godfather of surgery

Chapter 1257 From Zero to One
Despite everything else, Dean Xia approached Yang Ping several times, proposing to draft a report to seek stronger support.

However, Dean Xia's suggestion was rejected by Yang Ping. Dean Xia was originally anxious about this matter and had been thinking about whether to submit a report to higher authorities without Yang Ping's knowledge and request support, but now it seems that there is no need to do so.

These enterprises, universities, research institutes, and laboratories have consciously formed a huge alliance. This alliance has abundant funding and talent, and its goals are very clear. They are also closely connected and are not a loose alliance.

With this alliance as a backing, Dean Xia no longer needed to submit reports to higher authorities requesting assistance; it seems he underestimated Yang Ping's influence.

During this period, Yang Ping stayed in the laboratory and had almost no time to go to the clinical ward. However, he no longer needed to worry about the clinical ward, as Song Ziming and Xu Zhiliang could handle the surgeries in the ward on their own.

These so-called lockdowns have a significant impact on the laboratories, but almost no impact on the clinical wards. So the doctors there often visit the wards, hoping to be of some help.

I thought the lab was in complete chaos, but surprisingly, everything was fine. Professor Yang's team was still the same five greenhorns, and everyone else was busy with their own things, doing what they usually did.

Tang Shun wanted to allocate more manpower to Yang Ping, but Yang Ping refused, saying that five people were enough and that it would not affect other projects. The projects were already in progress, and the group of people were working together very well. Adding more manpower would only cause trouble.

In fact, this single research topic is nothing to Yang Ping. The challenge lies in using this topic to establish a whole new scientific research system.

The five PhD students in the research group were once unknown figures in the institute, but now they are not only celebrities in Sanbo Hospital and the provincial capital of Nanjing, but have also become celebrities in the national academic circle overnight.

This made Ji Ning resentful. He thought to himself, which of these people is better than him? They just got ahead because they were riding the wave of opportunity. If he hadn't withdrawn back then, he would be much more successful than them now.

……

The three candidate molecular sequences provided by Yang Ping are like three precious seeds carefully planted in the soil of real-world research.

After a brief period of excitement, the team's atmosphere quickly settled into a serious and focused state, without any haste or impatience.

He Zijian contacted the top peptide and protein synthesis laboratory in China, and the communication process itself was a verification of the new approach.

When the researchers received the sequence, they checked it several times, their tone filled with disbelief and surprise: "Dr. He, are you sure these modification sites and the locations of the non-natural amino acid introductions are correct? I've never seen this structure before, but it looks very bold, and the energy calculations must have been extremely precise."

He Zijian simply replied calmly, "We have made a full prediction based on this synthesis."

While awaiting molecular synthesis, the various modules in the laboratory entered their final sprint of debugging. Wang Chao and his team conducted hundreds of stability tests on the "cobbled-together" miniature biosensor. They repeatedly calibrated it with standards of known concentrations, recording every minute fluctuation, and optimizing the temperature compensation algorithm provided by Yang Ping later. The palm-sized device, with its densely packed circuitry and microfluidic channels, still retained a rough, handcrafted appearance, but its core detection unit and signal processing system were operating stably and reliably, like a fine Swiss watch.

"Background noise is stable within the permissible range, and the signal-to-noise ratio meets the standard!" A researcher stared at the data on the screen, his voice filled with barely suppressed joy. Wang Chao patted the piece of equipment that embodied countless efforts, as if it were his own child: "Old buddy, now it's time to see your true abilities."

Chu Xiaoxiao and the algorithm engineers at the Digital Medicine Center conducted a final round of "intensive training" on the dedicated convolutional neural network model. Using images and data obtained from experiments, they performed adversarial training and extreme condition testing to continuously improve the model's robustness and generalization ability. On the screen, the model was rapidly recognizing a new batch of cell images, with green boxes accurately marking the target cells. The accuracy rate remained stable at over 98.5%, even surpassing the judgment of human experts in processing some blurry images.

