godfather of surgery

Chapter 1343 The Dust Settles
A few days later, while Yang Ping was in the lab, Mainstein called, his voice urgent.

"Professor! Did you see the news? Hans Berger! Hans Berger has been formally indicted!"

Yang Ping immediately turned on speakerphone so that the team could all hear him.

"German prosecutors have just announced that they have filed charges against Professor Berger on multiple counts, including 'fraudulent medical practices causing serious bodily harm,' 'commercial fraud,' and 'infringement of intellectual property rights.' Evidence includes his email correspondence with illegal institutions in three countries, financial records, and complete medical and legal documents from the three victims of the alleged spoofing treatment. Police also searched his laboratory and residence, uncovering further evidence. If convicted, he could face more than ten years in prison."

Mannstein's voice was complex, containing both pain and relief: "The scientific community was in an uproar, but mostly silent. He brought this upon himself. This should serve as a wake-up call for everyone."

Yang Ping was silent for a moment, then asked, "What was his reaction?"

"He reportedly refused to plead guilty, claiming that he was merely 'having differing academic views' and 'providing normal industry advice.' But his legal team seems pessimistic."

After hanging up the phone, the conference room fell silent.

Berger's downfall marked the complete elimination of the most extreme and unscrupulous faction in the resistance of the old forces. This was a victory for the law and for scientific ethics. It brutally declared that attempts to hinder scientific progress through fraud and harm will ultimately come at a terrible price.

"This will also make others who are still wavering or secretly trying to trip us up think twice," Tang Shun said.

Lu Xiaolu nodded: "Yes, the door to cooperation is open, but the bottom line of the law is also there. This is the best warning."

After several rounds of intensive consultations, the final draft of the "Letter of Intent on Strategic Cooperation Framework for Global Development of Systems Medicine between Sanbo Institute and Giant Group" was completed through the joint efforts of the legal teams and legal experts of both parties.

This 120-page document is filled with rigorous legal terminology and complex structural design, but its core spirit is firmly locked on the consensus reached during the initial negotiations.

The signing ceremony of the letter of intent was not a grand affair; instead, a joint press release was simultaneously published on both parties' official websites and major academic journals, along with an abstract version of the letter of intent.

Even so, it still generated a huge response in the global medical, industrial, and investment communities.

The journal *Science* commented, "This establishes a new medical model, and this letter of intent may mark a new era in the relationship between industry, academia, and research: scientific creativity is placed at the absolute core, while capital plays a supporting and service role. If successful, it will become a model for future disruptive technology transformations."

"A giant gamble." Bloomberg analyzed from a business perspective: "Rigoyan is betting his personal reputation and the company's future on a technology that is not yet fully mature. If he succeeds, the giant will be reborn and lead a new era; if he fails, he may be abandoned by both the old and the new."

"A victory for patients." Patient rights organizations cheered, considering the emphasis on patient data rights and the return of benefits in the letter of intent as a landmark advancement.

Other pharmaceutical companies, after initial shock, envy, and observation, finally began to take concrete action.

Novartis, Roche, and other companies sent their highest-level delegations to the Nandu Sanbo Research Institute, seeking "similar cooperation opportunities that suit their own characteristics." The terms they offered were increasingly generous, and their attitudes increasingly humble.

Yang Ping had long ago handed over the commercialization of all the research results of Sanbo Research Institute to Ruixing Pharmaceutical Group, and he and his team wanted to focus on scientific research.

Outside the Sanbo Research Institute, traffic flowed as usual. There was no media frenzy, no online celebrity chatter, and not even many unfamiliar visitors lingering in the lobby; everything was orderly.

At this moment, in the conference room on the top floor of the Ruixing Building.

Seated on one side of the long conference table is Huang Jiacai, the founder and CEO of Ruixing Medical, and his core team—Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, President of International Business, and General Counsel for Intellectual Property Law.

On the other side of the table sat James Collins, Novartis' Senior Vice President of Global Business Development, and his team. Collins, in his fifties, had meticulously combed gray hair, possessing the precision and reserve characteristic of the Swiss. Behind him followed business, legal, and technical evaluation specialists.

“Mr. Collins, welcome back to Nandu.” Huang Jiacai began, speaking in standard Mandarin with a slight southern accent, his tone unhurried. “We have carefully studied your preliminary intentions regarding the licensing cooperation of systemic modulation therapy in the European market. Ruixing and Sanbo Research Institute are deep strategic partners, fully responsible for the commercialization of all research results from Professor Yang Ping’s team. Therefore, any business-related discussions can be conducted directly and efficiently between us.”

