reports.news.ucsc.edu/breakthrough/
https://www.mercurynews.com/2009/10/08/nobel-committee-skips-over-ucsc…
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821081/
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/books/2018/11/19/gene-machine/
Harry was my advisor and helped me start my career in computational biology back in the mid 90s. I asked him recently about the Nobel and he said it didn't bother him since one the Nobel was awarded, nobody ever doubted he was wrong about the ribosome again.
krige · 2020-08-24
sounds like a classic In The Pipeline "Things I Won't Work With" [0] tale
[0] example: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_won…
isthisreality · 2020-07-25
I recommend reading this blog post [1] about the unknowns of immunity. Antibodies are only part of the immunity picture, as this tweetstorm [2] concisely explains.
[1] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/07/07/more-on-t-ce…
[2] https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1278400526716211200?s=19
hprotagonist · 2020-07-04
In the bio/pharma scene, this is most cruelly illustrated (in recent times) with this example failure: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2017/05/18/now-this-is-…
tldr:
- statins have a measurable effect on HDL and LDL levels that correlates really well with how much they reduce your risk of dying, and that risk reduction is real and big.
- therefore HDL/LDL levels shall be a great surrogate metric for new drugs; let's go find some.
- we found this great drug that does even better than statins do at HDL/LDL level changes
- two years and 12k patients in trials later: this new drug doesn't affect mortality literally at all.
- ...crap.
dilippkumar · 2020-05-28
I am happily addicted to NetNewsWire 5.0 + Feedbin
I get extremely high quality content and no advertisements, tracking or pop-ups. Also, NetNewsWire is blazing fast.
If you're looking for some RSS recommendations:
[1] An extremely good blog for the latest in Covid related pharmaceutical research: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/
[2] Math with bad drawings: https://mathwithbaddrawings.com/
[3] A blog that analyzes military details in fictional battles: https://acoup.blog/
JunkDNA · 2020-05-21
Spending more on marketing than R&D has been a favorite thing to zero in on but it's not really a useful metric. See here: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2013/05/23/another_look…
mech422 · 2020-05-16
I don't subscribe, but I tend to binge read:
https://blog.scottlowe.org/ (anything and everything network related)
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/ (anything 'pharma' but especially "Things I won't work with..")
I wonder if they're related ...
edit: fiddle with formatting / spelling
ChrisMarshallNY · 2020-05-15
Awesome book! I have this (in digital form). Derek Lowe mentions it in one of my favorite In the Pipeline articles: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2008/02/26/sand_wont_sa…