It turned out that the operation on these six baboons was successful at first, and the transplanted kidneys and pancreatic islets were performing normal functions.
But a month later, various problems began to occur.
Not only is the urine output getting less and less, normal blood creatinine cannot be cleared.
After the kidneys were biopsied, it was found that the kidneys had been damaged to varying degrees, and blood clots also appeared in the blood vessels.
Huang Qin pondered for a while and said, "Have you ever considered stopping the use of immunosuppressants?"
Xiao Gao was surprised: "Isn't the immune rejection more severe?"
"But you haven't found any evidence of immune rejection now, right?" Huang Qin asked.
Xiao Gao was immediately speechless by the question.
"The current situation is that the acute immune rejection period has passed, and even if there is chronic immune rejection, no evidence has been detected."
"There are two possibilities. One is that the immune genes we modified have played a role in eliminating or delaying chronic immune rejection."
"The other is that the immunosuppressant is too powerful, which not only prevents chronic immune rejection, but also damages the function of the transplanted kidney."
"So it's clear what to do next."
"The remaining five baboons were divided into two control groups. One group stopped immunosuppressants, and the other group continued everything as usual."
"Watch what happens when chronic immune rejection occurs and see how many days the baboons can persist."
"Because it is impossible for us to develop special immunosuppressants for baboons, we can only use human drugs. This is also a no-brainer."
"But as long as we understand the symptoms and principles of chronic immune rejection, it will be much easier to solve it at the source."
"As for blood clots caused by blood pressure problems, I can't think of a good solution yet. I can only record it and put it aside."
In a moment, Huang Qin quickly gave a solution.
At the same time, he was also thinking about whether he should go back to the company to find an expert for consultation.
The blood pressure of pigs, an animal that sits on all fours, is definitely different from that of primates that can walk upright, let alone compared with humans.
Even the blood pressure of a baboon can't bear it. If it were replaced by a human, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This problem must be solved before xenogeneic organ transplantation can have a future.
Thinking of this, he left in a hurry and drove to Sanqing headquarters.
****
"Are you saying that even if pig organs are genetically modified, it will be difficult for them to withstand human high blood pressure?"
"This is an interesting discovery."
Ding Mian showed a thoughtful expression and lay back, leaning comfortably on the large leather sofa.
He even crossed his legs and put them on the coffee table in front of him. With his black clothes and black trousers and his lazy expression, he looked like a black swan with a relaxed mind and body.
"Human beings have indeed paid a lot of price in order to walk upright."
Xue Shen agreed casually, opened three cans of Coke in turn, and pushed them in front of everyone.
"Of course I know that walking upright plays an extremely important role for humans, but everything has pros and cons, and the disadvantages of walking upright are also visible to the naked eye."
Huang Qin sat across from him, his brows furrowed into a distinct "Sichuan" shape, and he spoke slowly.
“First of all, walking upright moves the weight of the body from the limbs to the hind limbs, increasing the burden on the legs, causing severe joint wear and tear, and spinal problems. This is also the main reason why humans are prone to joint diseases and intervertebral disc herniation. "
"Secondly, after humans stand, the distance between their legs becomes narrower and the pelvis shrinks, which causes the female's birth canal to become narrower, preventing the fetus from fully developing in the body."
"When human babies are born, they are actually half-finished products. They cannot grow as quickly as other animals. Instead, they have to go through a long early childhood period, and their brains cannot be fully developed until they are 3 years old."
"This takes up a lot of mother's time, and it also leads to the division of labor and cooperation between men and women in human society, and promotes social development. Although women's risk of childbirth and the risk of infant mortality have increased, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."
"Finally, that's the problem we're facing now."
"After walking upright, the height increases, which increases the difficulty of supplying blood to the brain, and increases the burden on the heart and blood vessels. This is also the reason why cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases break out as people age."
"Well, after all, our bodies were not designed from the beginning, but evolved with natural conditions. They adhered to the principle of making do with each other along the way. Therefore, as they developed, there were more and more problems. It was really frustrating. People can’t bear to be surprised.”
The other two people also nodded and sighed.
"This body is covered with patches everywhere and its chromosomes are filled with virus fragments. It really makes people cry when they hear it and makes people sad when they see it."
"Walking upright is unbearable for the original body and requires constant repair. Without walking upright and without brain evolution, there is no IQ and the body cannot be repaired. This is a closed loop."
"This is the meaning of our existence, to mend the human body and continue life and civilization."