"It's ready to go," Chu Xiaoxiao said to the engineer beside her, a hint of pride in her voice. This AI image recognition system is not only extremely low-cost, requiring only ordinary microscopic imaging equipment, but its speed and stability are also unmatched by traditional flow cytometry. This is the advantage of path reconstruction—you don't have to chase after others' expensive hardware, but instead use existing technology as a tool, which requires sufficient innovation.

Liu Yang's enzyme production line has completed preparations for pilot-scale amplification. Following the key node control parameters optimized by Yang Ping, they successfully replicated high-efficiency expression at the laboratory level in a 50-liter fermenter. Although the purification steps still require further optimization to reduce losses, the self-sufficiency supply line for their "ammunition" has been initially established. Watching the slowly stirring bacterial solution in the reaction vessel, Liu Yang felt a sense of reassurance.

Good news also came from Jiang Jitong's side. He had fully communicated with the animal laboratory center of Nandu Medical University. This is a fully qualified GLP animal experimental center. Once the in vitro validation is passed, the preclinical research can be started immediately.

A week later, three candidate molecules, numbered X-1, X-2, and X-3, were delivered to the laboratory. They were stored in an ultra-low temperature freezer, as quiet as hibernating spirits, yet carrying the hopes of the entire team.

The verification process was immediately and fully launched.

First, Wang Chao's sensor was used for initial screening. X-1, X-2, and X-3 molecules were dissolved and injected into a microfluidic chip. The sensor captured their binding curves, kinetic parameters, and dissociation constants (KD values) with the immobilized target protein. The results were encouraging: all three molecules exhibited extremely strong binding affinity, especially X-2, whose KD value reached the femtomolar (fM) level—an exceptionally high figure, meaning its binding to the target was stronger than expected.

"Incredible... This binding force is almost tailor-made for this target." Wang Chao murmured to himself as he looked at the near-perfect binding curve on the screen.

Molecules initially screened by sensors then proceed to Chu Xiaoxiao's AI-powered cell function screening platform. Researchers co-culture candidate molecules with specific immune cells, then use an imaging system to capture the cell state, which is then analyzed rapidly and in high-throughput by an AI model. The model needs to determine whether the molecule can effectively activate the target immune pathway, while also assessing its potential toxicity to cells.

The X-1 molecule showed a moderate level of activation signal, but the AI ​​model also flagged a mild cellular stress response.

The activation signal of the X-3 molecule is very strong, but at high concentrations, the AI ​​model judges that its cytotoxicity is significantly excessive.

All eyes were on X-2.

Under a microscope, the morphology of immune cells that had X-2 added underwent significant and positive changes, exhibiting a typical activated state.

More importantly, after analyzing tens of thousands of cell images, the AI ​​model provided a near-perfect evaluation report: "Potential immune activation, no obvious cytotoxicity, wide activation threshold, and ideal safety window."

"That's it!" Chu Xiaoxiao was so excited she almost jumped up. A low cheer came from the laboratory, but it quickly subsided because there was still one last, and most crucial, step: in vitro functional verification.

This is the most traditional, yet also the most authoritative, method. He Zijian personally performed the procedure, utilizing mature domestically produced commercial reagent kits and cell models to quantitatively detect key cytokines induced by X-2 molecules, such as interleukins and interferons. This is one of the few steps that cannot yet be completely replaced.

The laboratory was so quiet that only the soft hum of the instruments could be heard. The microplate reader was reading the final absorbance values ​​of the 96-well plate, and on the computer screen, the standard curve was being fitted, with the concentration values ​​of each sample about to be calculated.

He Zijian, Wang Chao, Chu Xiaoxiao, Liu Yang, and others were all gathered around the computer, holding their breath in concentration. Yang Ping stood a little further away, his gaze calmly fixed on the screen, appearing quite composed.

The data is out.

On the screen, the cytokine concentration values ​​representing the X-2 molecule experimental group far exceeded those of the positive control group, and were even several times higher than those of the best candidate molecules reported in the current literature! Moreover, this highly efficient activation effect showed a clear dose-dependent effect, and within the effective concentration range, it had no significant impact on cell viability.

It's perfect!

The data has validated all the predictions made in previous stages. From AI design to sensor verification, AI image selection, and finally to authoritative gold standard verification, the conclusions reached by the entire independent R&D ecosystem are highly consistent and impeccable.

