1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 409 Three Points Gift (2)

Although the Internet in later generations is anxious about "stuck neck" and "stuck neck" all day long;
However, a fact that is somewhat contrary to the public’s impression is that in the 1980s and 1990s, although my country’s grassroots general-purpose technologies were indeed much weaker than those of Europe and the United States, in some cutting-edge fields, China’s research level was not behind that of Europe and the United States, and in some areas it even surpassed that of Europe and the United States.

what?
You do not believe?
I won't say much about rocket satellites, nuclear energy, hydropower and hybrid rice technologies. With the advantage of the whole country, China has always had a place in the world for these technologies, and some of them are even leading the world.

Even the lithography machine that once made the Chinese people worried in later generations, its most important core component, the "deep ultraviolet laser crystal", was actually researched and manufactured by Academician Chen as early as the 15s. Not only has it always maintained a -year lead over America, it even once choked America's neck, causing them a lot of trouble.

This is only the information that ordinary people can access. God knows how many advanced technologies China has that the Chinese people are not qualified to know about.

Actually, if you think about it, it’s not difficult to understand.

How could it be possible that the country is the only major country in the world that has all industrial sectors and has the confidence to pursue internal circulation when facing the wave of de-globalization without such skills?

However, perhaps due to the constraints of the domestic economy at the time, under the helpless situation of "making atomic bombs is not as good as selling tea eggs", China's technological research level showed obvious polarization. Many of the world's cutting-edge technologies at the time, even if they had certain research results, were most likely unable to be finally implemented and transformed into commodities due to various reasons.

So, when Zhuo Mali told him that this woman's friends actually included a talented researcher who was studying the induced fit model and EPC synthesis technology...

His first reaction was disbelief.
But then he became skeptical again.

………………

If any students are interested in basic chemistry knowledge, they should be familiar with the term "EPC synthesis".

"EPC synthesis" is the abbreviation of Enantiomeric Purity Compound, which is also called "asymmetric synthesis of drugs". It is another major breakthrough in the synthesis of complex molecules after racemic synthesis.
Of course, due to its commitment to synthesizing optically pure target molecules, the impurity content and clinical efficacy of drugs synthesized by EPC are significantly stronger than those of traditional racemate synthesis methods;

Since the EPC synthesis method was developed after the concept of "chirality" was introduced into organic synthetic chemistry, the drugs synthesized by EPC are called "chiral drugs" in the industry.

Think about it, although the concept of "EPC synthesis" was proposed as early as 1980, in 2001, Ryoji Noyori from the island country and three scholars from America jointly won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research on EPC synthesis. The value and importance of EPC synthesis can be imagined... More than half of the chemical drugs produced in later generations are chiral compounds produced by EPC synthesis (although many of them are sold as a mixture of two enantiomers), and even in later generations, the research and improvement of EPC synthesis is still at the forefront of the pharmaceutical industry.

Ok……

In order to facilitate some students to understand, here is a brief explanation.

The so-called "chirality" is one of the essential properties of nature.

If you put your left and right hands together, you will clearly find that they are asymmetrical. The left hand is like a mirror image of the right hand. They look exactly the same, but in fact they are just the opposite. There are also slight differences in shape between the left and right hands. No matter how you operate, you can't completely overlap the left and right hands.

This phenomenon is ubiquitous in nature, from cosmic nebulae to molecular structures.

"Mirror images of each other and cannot overlap"... This is probably the most appropriate description of "chirality".

A "chiral drug" refers to a pair of enantiomers that are real objects and mirror images of each other, which are obtained after a chiral center is introduced into the drug's molecular structure... The physical and chemical properties of these enantiomers are basically similar, and they only differ in optical rotation.

Since molecules of different chirality have similar structures but different, even very different, properties, then in drugs used for treatment, different enantiomers of chiral drugs will show different efficacy in physiological processes... When a chiral compound enters a living body, its two enantiomers usually show different biological activities. For chiral drugs, one isomer may be effective, while the other may be ineffective or even harmful.