"Without modern medicine, how could human lifespan be so long?"
"The feeling of being cold at high places is just as lonely as snow."
"Let me introduce myself solemnly. I am Nuwa's disciple, the greatest tailor, the god of bug fixing, and an expert at patching."
As soon as Ding Mian's pretentious words came out, Huang Qin's mouth suddenly twitched.
As expected of Crazy Ding, he thought to himself, feeling melancholy for a moment, not knowing whether he was looking for the right person or the wrong person this time.
Fortunately, these two people did not continue to play freely, but consciously returned to the topic.
"Are all your baboons dead?" Ding Mian asked after taking a sip of Coke.
"No, no. One of them has kidney failure and is about to die. The others are still alive, but they are also starting to show some symptoms."
"How many days did this person who was about to die live?" Xue Shen also took a sip and asked.
"Today is the 52nd day after the operation. I estimate that I will not live for 60 days."
"I remember that to meet clinical standards, you have to survive for more than 6 months, but that's still far from that."
"I think we can still rescue them. There are still five baboons left. One or two of them should be able to survive for more than 6 months."
Huang Qin was a little unsure, but felt that his luck was not that bad.
After all, the previous research was smooth sailing, but when it comes to clinical practice, there are pitfalls everywhere.
Ding Mian shrugged and raised the Coke in his hand: "Then I wish you good luck."
"No, I'm not asking you to come up with a solution." Huang Qin became anxious instantly.
Ding Mian tilted his head, thought for 5 seconds, rolled his eyes in circles, and said.
"I have two roads, an easy road and a difficult road. Which one do you choose?"
Huang Qin hesitated and said: "The easy way?"
Ding Mian didn't expect this answer and was stunned.
"Brother, you really don't act according to common sense."
"Shouldn't you let me tell you both and choose the harder path?"
Huang Qin curled his lips: "What are you thinking about? Of course it's easier to choose which one. Do you think you're telling an inspirational story?"
Ding Mian shook his head repeatedly: "You, brother Qin, you have changed. I remember you were not so utilitarian before."
Huang Qin spread his hands and said, "You didn't say anything about the two problems. I don't even know what they are, so it must be the safest choice to choose the easier one."
"Okay, okay, stop bickering and talk about serious business." Xue Shen couldn't stand it anymore and quickly stopped the two primary school students from running away.
Ding Mian looked solemn and said, "Then let me tell you the easy way first."
"You can continue to genetically modify the pig's blood vessels and blood coagulation genes to adapt the pig to the human environment of high blood pressure."
"Or if the baboon survives six months and meets the clinical standards, we can find a brain-dead patient, connect the pig kidney to his blood vessel, and use it as an extracorporeal dialysis machine. After a few times of this, we will definitely find improvements. room."
"Finally, there is another way to research better immunosuppressive drugs targeting pig organs, or even antihypertensive drugs."
"These are all feasible ideas. If we try more, we should be able to solve some of the problems."
Huang Qin was stunned at first: "What you said is that no method is easy."
Then he changed his mind and said happily: "That's right. I will try it one by one. I will definitely make a lot of improvements. I can eventually prolong the patient's life."
"Haha, how long can this be extended by treating the symptoms but not the root cause?"
Ding Mian sighed and shook his head, as if you are so short-sighted that I am too lazy to tell you more.
Huang Qin was speechless again and glanced at Xue Shen for help.
Xue Shen smiled slightly and advised: "Xiao Mian, stop making trouble. Tell me about the other methods. If you don't tell me, how will others know which one to choose?"
"Ahem, okay." Ding Mian then said seriously: "Actually, you know the difficult way, we still have to take the stem cell route."
"We have discussed before that xenotransplantation is only the first step in development."
"Now that you've completed the first step, it's time to move on to the second step."
"Knock out all the genes related to the pig's kidneys, and then inject human iPS pluripotent stem cells into them to create genetically modified pigs with pig hearts and human kidneys, thereby obtaining real human kidneys. Only in this way can organ transplantation be successful."
"If you just put pig organs into the human body, no matter what, they don't belong to humans. There are fundamental differences at the cellular level."
Huang Qin suddenly looked embarrassed: "Huh? Did you take a step too far?"
"We have just reached the first step. Just ask us to take the next 99 steps and get there in one step."
"Do I not want to? I really can't do it."
"Besides, the immune system of pigs has not yet been thoroughly studied. We have only introduced a few humanized genes, and it has not yet reached the point of breaking the species barrier."