The deathly silence lasted for about five seconds.

Then, with a "boom," the laboratory erupted in chaos!

"We did it! We did it!" Liu Yang shouted first, grabbing He Zijian beside him and patting him hard on the back. He Zijian also forgot his usual reserve, his eyes gleaming with excitement behind his glasses. He hugged Liu Yang back, laughing loudly. Chu Xiaoxiao covered her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. So many days and nights of hard work, so many moments of frustration from failure—all of it transformed into immense joy and a sense of accomplishment at this moment. She looked at Yang Ping, her eyes filled with gratitude and admiration.

Wang Chao and Jiang Jitong also pumped their fists, cheering and shouting with the other young researchers. In the laboratory, papers were thrown into the air, chairs were knocked over, and people hugged each other, releasing the pressure and passion that had been building up for too long.

This is a breakthrough from zero to one! It's a victory achieved through sheer ingenuity and hard work, forging a completely new path amidst a seemingly hopeless situation of being blocked. They not only produced a highly effective candidate molecule, but more importantly, they validated the feasibility, efficiency, and immense potential of this entirely new research and development approach!

Looking at his ecstatic companions, Yang Ping finally broke into a clear and warm smile. He didn't stop their celebration; he knew this moment of release was crucial for them. He quietly walked to the lab bench, picked up the report containing the final verification data for the X-2 molecule, and carefully examined every number.

After a long while, once everyone's emotions had calmed down a bit, Yang Ping walked to the center of the laboratory and cleared his throat.

All eyes instantly focused on him, filled with excitement, anticipation, and unwavering faith.

Yang Ping's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly: "We've succeeded in the first step, which is also the most crucial step. The X-2 molecule is the first ray of light before dawn."

"It proves that our path is correct. This is not due to chance, but the inevitable result of logical reasoning and iterative optimization of our independently developed ecosystem. This is a success of our methodology!"

His gaze swept over every excited face: "But this is just the beginning. The X-2 molecule still needs to undergo preclinical animal experiments and ultimately prove its safety and efficacy in human clinical trials. The system we have built also needs to solve more and more complex problems in the broader field of biomedicine."

"We have proven that this path is viable. Next, we will widen this path into a broad road that leads to the future!"

Yang Ping's words were like a shot in the arm, quickly transforming everyone's joy into a stronger belief and the motivation to move forward.

"He Zijian, immediately organize all the in vitro data of X-2 molecules and prepare the preliminary materials for the IND (Investigational New Drug Application)."

“Wang Chao, we will continue to optimize the sensor and iterate it towards greater portability and higher throughput. We want to make it a standard configuration of the platform and hand over the data to Ruixing Medical for their development of such commercial devices.”

"Chu Xiaoxiao, the AI ​​model is now finalized, but we have summarized the training experience and formed a standardized operating procedure (SOP) to prepare for the next target."

"Liu Yang, initiate the process scale-up study of the X-2 molecule, with the goal of meeting the sample requirements for the Phase I clinical trial."

"Jiang Jitong, immediately contact the animal testing center and initiate the preclinical safety and efficacy evaluation of the X-2 molecule!"

With each instruction clear and precise, the entire team, like a finely tuned gear, sprang into action once again.

In the days that followed, the lab's focus shifted to preparing "X-2" for preclinical studies. Data processing, document writing, communication with partners... every task was tedious and meticulous, but the team's morale was high and their efficiency was astonishing.

Six people spearheaded this massive experiment, thanks to a novel approach and the involvement of Nandu Medical University's AI team.

Meanwhile, Yang Ping launched a new experiment in the system space: based on the successful experience and data of 'X-2', he optimized the platform and expanded the target to areas such as tumor immunotherapy (such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor enhancement) and autoimmune diseases, in order to find new candidate molecules.

In the real world, the animal experiments for "X-2" proceeded as scheduled. From mice to rats, and then to non-human primates, preliminary reports continued to come back:
"'X-2' showed a very strong adjuvant effect in mouse models, significantly enhancing vaccine immunogenicity!"