So once you understand this most basic principle, you will realize that chiral pharmaceutical manufacturing uses this principle of compounds to develop drugs with high efficacy and few side effects.

………………

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Mo looked at Zhuo Mali with some uncertainty: "Sister Zhuo, can I ask, your friends who are studying EPC synthesis, are they mainly focusing on theory or process optimization... If it is process optimization, is the main focus the chiral source method or the chiral auxiliary method? Or... the chiral reagent method?"

Yang Mo vaguely remembered that these directions and processes were the main research directions before the millennium. Although he had no idea what level the domestic theoretical and process research on EPC synthesis had reached, he believed that it should still be at version 1.0.

Zhuo Mali looked at Yang Mo in annoyance: "Brother, you have stumped me. I know nothing about this, how can I know this?"

After saying that, looking at the slightly disappointed Yang Mo, Zhuo Mali's eyes flashed with a smile, and then she seemed to remember something: "However, when I was chatting with my friend on the phone some time ago, I seemed to hear that those precious kids under them were sending him reports for payment all day long, saying that they wanted to conduct some enzyme reaction experiment?"

! ! ! !
Enzyme! ? ?
Hand, chiral catalyst! ? ?

Yang Mo couldn't sit still for a moment and almost jumped up; he didn't even pay attention to the obvious time loopholes in the old woman's words, and just stood there in disbelief.

………………

Although Ryoji Noyori and three other American scholars from the island country won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 3 for their research on EPC synthesis, in fact, since the concept of "EPC synthesis" was proposed in 2001, major pharmaceutical companies have followed up with research and applied EPC synthesis to production... In 1980, the same year when the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was won, the global market value of single optical isomers reached 2001 billion US dollars. With such a huge market sales volume, how could the EPC synthesis method still be a technology that only remains in the laboratory?
Therefore, the reason why Ryoji Noyori and three other American scholars won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was not because their research results allowed the EPC synthesis method to move out of the laboratory, but because... they found a suitable chiral catalyst that allowed the EPC synthesis method to more efficiently produce drugs with fewer side effects.

You know, in general chemical synthesis, the two enantiomers of chiral molecules appear in equal proportions, so for pharmaceutical companies, for every kilogram of drug they produce, they have to go through a lot of trouble to separate the other half.

Therefore, being able to create chiral molecules as accurately and efficiently as "enzymes" is the dream and pursuit of scientists. Asymmetric catalysis was born and became the most effective method for creating chiral molecules... and chiral catalysts play the role of "enzymes" in the EPC synthesis process.

In fact, as the EPC synthesis method has gradually begun to be widely used in the pharmaceutical field, how to find or design new and more efficient chiral catalysts has become the most cutting-edge and valuable direction in the current pharmaceutical research field.

It can be said that, let alone the 1980s and 1990s, even in later generations, "asymmetric catalysis" is the darling of the pharmaceutical research field.

………………

This, this, this...

Yang Mo suddenly found it difficult to digest the shock brought by Zhuo Mali.

As a former VC, although he had been involved in the pharmaceutical industry in his previous life, it was only limited to his own business scope. He did not know much about the development history of domestic pharmaceutical research... In fact, VCs have never had any feelings, and unless it is necessary, they will not take the initiative to learn about these histories and secrets.

Therefore, although he knew that the level of scientific research and technology in certain areas of the country had always been underestimated by the public, and he also knew that the reason why everyone had "technological lack of confidence" after the reform and opening up was mainly because of poverty at the time; but he never expected that in 1990, some people in the country would actually begin to explore and research chiral catalysts... This is exactly a copy of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry!

Although Yang Mo, who has a deep understanding of the nature of various Western awards, does not care about the Nobel Prize, the value of Zhuomali's friends is immeasurable.

Putting aside the question of whether these precious researchers can discover or even design new and efficient chiral catalysts, the fact that they have begun to engage in asymmetric catalysis research says it all...If you don't even understand the principles, approaches, and processes of EPC synthesis, then what's the point of talking about chiral catalyst research!

