novelMigli Chapter 1418 The Third Shock
Chapter 1418 The Third Shock
Chapter 1418 The Third Shock
After the publication of his two papers in Medicine and Nature Medicine, the world's academic community was stunned for the third time.
The reason for saying "the third time" is that the shock of the first two times is still clearly imprinted in the memory of every industry insider.
The first was the three-dimensional guided gene theory. At that time, Yang Ping was still an unknown foreign medicine doctor, fighting alone in a field that no one believed in. On the day the paper was published, the mainstream reaction in the academic community was not congratulations, but skepticism... "This Chinese man's concept of cell position has been mentioned in developmental biology before; it's nothing new." But soon, skepticism turned into silence, silence into follow-up, follow-up into verification, and verification into acceptance. When one laboratory after another independently replicated his results, the world had to admit: this Chinese man had discovered a completely new biological principle, not just old wine in new bottles.
The second was K therapy. By then, Yang Ping was already a controversial figure; some called him a genius, others said he was just lucky. After the paper on K therapy was published, the controversy disappeared within three months. This wasn't because Yang Ping went to argue, but because confirmatory trials launched simultaneously by more than a dozen top cancer centers worldwide reached the same conclusion: K therapy was effective. Not the kind of "effectiveness" that extends survival by a few months, but rather, it had a curative effect on certain cancers.
Now, the third shock is coming.
Spinal cord injury repair, previously considered an "impossible" field, was quickly pioneered by the same Chinese man. And this time, he wasn't fighting alone; he was surrounded by a German, a Swiss, six Germans, and a monkey named M7.
The shock was first and foremost evident in the rapid response from Nature and Science.
On the first day after the paper was published online, *Nature* magazine published a lengthy commentary in its news section, titled: "The paralyzed monkey stood up: Yang Ping's theory surprises once again." The commentary was written by a senior science journalist for *Nature*, who began by writing:
"If a scientist proposes a theory and wins a Nobel Prize; then proposes another theory and wins another Nobel Prize; and now, his first theory has spurred research that allows paralyzed monkeys to walk again... what word can we use to describe him? Genius? Too mild. Legend? Too common. Perhaps the most accurate word is: Yang Ping."
Science magazine's reaction was more direct. Instead of publishing a news commentary, they published an "opinion" article, authored by an unnamed Nobel laureate. In the article, the laureate wrote:
“I have worked in this field for forty years. In these forty years, I have seen countless ‘major breakthroughs,’ each accompanied by cheers that ‘spinal cord injury repair is just around the corner.’ And then, each time it ended in disappointment. But this time is different. This time, there is a complete theoretical framework to guide us, rigorous primate experimental data, and replication verification from two independent laboratories. This is not just a ‘breakthrough,’ it is the opening of a new path.”
In the final paragraph of the article, the Nobel laureate wrote a statement that sparked heated debate throughout the academic community:
"Yang Ping has already changed the way we look at cells, and he has already changed the way we treat tumors. Now, he is changing the way we repair nerves. It is already rare for one person to change one field, to change two is a miracle, to change three... that is the beginning of a new era."
Less than 24 hours after the two articles were published, Yang Ping's inbox was flooded with emails from all over the world. There were congratulatory messages, requests for collaboration, requests for raw data, invitations to give presentations, and even direct inquiries like, "When are you coming to our school to give a lecture?" Tang Shun created a folder called "Too Many to Read" and threw in all the emails that didn't require immediate replies. Yang Ping glanced at the unread count in that folder—347—and then silently turned off the screen.
"Professor Yang, aren't you going to take a look?" Tang Shun asked.
“We can’t keep up with all of this,” Yang Ping said. “Besides, everything that needs to be said is already in the papers. If they have questions, they should read the papers, not come to me.”
Tang Shun opened his mouth, wanting to say, "But they admire you," but after seeing Yang Ping's expression, he swallowed his words.
The pace of follow-up by the world's top laboratories is also incredibly fast.
The week after the paper was published, a neuroscience team at Harvard University announced the launch of a confirmatory study. Their leader sent Yang Ping an email with only one sentence: "Professor Yang, although we don't believe it, we will verify it. If it is true, we will follow up."
Yang Ping replied: "Great! The data is all in the paper. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions."
