godfather of surgery

Chapter 1332 You are both

At seven o'clock in the morning, the atmosphere at the research institute was different from usual. Although Yang Ping requested that everything proceed as normal, the team members all knew that the Nobel Committee was beginning its formal inspection today, and they couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

“Relax,” Yang Ping said at the morning meeting. “They want to see real research, not a performance. The real problem is if we change our working methods just because someone is observing us.”

“But Professor,” Chu Xiaoxiao whispered, “what if they ask some pointed questions? For example, what if there aren’t enough practical application cases of the theory, or the clinical validation is still in its early stages…”

“Then let’s answer truthfully,” Yang Ping said calmly. “Science never needs to pretend to be perfect. We showcase progress and also openly acknowledge challenges; we share successes and do not shy away from failures. This honesty is the greatest respect for science.”

After the morning meeting, everyone returned to their work stations. Yang Ping made a point of walking around the various laboratories and saw that although the young researchers were a little reserved, they were gradually immersing themselves in their work, which was the most natural state for them.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the Nobel Committee delegation arrived. Leading the delegation was Professor Carlson, over seventy years old, with neatly trimmed silver hair and sharp yet gentle eyes. Accompanying him were immunologist Professor Li, molecular biologist Dr. Sarah, and two staff members from the Nobel Foundation.

“Professor Yang, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Professor Carlson shook hands firmly. “I have read all your papers, especially the review on the application of systems thinking in medicine, which was very impressive.”

“Professor Carlson, welcome.” Yang Ping smiled. “How about we start the tour right away? Several projects we’re currently working on might be more illustrative than the paper.”

“That’s exactly what we want,” Carlson nodded.

The inspection team first arrived at the dedicated conference room for Lele's case. The whiteboard was covered with complex system correlation diagrams and calculation formulas, and the table was piled high with test reports and research papers. A clinical nutritionist was reporting the latest metabolic analysis results to Yang Ping.

“I’m sorry, we are discussing a case,” Yang Ping told the delegation. “This is a nine-year-old SAVI patient. We are designing a personalized systemic regulation plan. This is an attempt to extend our systems theory from cancer treatment to non-cancer diseases.”

“Please continue, don’t worry about us.” Professor Carlson gestured for the team members to sit down in the back row of the conference room.

Over the next half hour, the delegation witnessed a real research discussion: a clinical nutritionist pointed out that Lele's vitamin levels were abnormal, which might be related to drug interactions; an immunologist presented the latest flow cytometry data, showing a deficiency in regulatory T cell function; and a data analyst reported the results of the computational model, indicating that the drug dosage needed further adjustment.

The discussions were rife with debate and skepticism. When a data analyst suggested that a parameter might be overestimated, Yang Ping demanded a recalculation; when an immunologist expressed doubt about the reliability of a testing method, the team decided to increase the number of parallel experiments.

“There are no authorities here, only evidence,” Professor Carlson whispered to Professor Li beside him. “Do you see? Everyone can question it, including Professor Yang himself.”

Professor Li nodded: "This is what science should be like."

As the discussion came to a close, Professor Carlson asked, "Professor Yang, I noticed that your plan is extremely complex. Why not try a simpler approach? For example, using a novel STING inhibitor directly? Some pharmaceutical companies are already developing such drugs. Please forgive my ignorance, I don't understand, that's why I'm asking."

Yang Ping turned to the whiteboard and drew two diagrams: "Simple methods often only solve the surface problems. STING inhibitors can indeed suppress overactivated pathways, but they cannot solve the fundamental regulatory imbalance. Lele's immune system is like a malfunctioning pendulum. We not only need to stop it in the wrong place, but also repair its regulatory mechanism so that it can swing normally."

He pointed to the complex system diagram: "Our approach looks complex because it respects the complexity of the body. Multiple low-dose interventions work synergistically, mimicking the body's natural regulatory network. This requires more computation and monitoring, but it may lead to more fundamental and lasting improvements."

"What if it fails?" Dr. Sarah asked. "With such a complex plan, any mistake in any part could lead to complete failure."