And these "basics" are completely enough for Yang Mo!
He could easily imagine that if he could gain the friendship and technical guidance of Zhuomali's friends, and after purchasing relevant instruments and equipment through various channels, he would have the strength to gradually start producing EPC synthetic drugs. When he entered the CXO track in the future, what a trump card he would have in his hand... You know, when it comes to truly cutting-edge technology, foreign countries are very wary of China. Even in joint ventures, Chinese personnel are often not allowed to observe core processes. Even when repairing equipment, you are not allowed to know how many times a screw needs to be tightened, let alone EPC synthesis, which is also a precious process abroad today.

It can be said that once Zhuomali’s friends can implement the EPC synthesis process, he will be able to create a generation gap with his domestic counterparts in the efficacy and quality of generic drugs and original drugs!

only……

Taking a deep breath, Yang Mo stared at Zhuo Mali closely: "Sister Zhuo, may I ask, where do these friends of yours work?"

Zhuo Mali looked at him with a smile: "Where else can he work? He is just hanging around in second- and third-tier research institutes... in Qilu, Tianjin, and Hebei provinces."

As he spoke, the peach leisurely poured out the cold tea in Yang Mo's cup, and then filled him with a hot cup: "Come to think of it, brother, you have dealt with a friend of mine indirectly before... When the commercial demonstration zone was just established, didn't you set up a recommended product display hall in the office building of the investment promotion company? I have a friend who works at the Enzyme Research Institute under the Provincial Academy of Sciences... Do you remember it?"

When Yang Mo heard this, he suddenly recalled vaguely and wanted to slap himself in the face.

How could I have forgotten that among the second and third level units under the provincial scientific research system, there are departments specializing in the research of various enzymes?

This pig brain!

When Zhuo Mali saw the violent emotional fluctuations on Yang Mo's face, she felt as if she had eaten a ginseng fruit and her whole body felt relaxed.

It seems that this gift touched Yang Mo's heart, and it was not in vain that he was tired all day yesterday.

Ok……

That’s right, just like Yang Mo didn’t care about the time bug in Zhuo Mali’s words just now, the gift that Zhuo Mali sent was actually put together temporarily yesterday.

The reason is very simple. After learning about what happened to Tugou at the project hearing and how Yang Mo finally came to her rescue, Zhuo Mali immediately realized that this was an extremely rare opportunity... Anyone with eyes could see that Yang Mo valued and cared for his childhood friend. If you tried to get close to Yang Mo directly, you might get rejected. But using Tugou as a springboard would be much easier.

Of course, although Tugou looks silly, it is not so easy for him to win the heart of this girl...especially for her, whose values ​​and methods of doing things are completely different from those of Tugou. It is already very good that Lu Yingying did not glare at her.

Therefore, Tugou can only serve as a nominal stepping stone or a gimmick. If one really wants to get closer to Yang Mo, he still has to meet the real person face to face.

But Yang Mo is a very defensive person. If you rashly show your closeness to him, you will only lose points and then get rejected.
Therefore, if an "outsider" like her wants to establish a personal relationship with him, she must first prove her own value and then work her way up slowly.

But what made Zhuo Mali feel helpless was that the value of her job did not seem to be recognized by Yang Mo, so it was not easy to make this master look at her in the eye.

Fortunately, Tugou's rural grassroots chain project ran into problems, and the hidden dangers were not small. This gave her another opportunity to break in... Since her own job abilities were not recognized, she could only demonstrate the abundance of her own resources.

I proved myself to Yang Mo that I am valuable, and I also helped eliminate important hidden dangers in the project led by my childhood friend Lu Yingying. Both publicly and privately, you should thank me and give me the status of a friend, right?
Therefore, after learning about the various situations at the project hearing the day before yesterday, Zhuomali did not sleep all night, carefully thinking about her own entry point.