In the second week, the University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and the University of Tokyo simultaneously announced the launch of related research. In the third week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) included "Application of Three-Dimensional Guided Gene Theory in Neural Regeneration" in its priority funding areas for the next fiscal year. This decision, from proposal to approval, took only three weeks, an unprecedented speed in the history of the NIH.
The first thing Mannstein did every morning when he arrived at the lab was not to look at monkeys or drink coffee, but to turn on his computer and browse through the latest papers on PubMed.
“Professor,” he called out to Yang Ping one day, “seven preprints have already cited our paper, seven! And this has only been three weeks!”
Yang Ping looked up from the microscope: "What did you cite?"
"In terms of methodology, everyone is trying to replicate our gene editing protocol. Some are already conducting experiments on mice, some are designing experiments on pigs, and another team is directly using our protocol to validate it on neurons in vitro."
“There is a big difference between in vitro validation and in vivo validation,” Yang Ping said.
"Of course, but at least someone's trying, Professor. Do you know what that means?"
"what?"
"This means that this direction is alive and well. It's not just us doing it; the whole world is doing it. No matter who ultimately comes to the final conclusion, this direction will not die out."
Yang Ping looked at Mainstein and remained silent for a moment.
"You don't care who makes the final decision?"
Mannstein laughed.
"Professor, I am fifty-seven years old. I don't care who gets the honor; I care about satisfying my own curiosity."
Yang Ping did not answer; he turned around and continued looking at the microscope.
But Mainstein didn't leave. He stood behind Yang Ping, looked at the slides under the microscope for a while, and then suddenly said, "Professor, do you think that among these follow-up laboratories, some might conduct human experiments before we do?"
Yang Ping paused for a moment.
"possible."
Aren't you worried?
“I’m not worried,” Yang Ping said. “If someone conducts human trials before us and succeeds, it means patients can receive treatment sooner. That’s a good thing. My goal isn’t to be the first to cross the finish line; my goal is to make the finish line exist.”
Mannstein was silent for a few seconds, then nodded, turned and left.
In the afternoon, Yang Ping was writing a grant application in his office when his phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw that the sender was the president of the International Society for Spinal Cord Injury Research, a British professor.
The email began formally:
"Dear Professor Yang Ping, on behalf of all the council members of the International Society for Spinal Cord Injury Research, I cordially invite you to deliver a keynote speech at this year's annual meeting of the Society."
Yang Ping scrolled down and saw a passage that left him speechless for a long time:
"There was a heated debate within the council when discussing this invitation. One group of council members believed that the results of the primate experiments still needed more independent verification, and that it was premature to award you this honor. Another group of council members believed that, regardless of the final verification results, your work and that of Professor Mainstein had pointed the field in a completely new direction, the value of which did not need to wait for verification. Ultimately, the second group prevailed. I would like to add that I belong to the first group, but I am glad I lost."
After reading the email, Yang Ping handed the phone to Mainstein.
After reading it, Mannstein looked up, his expression complex.
“Professor, the International Society for the Study of Spinal Cord Injury is one of the most conservative academic organizations in the world. They invited a Chinese person to give the keynote speech... This has never happened before in history.”
"I know."
Are you going?
Yang Ping thought for a moment.
“No, you go on my behalf. Besides, this achievement is actually yours, but it’s not about showcasing the achievement; it’s about telling them that this direction requires global cooperation. Spinal cord injury is not just a problem for one country; it’s a global problem.”
Mainstein nodded.
A few days later, in the evening, Yang Ping was observing M7 with Fritz in the animal room. M7 was in excellent condition today, having taken twenty-one steps in a row, setting a new record. Fritz's hand trembled slightly as he wrote the number down in his notebook.
"Fritz, are you alright?" Yang Ping asked.
“I’m fine,” Fritz said. “I’m just thinking that if M7 were human, it would be discharged by now.”
Yang Ping paused for a moment, then smiled.
"You're still far from it. The standard for humans to be discharged from the hospital is being able to use the toilet, dress themselves, and feed themselves. M7 can't even dress himself yet." "Monkeys don't need to wear clothes."
"So it has already met the standard?"
The two were chatting and laughing quietly when Yang Ping's phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID; it was an international number with a Swiss area code.