Collins nodded slightly: "Mr. Huang, we appreciate your directness. Novartis has great interest and respect for the theory of systemic regulation, especially its outstanding application of K therapy in the field of oncology. We hope to explore an exclusive regional licensing model covering the EU and Swiss markets."

Behind Huang Jiacai, the chief strategy officer, a capable woman, lightly tapped the tablet. The high-definition screen on the side of the conference room lit up, displaying not a simple PowerPoint presentation, but a dynamic, multi-layered visualization model. At the center was the "Sanbo Core," surrounded by layers of expanding cooperation circles.

“Mr. Collins, we need to clarify a core concept,” Huang Jiacai began, his voice clear and firm. “Based on our agreement with the Sanbo Institute and the inherent characteristics of the systems regulation theory, we do not sell individual ‘drugs’ or ‘therapy licenses.’ What we offer are ‘systems medicine solutions.’”

"A mandatory, tiered training and certification system. Any partner must begin with certification training for the core physician team to ensure they understand the essence, rather than just mechanically applying the techniques."

The General Counsel added, "Therefore, our collaboration agreement is closer to a long-term, deeply integrated technology service and co-development agreement. It includes strict implementation standards, data feedback obligations, ongoing technical support clauses, and a tiered revenue-sharing model based on effectiveness and contribution. A simple upfront payment plus sales commission model is not applicable here."

Collins' team members exchanged glances. This was far more complex and profound than they had anticipated. It was no longer about buying a product, but about accessing an ecosystem and accepting a completely new set of rules.

“Training system? Data feedback?” a Novartis technical specialist couldn’t help but ask. “This involves the ownership of core medical data and patient privacy…” “This is a recurring issue. We’ve experienced this concern during the popularization of K therapy, so please rest assured. All data undergoes strict anonymization and encryption before being transmitted to our platform, complying with the world’s strictest regulations. If you’re still hesitating on this point, then cooperation is out of the question,” Chen Zhi, Chief Scientific Officer of Ruide, took over.

"The ownership of the data still belongs to the medical institutions and patients, but the right to use the processed group data belongs to the platform and is used to optimize the algorithm. This is a compliance framework designed by legal experts from multiple countries. As for training," he paused, "the risk of abusing the adjustment scheme without understanding the system dynamics is far higher than that of traditional targeted drugs. Training is not an obstacle, but a guarantee, ensuring patient safety and the long-term success of the collaborative project."

Collins listened in silence, his fingers tapping lightly on the table unconsciously. He had done his homework before coming, knowing Ruixing and Huang Jiacai's style: precise, assertive, far-sighted, and adept at building rules rather than merely following them. But experiencing it firsthand still made him feel a pressure unlike anything he had felt before.

"So, exclusive authorization?" Collins returned to the original question.

Huang Jiacai smiled slightly, his smile carrying an undeniable confidence: "In the emerging field of systems medicine, premature and excessive exclusivity is detrimental to the healthy development of the entire ecosystem and may also hinder technological progress. We prefer a 'regional in-depth cooperation' model. Novartis may have priority cooperation rights for systems modulatory therapies and joint development rights for new indications in the European market, but this is not absolute exclusivity. We reserve the possibility of cooperating with other leading institutions in specific sub-sectors. Of course, as a deep partner, Novartis will enjoy the most favorable terms in revenue sharing, joint technological evolution, and future expansion of new therapies."

The meeting lasted for the entire morning.

Both sides engaged in in-depth, sometimes heated, discussions on framework principles, data standards, training courses, revenue models, intellectual property ownership, and especially new discoveries derived from core theories. The Novartis team was deeply impressed by the thoroughness of Huang Jiacai's team's preparation, the rigor of their logic, and their profound understanding of the theory. They realized that this was not a simple business negotiation, but rather a participation in designing a blueprint for the future business model of medicine.

Lunch was a simple buffet, but the conversation didn't stop.

Huang Jiacai casually chatted with Collins about the differences in healthcare systems in different European countries and the potential localization challenges of systems modal therapy, demonstrating his profound understanding of the global market.

In the afternoon, the meeting continued, moving into more specific terms. The lawyers brought by Novartis attempted to gain more leverage on certain legal details, but Ruixing's legal team consistently managed to cite more specific case studies or fundamental clauses of the agreement to resolve these issues or steer solutions that better aligned with the overall interests of the "ecosystem."

