Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 1414: Chapter 671 What do I look like! What happened to me!

Upon hearing Zhao Yi’s explanation, Shi Jingwen felt an almost overwhelming urge to curse.

Inspiration and luck?

Those two things truly can’t be learned!

Yet, Shi Jingwen had to admit that what Zhao Yi said was the truth: much of medical research depends on luck, like discovering some new type of protein, bacteria, virus, etc.

Some scientists who have made significant contributions to medical research, including Nobel laureates, owe their success, in part, to luck.

For instance, one Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to three scientists from Country F and Country D: Harald zur Hausen, Wass Benard Varmus, and Luc Montagnier. They discovered viruses that cause AIDS and cervical cancer and thus shared the Nobel Prize.

Benard Varmus and Montagnier were rewarded for isolating the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus causing AIDS, from the lymph nodes of patients in the early stages of the disease and from the blood of patients in the late stages, in the early 1980s.

To say that other medical experts were not as skilled as them would be impossible; their award, to some extent, could be said to be due to luck because they happened to obtain blood from patients in the late stages of AIDS. Other medical professionals could have also isolated the virus had they gotten the blood; they had simply found the right direction and conducted relevant research.

Luck is very important, and so is inspiration.

Take, for example, a simple study where certain bacteria can resist viral invasion, secreting a host of proteins within.

Then the research must identify one or several proteins among these that can structurally withstand viral attacks.

This is a very complicated task.

Even a single bacterium is a large molecular cell, with too many components inside.

If every protein or component was tested individually, it would consume a massive amount of time and might not even yield results.

That’s when careful analysis becomes necessary, with proteins that are more likely to resist viruses positioned at the forefront, while those less likely are set aside or not even studied at all.

But what if the judgment is wrong? All the work would become meaningless.

That’s when inspiration is needed.

With inspiration, one can directly identify the functional proteins or substances, making the research much simpler and leading to rapid conclusions.

Therefore, inspiration and luck are indeed vital for medical research.

Shi Jingwen sighed deeply.

He and Zhao Yi continued to discuss various research issues, finding much common ground on the subject. Later, Zhang Ning also joined the discussion, sharing experiences in conducting research together.

Zhao Yi said very little during the exchange, listening patiently and occasionally offering his own views.

Throughout the continuous exchange, Shi Jingwen also began to advise on constructing the gene laboratory, believing that the technical level should be perfected first.

"Academician Zhao, if you want your gene laboratory to conduct the world’s top-notch genetic research, then you must start with the highest technical standards," he said.

"For instance, it’s essential to master the world’s most advanced genetic technologies, including the latest gene-editing techniques."

Shi Jingwen spoke earnestly.

Gene editing technology is one of the latest in the field of medical research.

Zhang Ning’s research also focused on that area, primarily aiming to find ways to correct genes.

Gene editing technology is not about physically cutting genes with scissors; instead, it utilizes a bacterial adaptive immune system called "CRISPR-Cas."

"CRISPR-Cas" allows bacteria to detect and exterminate viral DNA. Within this system, there’s a protein called "CRISPR-Cas9," which can locate, cut, and ultimately annihilate the viral DNA in a unique way.

By harnessing the properties of "CRISPR-Cas9," genes can be cut with high precision, and this gene-editing technique can even be extended to edit the DNA of animals and plants purposefully, leading to the treatment of diseases, especially genetic disorders, and yielding desired crops and biological products.

This technology was developed by two scientists, Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, and earned them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Zhang Ning’s area of research also related to gene correction techniques.

This foundational research drives the development of genetic technologies, and each of her achievements promotes the advancement of this field.

"So, to perform top-tier research in genetics, you must possess the most advanced genetic technologies."

Shi Jingwen said, "I’ve taken a look at the laboratory, and although it has many new types of equipment and is internationally cutting-edge, it still falls short of the very best gene laboratories out there."

It was clear what he meant: the experimental equipment was still not sufficient.

In some ways, he was seeking advantages for his protégée Zhang Ning. fгeewebnovёl.com

In fact, Zhang Ning was aware that the gene laboratory lacked certain top-tier equipment and its related support systems were not entirely perfect. After her arrival at the gene laboratory, she had made several requests, purchasing a few state-of-the-art devices totaling over thirty million.

At that point, Zhang Ning felt her demands might be too high, especially after Zhao Yi directly agreed and met her requirements.

If she continued to request other equipment, would she be seen as ungrateful or as testing the laboratory’s limits?

Although Zhang Ning was wholly dedicated to her research and had spent many years abroad, she was still aware of some social subtleties.