He answered the call.
"Is this Professor Yang Ping?" A middle-aged woman's voice came from the other end of the phone, her English with a heavy French accent.
"I'm!"
"My name is Isabelle Mauriat, and I am the president of the International Federation of Rehabilitation Medicine."
Yang Ping's fingers tightened slightly. The International Federation of Rehabilitation Medicine is the highest-level academic organization in the global rehabilitation medicine field, with a higher level and broader coverage than the International Society for Spinal Cord Injury Research.
"Professor Molière, hello."
"Professor Yang, let me make this brief. The Federation's council held an emergency meeting this afternoon to discuss whether 'neural repair guided by three-dimensional gene theory' should be listed as a key future development direction for rehabilitation medicine. The vote was unanimous: yes."
Yang Ping held his phone without saying a word.
“But that’s not why I’m calling,” Molière continued. “The reason I’m calling is that I personally want to ask you a question.”
"Please speak."
"Is your method effective for old spinal cord injuries? Not those that were injured a few months ago, but those that were injured a few years ago, a dozen years ago, or even decades ago."
Yang Ping pondered for a moment.
“Professor Molière, our current data only comes from acute interventions, within 48 hours of injury. For old injuries, it is theoretically possible, but much more difficult. This is because glial scars form at the injury site, making the microenvironment much more complex than in the acute phase. However, we are designing an experimental protocol for old injuries, which will be launched early next year.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
"Thank you, Professor Yang. I will pass on your words to those who have waited too long."
"You're welcome."
The phone hangs up.
Yang Ping stood in the animal room, looking at M7. M7 was already asleep, curled up in the corner of the cage, one hand resting on the bars, fingers slightly spread. In its sleep, it kicked its hind leg again.
Fritz.
"Ok?"
"Did you record M7's twenty-one steps today?"
"It's been recorded."
"Write another line—'The twenty-first step is for everyone who is waiting.'"
Fritz looked at Yang Ping without saying a word. He lowered his head and carefully wrote that line in the blank space of his notebook.
News also came from Stockholm.
Five weeks after the paper was published, Yang Ping received an email from the Karolinska Institute. The sender was the Secretary General of the Nobel Prize Committee for Physiology or Medicine, a name Yang Ping was familiar with, as it was the same person who sent the emails for his previous two Nobel Prize wins.
But this time, the email was different; it wasn't a notification of winning, but an invitation.
"Dear Professor Yang Ping, the Nobel Prize Committee cordially invites you to participate in this year's Nobel Prize Award Week series of events and to give a special report entitled 'From Theory to Practice: The Application of Three-Dimensional Guided Genes in Spinal Cord Injury Repair'."
After reading the email, Yang Ping handed his phone to Mainstein.
After reading it, Mannstein looked up, his expression complex.
"Professor, this is not an ordinary invitation."
"I know."
"The Nobel Prize committee has only invited a laureate to return and give a lecture three times in history..."
After speaking, Mannstein opened his mouth but didn't say anything more.
"Professor, will you go?"
Yang Ping thought about it for a long time.
“I’m not going! You can go in my place. Again, it’s not to showcase our achievements, but to tell them that this direction requires global cooperation. Spinal cord injury is not just a problem for one country, it’s a global problem. I don’t need a third Nobel Prize, I need a third impossible thing to become possible.”
Mannstein looked at Yang Ping without saying a word.
He simply extended his hand and shook hands with Yang Ping.
"Professor, are you sure you want me to go?"
"I'm sure! You're a better fit than me."
"What do you think people a hundred years from now will think we were doing when they look back at us?" Yang Ping asked.
Mannstein thought for a moment.
“They would think we’re doing something stupid.”
"why?"
"Because they've become accustomed to the idea that spinal cord injuries can heal. They take it for granted, just as we take it for granted that fractures can heal. They forget that there was a time when paralyzed people were thought to be unable to stand up forever."
He paused for a moment.
"But they will remember those who made this seem like a matter of course. Not their names, but the spirit, the spirit that didn't believe in the impossible."
Yang Ping looked at Mainstein.
"You were really philosophical today."
“I said it, from the day I started eating spicy food.”
The two looked at each other and smiled.