During her repeated deductions, an enzyme research institute that had appeared several times in the list of important cooperative institutions of Dahua Company came into her sight... Although she did not understand pharmaceuticals, her intuition told her that in the same field of biochemistry, this enzyme research institute should be able to provide her with some useful guidance information.

So the next day, she called her friend at the enzyme research institute as soon as she got up. To her surprise, her intuition was right, and she really got some useful information from the few words. Then, according to the ideas and clues given by the other party, she called several other similar research institutes. After chatting for nearly two hours, she finally decided on this big gift.

Judging from Yang Mo's reaction, she felt that this gift was the right one and it was worth all the trouble she had gone through.

………………

After a brief excitement, Yang Mo calmed down again and looked at Zhuo Mali steadily: "Sister Zhuo, I won't hide it from you. If what you said is true, it will really help me a lot... But because of this, there are some things I need to clarify. Please understand."

Seeing this, Zhuo Mali also became serious: "Brother, I save it. If you have any questions, just ask directly."

Yang Mo nodded: "First of all, I want to know, how powerful are your friends?"

Zhuo Mali hesitated for a moment and said, "I won't hide it from you, brother. Although my friends are not doing very well, the worst one is still the head of the research group. As for the ones who are doing well, they are part-time responsible for raising sponsorship funds, and they are still called the director."

To raise sponsorship funds?

Yang Mo was a little dumbfounded.

He still understands how important the person in charge of the research team is, but the one who is doing well is working part-time to raise sponsorship funds... What is the connection?
Zhuo Mali looked at him speechlessly and said, "Brother, I think you have been in the drilling company for too long. A full man does not know the hunger of a hungry man!"

"Do you know how hard it is for domestic scientific research institutions nowadays? Except for a few institutions, even those national-level research institutes are lucky to get tens of millions of dollars in funding a year, not to mention the provincial-level and secondary and tertiary research institutes below the provincial level."

"So, don't underestimate my friends who are responsible for raising sponsorship. In this era where even a hundred thousand yuan of research funding is enough to make people beg for mercy, if you can help the unit raise two hundred thousand yuan in sponsorship, let alone a director, even a deputy director will be arranged for you!"

At this point, Zhuo Mali sighed: "In fact, if I hadn't been helping them coordinate sponsorship funds over the past few years, my friends might not have taken me seriously... After all, academics have their brains a little eccentric, and they really can't talk to an outsider like me."

"But nowadays, various experimental instruments and imported consumables are extremely expensive. If I hadn't helped them coordinate the sponsorship funds every year, their research projects would have been unable to proceed long ago... So after a few years of getting along, even if we still can't talk to each other, if I ask them for help without violating their principles, they will definitely not refuse."

2. Two hundred thousand yuan?
a year?
Although Yang Mo knew that scientific research institutions and researchers lived in poverty these days, that the professor working on the atomic bomb did not earn as much as the vendor selling tea eggs, and that the researchers in some scientific research institutions had such low salaries that they had to work as waiters after get off work to supplement their family income, but he still felt an unacceptable sense of sadness that they had to humble themselves to such an extent just for a sponsorship fee of 100,000 or 200,000 yuan.

He knew very well how wide the scope of what Zhuomali said "without violating the principles" could be.

To some extent, although the Dongying Command is recognized as a sucker in the oil system, if all the money it earns each year can be donated to these scientific research institutions, it would be a real benefit to the present generation.

It’s just a pity that the money that the headquarters gets every year is basically spent on other places; didn’t you hear that with Zhuomali’s family background, the word “coordination” has to be used in this regard?
Thinking of this, Yang Mo looked at Zhuo Mali with some suspicion: "Sister Zhuo, I want to ask, how did you get to know these friends of yours?"

Although the petroleum and chemical industries are indeed linked, and the degree of closeness is not low, but it is nonsense to say how directly related it is to the modern pharmaceutical industry and the drug research community. Therefore, it is really doubtful that Zhuo Mali actually knows so many talented technicians who are researching EPC synthesis methods and chiral catalysts... Whether in terms of the class they are in, the degree of business overlap, or the consistency of interests, the two sides are not related at all. Therefore, he doubts how much influence Zhuo Mali has on those friends she mentioned.