“It’s possible,” Yang Ping said frankly. “But if we choose a simple but ineffective solution out of fear of failure, that would be a real failure. Of course, we will establish rigorous safety monitoring, and any abnormalities will be adjusted in a timely manner. Medical progress always seeks a balance between risk and benefit.”

Professor Carlson nodded thoughtfully.

Next, the delegation visited Jiang Jitong's team's laboratory. Chu Xiaoxiao was operating a mass spectrometer, analyzing changes in metabolites in mouse serum. Upon seeing the group enter, she visibly tensed up, her hands trembling slightly.

“Relax, Dr. Chu,” Yang Ping said gently. “Introduce yourself to Professor Carlson about the work you are doing.”

Chu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and began to explain: "We are studying how gut microbiota metabolites affect vaccine responses. We previously discovered a rare strain that produces special fatty acids that can interact with vaccine enhancers, leading to an excessive immune response. Now we are exploring whether this interaction can be used to safely enhance vaccine efficacy in scenarios requiring strong immune protection."

She presented data charts, including perplexing anomalies and initial solutions. As she explained, she gradually forgot her nervousness, her eyes sparkling with pure passion for scientific questions.

“This discovery is very interesting,” Professor Li said. “But how can we ensure safety? An excessive immune response could lead to autoimmunity or a cytokine storm.”

“That’s exactly what we’re researching,” Jiang Jitong continued. “We’re looking for a ‘safety window’—adjusting the chemical structure of vaccine enhancers or pre-regulating the gut microbiota to transform an overreaction into a controllable strong response. This requires a lot of experiments, but the preliminary data are very promising.”

The members of the inspection team exchanged glances, and they could see the admiration in each other's eyes.

At noon, Yang Ping invited the inspection team to have lunch at the institute's canteen. There was no special preparation; it was just a regular working meal—a simple three dishes and a soup.

"The atmosphere here reminds me of the labs I worked in when I was young," Professor Carlson remarked. "People discuss science without regard to seniority or fear of debate. This is the kind of environment that fosters true innovation."

“Science requires equal dialogue,” Yang Ping said. “It’s not just dialogue between researchers, but also dialogue between researchers and their research subjects—whether cells, animals, or patients. We listen to the voice of the data, even if it doesn’t meet our expectations.”

After lunch, the delegation visited more laboratories and exchanged ideas with different teams. At 3 PM, as scheduled, Yang Ping was to hold a closed-door meeting with the delegation. The meeting was held in a small conference room. On one side of the long table were members of the Nobel Committee, and on the other side were Yang Ping and his core team.

“Professor Yang,” Professor Carlson said bluntly, “your theory of systemic regulation does indeed have revolutionary potential. However, some members of the committee are concerned that it may be too theoretical and its clinical application prospects are unclear. How do you respond to this concern?”

Yang Ping gestured to Song Ziming to turn on the projector. A world map was displayed on the screen, marked with dozens of dots.

“These are clinical centers that are applying the concept of systems regulation,” Yang Ping said. “Some are testing personalized immune regulation protocols, some are developing diagnostic tools based on systems thinking, and some are exploring the link between metabolic and neurological diseases. Although most are still in the early stages, they have already accumulated some encouraging cases.”

He presented several anonymous case reports: a woman with a complex autoimmune disease whose condition was controlled through a multi-systemic modulation program; a patient with depression whose symptoms improved through metabolic and immune modulation, despite the lack of conventional treatments; and even several early-stage cancer cases where systemic modulation as adjunctive therapy showed the potential to enhance efficacy and reduce side effects.

“These are not large-scale clinical trials and are insufficient to prove the general validity of the theory,” Yang Ping frankly stated. “However, they are important proofs of concept, demonstrating the possibility of new directions in thinking. Scientific progress often begins with small-scale explorations.”

Dr. Sarah asked, “Your theory emphasizes ‘holistic’ and ‘complexity,’ but this also presents the challenge of reproducibility. Each patient is a unique system; how do you ensure the predictability of treatment?”