"No significant abnormalities were observed in the long-term toxicity test!"

"In primates, its advantages are obvious compared to existing adjuvants!"

One piece of good news after another is like a solid step, paving the way for "X-2" to be applied in clinical practice.

One afternoon, Jiang Jitong knocked on Yang Ping's office door with a serious expression.

“Professor Yang, we’ve heard some rumors.” Jiang Jitong placed a brief report on Yang Ping’s desk. “International scholars in academic circles and at some industry conferences have begun to question the controllability and reliability of biopharmaceuticals developed entirely outside of their technology platforms. At the same time, there are indications that they may be targeting us in terms of intellectual property rights.”

Yang Ping picked up the briefing, quickly glanced through it, and showed no surprise on his face.

"The tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease; this is inevitable." He put down the briefing. "We have carved out a new path, encroaching on others' interests, and they cannot remain indifferent. Along with technological blockades, they will also use public opinion and rules to suppress us. This is a massive system, and this is to be expected."

"Then we..." Jiang Jitong said with some worry.

“No need to be nervous.” Yang Ping turned around, his gaze sharp yet steady. “First, all the design and data for ‘X-2’ originate from our own platform. The intellectual property rights are clear and can withstand scrutiny. They probably don’t even have the ability to understand our technical details yet. Second, our real confidence comes from the data and efficacy. The animal experimental data for ‘X-2’ is our moat. Third, and most importantly…”

He paused, his tone carrying an undeniable authority: "We are not fighting alone. The Ruixing Alliance brings together not only technology and talent, but also the top domestic regulatory, intellectual property, and clinical resources. They will help us solve these problems, so we don't need to worry about these things. We need to focus all our attention on the experiments, understand?"

Jiang Jitong nodded, agreeing with Professor Yang's point that everyone should stay at their posts and do what they are good at.

Yang Ping immediately communicated with Huang Jiacai. Huang Jiacai had already been aware of this information and had convened an emergency meeting with the alliance's main leaders. At the meeting, he did not conceal the potential challenges they faced, but rather viewed them as an opportunity to subject the autonomous system to a more severe test.

"This is a battle we must win," Huang Jiacai said at the end of the meeting. "It's not just about the fate of the 'X-2' product, but also about whether our new path can be recognized and established. We must meet any challenge with the most rigorous data, the most transparent processes, and the most determined attitude."

He deployed a response strategy: the alliance's intellectual property expert team would conduct a comprehensive FTO (Free to Implement) analysis of "X-2" and related platform technologies to build a solid patent barrier; the legal affairs team would communicate with the National Medical Products Administration and other departments in advance to demonstrate the scientific nature and reliability of the independent research and development path; and the public relations team would prepare necessary materials to convey the correct message to the outside world in a timely manner.

True innovation is never smooth sailing. It requires breaking through technological barriers, but even more so, it requires breaking free from the shackles of outdated thinking and the encirclement of established interest groups.

"X-2" is a seed, and the self-developed ecosystem it has created is the soil that nurtured that seed. Now, the seed has sprouted, demonstrating its powerful vitality. Next, it needs to withstand the trials and tribulations of life to grow into a towering tree.

Yang Ping's side is also making steady progress. He instructed He Zijian: "Zijian, prepare a detailed report on the 'X-2' project's progress, especially the complete logic chain and data chain of the platform's independent design and iterative optimization. We need to let everyone see that this is not accidental, but a scientific inevitability."

As night deepened, the light in Yang Ping's office remained on. He was drafting a more ambitious plan, outlining a vision for establishing an open, collaborative, and self-evolving "China Biomedical Innovation Factory" based on existing successes. This factory would not only serve his own laboratory but would also provide tools, algorithms, computing power, and methodological support to all research teams and biotechnology companies in China committed to original innovation.

Yang Ping is not satisfied with the success of one or two projects or one or two new drugs. Instead, he wants to fundamentally change the innovation ecosystem of China's biopharmaceutical industry and create a vibrant source of innovation that does not depend on any external factors.

Outside the window, the stars twinkled, their light reflecting off the lights in the laboratory and office.

(End of this chapter)