Once the cooperation begins, the reliability and stability of such core technical personnel are extremely important, and may even be related to the life and death of some future projects. Therefore, Yang Mo has no choice but to be cautious.

Zhuo Mali naturally knew what Yang Mo was concerned about. After hesitating for a long time, she smiled bitterly and said, "These friends are all people my husband met when he was studying abroad. Although they cannot be considered classmates or alumni, they are friends in the same circle of life... My husband got drunk when he returned to China, and then he tricked them back with a bunch of nonsense. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, they should have stayed in Europe and the United States to continue their studies and development."

"It is precisely because of this relationship that I have been trying every possible way to get them sponsorship in the past two years... Although 200,000 or 300,000 yuan per year from each company is just a drop in the bucket for their research, this is already the limit of my ability."

"I can't help it. Although my husband is useless, we are still husband and wife in name only. I have to clean up the mess he made because of his slip of the tongue."

Were they friends that Zhuomali’s husband met abroad?

Yang Mo was stunned, then touched his nose awkwardly.

Every family has its own problems, and for this peach, the thing she is most reluctant to mention is probably her husband.

Judging from his resume, that person is actually a very bright future star.

In the early 80s, because of his excellent academic performance, he was given the opportunity to study abroad on a government scholarship... Although his major was different from the engineering major that most international students studied, his major was sociology. But if you don't know much about that era, you will definitely not know the value of this place.

For China in the early 1980s, any talent who had studied abroad was a rare treasure. Therefore, after returning to China, this man was immediately noticed by the Dongying Command, and then assigned to the department where Zhuo Mali's father worked, and became a key training target. Then, with the help of someone, within two years, this eloquent man won the beauty and became the son-in-law of the Zhuo family.

As we all know, in the early 1980s, a large number of Chinese companies began their overseas expansion, and the oil system was one of the pioneers.

Therefore, not long after the marriage, this lady naturally became a member of the overseas group, and participated in a number of overseas projects in which the Dongying Command participated as a translator and humanities consultant, and was promoted to one of the main decision makers.

It's a pity that although this leader could speak eloquently about the big principles and understood the customs and habits of Africa and the Middle East much better than the Chinese people at that time, when it came to the real negotiation stage where real guns and bullets were needed, this leader's bones suddenly softened... In front of international friends, he was timid and submissive, fearing that a slightly firmer attitude would cause dissatisfaction from the other side.

Well, if the bones are soft, then so be it. Anyway, most intellectuals at that time had this problem to a greater or lesser extent.

But the problem is that this person is the kind of person who is soft on the outside but hard on the inside. Although he looks like a snotty person in front of foreign friends, he is very concerned about his reputation when facing his fellow project team members.

Well, if you want to save face, you have to save face. It’s not a big deal.

But the bad thing is that in order to save his own face, he took advantage of the fact that the communication between the two parties was not smooth and had to go through him as an interpreter. From time to time, he used "rhetoric techniques" to blur or even change some details of the other party's conditions, and even defended the other party on some more critical issues... In short, he acted as if the other party's refusal had a reason, and if we insisted, we would be making trouble for no reason.

So, as expected, the signing of the cooperation projects he participated in was relatively smooth and took a relatively short time. Therefore, after he came back, he was immediately promoted as an exception and rose to the deputy director level.

But the truth will eventually come out. Less than three months after the contract was signed, problems arose one after another during the performance of the contract, and each problem was more difficult than the last.

Later, the original contract was found and professional personnel were asked to look at it. It was then discovered that the contents of the three copies of the contract written in Chinese, English and local languages ​​were consistent in English and local languages, but there were many differences in details in the Chinese contract... Needless to say, this must have been a trick made up by the owner to save face.