As evening approached, the preliminary framework of the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation was finally finalized. It was not signed, but both parties agreed to draft a detailed list of terms within four weeks based on this framework.

After seeing the Novartis team off, Huang Jia returned to his office, loosening his tie with a slightly tired expression, but his eyes remained sharp. His assistant brought him a cup of tea.

"Mr. Huang, Roche will be arriving the day after tomorrow, the president of GlaxoSmithKline Greater China wants to meet next week, and several Silicon Valley biotech investment funds also want to visit to inquire about the possibility of early-stage investment in Ruixing or co-incubation projects." The assistant reported the schedule.

"Proceed according to plan. Remember the principles: pharmaceutical companies must follow our model when discussing specific cooperation; we are not involved with investment funds, Ruixing has no plans to go public, nor does it have any plans to introduce investment," Huang Jiacai instructed clearly.

At this moment, the Sanbo Research Institute is indeed immersed in a busy and pure atmosphere of scientific research.

In the small conference room, Yang Ping, Tang Shun, Lu Xiaolu, Jiang Jitong, Chu Xiaoxiao, and others were conducting the third round of in-depth analysis on the latest data from a patient named Lina, who had come from Heidelberg. A large screen displayed dynamic changes in the gut microbiota metagenomic sequencing, with the abundance curves of various bacterial genera resembling an interwoven rollercoaster track.

Zhang Lin occasionally attends these kinds of meetings, not for public relations, but for understanding. He documented the international collaboration process surrounding Lina's case with a documentary-like style, focusing on the details of the scientists from both sides engaging in frank debates and joint explorations based on data, and published it on a professional academic communication platform.

The article, "A Systemic Tuning Across 8,000 Kilometers: When German Rigor Meets Eastern Holistic View," unexpectedly garnered a huge readership and widespread acclaim within professional circles. Its demonstration of the purity of scientific collaboration stands in stark contrast to the clamor of the commercial world, further enhancing the appeal and credibility of systems medicine.

Teacher Zhang has also matured and is now working in her area of ​​expertise.

One afternoon, researcher Jiang Jitong received a seemingly ordinary invitation email to an academic seminar in the lab. The email was signed by the "International Biomedical Innovation Foundation." The email was sincere, praising his report on vaccine enhancer technology at a recent academic conference and inviting him as a representative of young scholars to participate in a "closed-door, high-level academic seminar" in Switzerland. All expenses were covered, and there was a generous stipend.

Jiang Jitong was initially pleased, but upon closer inspection of the meeting agenda and the so-called "list of experts," he found them rather vague, and the foundation's background remained a mystery. Remembering the team's internal disciplinary guidelines, he forwarded the email to Tang Shun.

Tang Shun's investigation revealed that the "foundation" was registered in a Pacific island nation, and its main funders were vaguely connected to several second-tier pharmaceutical companies that were in difficult negotiations with Ruixing. This was clearly a carefully disguised attempt at talent reconnaissance or recruitment.

Coincidentally, another researcher was contacted on a professional social networking platform by someone claiming to be a headhunter from a Silicon Valley technology company. The person offered "triple salary, green card guarantee, and participation in disruptive medical projects" as bait in an attempt to extract information.

The researcher immediately blocked the other party and reported it.

At a meeting of all researchers, Tang Shun solemnly reported these situations: "...This is not an isolated case. As our influence grows, each of us could become a target. Their aim could be to obtain technical details, to poach key personnel, or simply to create internal suspicion. Please be vigilant. All external contacts, especially those involving potential interests or technical details, must be reported as required. Protecting our research results and the stability of our team is everyone's responsibility."

Yang Ping added, his tone calm but weighty: "We encourage academic exchange and understand that everyone has the right to pursue better development. However, shortcuts obtained through improper means often lead to a precipice. We hope everyone cherishes this pure and productive environment that we have jointly created."

Yang Ping still feels heartbroken when he thinks about the betrayal by He Zijian that happened at the Sanbo Research Institute.

Following the meeting, the institute further strengthened its internal network security and conducted a new round of confidentiality and ethics training for all employees.

Preparations for the "Global Development Committee for Systems Medicine" are also underway. The draft charter has been extensively reviewed by international partners, including Einstein, and a core structure has been preliminarily established, chaired by Yang Ping, and comprising leading scholars, senior clinical experts, patient representatives (such as Walker), and industry representatives (such as Rikoyan). The first global meeting will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, a neutral city with a large number of international organizations.

After so many ups and downs, things have finally settled down.