“This is a crucial question.” Yang Ping nodded. “Our answer is: While the human body has individuality, it also has commonalities, which can be addressed through more refined stratification and more intelligent predictive models. Traditional medicine tends to classify patients into a limited number of types, but systems thinking requires us to acknowledge diversity while looking for common patterns.”

He presented a patient stratification system under development: based on multi-omics data (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiome) and clinical phenotypes, patients would be classified into hundreds of subtypes. Each subtype has a specific pattern of systemic imbalance, corresponding to different regulatory strategies.

“That sounds like a huge workload,” Professor Li said.

“Yes, that’s why we need the help of artificial intelligence.” Yang Ping switched the screen to show the interface of a machine learning platform. “We are training models to identify patterns from massive amounts of data and predict the effects of interventions. This is not to replace doctors’ judgment, but to provide more powerful decision support.”

The discussion lasted two hours. Committee members raised questions one after another, ranging from theoretical foundations to clinical practice, from technical challenges to ethical considerations. Yang Ping and his team responded to each question, neither avoiding the difficulties nor exaggerating their achievements.

Finally, Professor Carlson said, "Professor Yang, I have another personal question. Your decision not to go to Stockholm to receive the award is very rare in the history of the Nobel Prize. Can you tell us the real reason?"

The meeting room fell silent. All eyes were on Yang Ping.

Yang Ping pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "This is not a disrespect for the Nobel Prize; on the contrary, it is because I deeply respect the spirit it represents and the recognition of scientific exploration. And this kind of exploration, in my understanding, happens in the laboratory, on the front lines of clinical practice, and in daily interactions with the team and patients."

He looked out the window at the institute's courtyard, where several young researchers were walking and discussing excitedly.

“If I go to Stockholm, I will be in the spotlight, giving speeches and receiving congratulations. That would certainly be an honor. But at the same time, the conferences here would be missing my participation, Lele’s treatment plan would be delayed, and young researchers’ questions would not be answered in a timely manner. For me, the greatest value of the Nobel Prize is that it can inspire more people to devote themselves to scientific exploration. And my own best contribution is to continue the exploration itself.”

Professor Carlson remained silent for a long time, then stood up and extended his hand to Yang Ping: "Thank you for your candor. Today we are not only witnessing an outstanding scientist, but also a true embodiment of the scientific spirit."

After the delegation left, the research institute returned to calm. But changes had already taken place imperceptibly.

Chu Xiaoxiao approached Yang Ping: "Professor, after exchanging ideas with the committee experts today, I have a new idea. Regarding the research on that strain's metabolites, perhaps we can explore its application in regulating autoimmunity, rather than just enhancing vaccines."

"Tell me about it," Yang Ping encouraged.

"If we can precisely control the concentration and duration of action of this metabolite, we may be able to 'train' the immune system to be less sensitive to its own antigens. This may be safer and more effective than completely suppressing the immune system."

Yang Ping's eyes lit up: "Excellent idea. Write a preliminary plan, and we'll discuss it next week."

"Yes!" Chu Xiaoxiao left excitedly.

Meanwhile, Lele's parents called. The child was in good spirits today.

In the evening, Yang Ping finished his day's work and was preparing to go home when Tang Shun and Song Ziming came to find him.

“Professor, the committee gave us some feedback,” Tang Shun said. “They were very impressed with the collaborative atmosphere of our team. Professor Carlson specifically mentioned that in too many places he sees research driven by individual heroism, but here he sees a true scientific community.”

“In addition,” Song Ziming added, “they understand your decision not to attend the award ceremony. Professor Carlson said they will respect your choice and make sure that this spirit is conveyed at the ceremony.”

"Thank you," Yang Ping said. "I'm entrusting the preparations for going to Stockholm to you. Remember, you represent the entire team and everyone who supports us."

“We will be ready,” Tang Shun said earnestly.

On his way home, Yang Ping recalled Professor Carlson's parting words: "Professor Yang, the history of science will remember two kinds of people: those who made great discoveries and those who pioneered new research models and nurtured a new generation of scientists. You are both."