Ok……

Although this incident sounds incredible and ridiculous, like a fairy tale, it is indeed a true story... In that era when "you become a rookie in minutes when you go to sea", there were many absurd things, and there were many people who acted like that boss.

In short, after this incident was exposed, the Zhuo family father and daughter, who had caused heavy losses to the command center, suffered great loss of face. Zhuo Mali's father originally had the opportunity to be promoted to the director, but his progress was stopped because of this incident; and the chief was not much better off... Although he still retained the title of deputy director for the sake of the Zhuo family's face, he was sent to an overseas project site to reflect on himself.

Rumor has it that if Zhuo Mali hadn't been afraid of bad influence, she would have divorced her master long ago after being unable to raise her head for two whole years. And the master's work arrangement in the past four years, which was transferred from the Middle East to Ethiopia, and then sent from Ethiopia to Congo-Kinshasa to develop business, also proved that Zhuo's father and daughter didn't want to see this son-in-law again... Even during the Spring Festival, they didn't see this son-in-law.

So, this is the main reason why, with Zhuo Mali's family background, she was still only a section chief at the age of 27... She was really badly betrayed by that boss at the beginning.

Similarly, this is why the father and daughter took the initiative to get close to Yang Mo... With such a big hole dug by their own brother-in-law in front of them, if Zhuo's father does not have any special achievements, he will never be able to make any progress in his life. Yang Mo, who is the most capable of making trouble, and each thing he makes is bigger than the last, is the only opportunity for the father and daughter at present.

………………

After hearing Zhuo Mali tell him without hesitation that those friends were coaxed back by her husband to develop relationships, although Yang Mo looked a little embarrassed, he suddenly felt at ease.

That makes sense.

No matter how weird this son-in-law is, the Zhuo family has to maintain a minimum of respectability, so whether she likes it or not, Zhuo Mali still has to clean up her husband's mess.

And it is precisely for this reason that if Zhuo Mali really had a request, those precious scientific researchers would not dare to refuse easily... Are you kidding? Since everyone is strictly speaking just "half a friend", do you think the Zhuo family's cause and effect can be easily escaped?

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Mo laughed and said, "Sister Zhuo, since you have so many friends, then... you can choose a time and invite them over to have tea together whenever you think it's appropriate."

Due to the somewhat subtle and awkward relationship between these "friends" and Zhuo Mali, even though Yang Mo was eager to meet these precious researchers right away, he had to give Zhuo Mali some necessary respect. Therefore, he did not suggest inviting them over for tea today, but gave the initiative to this peach.

Ok?
Do you think Yang Mo was so busy asking about EPC that he forgot to verify the "match induction" technology?

Please!

Since people have begun to study EPC synthesis and chiral catalysts, there is no need to verify the "match induction" technology.

This is also an applied model of enzyme action and was proposed by Daniel Koshland Jr. as early as 1958.

Judging from the fact that the crystal structure of urease was successfully solved five years later, in 1995, research on fit induction is much more mature than the EPC synthesis method, both at home and abroad.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo Mali glanced at Yang Mo with a hint of sarcasm: "Brother, you don't have to take care of my feelings. It's been so many years, and I've let go of my husband's affairs a long time ago... If you want to meet those friends, I'll call them in a while and ask if anyone can come today."

At this point, Zhuo Mali stretched lazily, then stood up and poured out the boiling water in the coarse earthenware pot, and scooped another pot of fresh spring water and poured it on the red clay stove: "But, as I said before, sister, I have many friends. Do you want me to tell you about other friends, and then decide whether to invite them over for tea?"

Other friends?

besides! ?
Yang Mo, who had just been hit by two pies, one small and one big, couldn't help but change his expression, and the look he gave Zhuo Mali finally showed a hint of solemnity.

Judging from the two waves of "friends" recommended by others just now, none of the actions of this old woman who is nearly three years older than me today were aimless.
In other words, the friends she wants to introduce next will play a significant role for herself, or for the future planning of rural grassroots chain pharmacies.

This old woman's network of connections...

It is much more abundant than I thought!
(End of this chapter)