"We have encountered some difficulties, but it's not that pig kidneys can't be used. We still have to be down-to-earth and take it step by step."
Xue Shen also nodded in agreement and said, "Huang Qin, this is a mature and prudent way. Xiao Mian, you are still a little too arrogant."
Ding Mian shook his head: "I'm not drifting, but I'm really doing research, and I've really achieved results."
He looked at Huang Qin with firm eyes.
"The iPS pluripotent stem cells in my hands have been able to differentiate into various cells in the human body, and you have verified the feasibility of xenogeneic organ transplantation."
"I don't know what else can stop us from overcoming the species barrier together."
"This..." Huang Qin suddenly fell silent.
Ding Mian continued: "You should get your PhD soon. You can come back to the company and let's work on this big project together."
"The field of xenotransplantation is in the ascendant, and all parties are entering the field. If you want to continue, you can only compete on the same track as everyone else."
"But my road is a completely new world that no one has ever set foot on."
"Once we have a breakthrough, we will be like Pangu, a pioneer in the world."
"Even if you don't believe in yourself, you still have to believe in my abilities."
As soon as these words came out, Huang Qin couldn't help but laugh.
"Xiao Ding, you are as confident as ever... ah."
When the words came to his lips, he finally controlled himself and did not say the words "overconfidence".
Ding Mian didn't say anything more, just smiled lightly.
"Think about it, my door will always be open to you."
Huang Qin nodded without saying anything.
To be honest, he was actually a little unsure.
Originally, he had the same idea as Ding Mian, to perform a pig kidney transplant first. When the research was almost complete, he would then inject human pluripotent stem cells to grow a real human kidney in the pig.
But the research on pig kidneys went so smoothly that he is now reluctant to give up and take a more difficult road.
In Ding Mian's words, although pig kidney transplantation has encountered many difficulties, it can still be saved by trying every means.
If we continue to study in depth, we can still make a lot of achievements.
Even if you want to take Ding Mian's route, there is no need to go so early.
You can wait until this road is blocked and then change directions.
So he was a little hesitant.
"Okay, now that you have settled the matter, I can come here with peace of mind." Xue Shen calmly changed the subject.
"How is it? Huang Qin, are you still used to campus life in the past two years?"
"After all, you have a company project and money in your hands. You must be living a comfortable life."
"I think back then, when I was studying for a Ph.D., I was called a poor person. I was even more pitiful than a social animal."
When Xue Shen talked about his Ph.D. career, he burst into tears.
"I really had no money at that time. I slept in the laboratory every day and worked for my tutor. I only received a subsidy of 3,000 yuan a month. Which one of you is worse than me?"
Ding Mian and Huang Qin shook their heads together.
"It's really not as miserable as you. The scholarship I got in Eagle Country is enough for me to live on. I can also travel around for a while every year." Ding Mian cast a sympathetic look.
Huang Qin opened his mouth and just wanted to comfort Xue Shen, saying that his junior brother's monthly subsidy was not even 3,000.
But when he thought that it was before he went, he immediately shut his mouth.
"Actually, I understand that 3,000 yuan is not bad. The problem is that my family is poor. My parents are old and have children. By the time I get my Ph.D., I will no longer be able to work. They still expect me to bring some money back every month. Hey, I’m different from you.”
"Brother almost couldn't stand the temptation back then and took the wrong path."
"I once had the opportunity to be taken care of by a rich woman, but I didn't cherish it. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would say to that rich woman, I am willing!"
Xue Shen looked up at the ceiling with a sad face, as if immersed in memories.
"Pfft~" Huang Qin spit out a mouthful of Coca-Cola instantly, and quickly lowered his head to prevent it from spraying on Ding Mian opposite him, but spitting it on the carpet.
Ding Mian said cheerfully: "Brother Xue, you are now as handsome as a tree, and you are also an Olympic champion. No matter whether you are a rich woman or a white and rich woman, everyone will bow down to you in your suit pants."
Huang Qin wiped the corner of his mouth and nodded quickly: "That's right, Brother Xue, you have a body that can break the world record in any marathon. You must be strong and strong. You are definitely the favorite of rich women."
"By the way, Brother Xue, you are already in your early 30s, so you have a successful career. Why haven't you gotten married yet? Do you have someone you like?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed a hint of shyness suddenly appeared on Xue Shen's face.
Something moved in his mind and he was about to continue asking.
But I heard that Ding Mian was outspoken and said it all at once.
"You don't know this, right? Brother Xue has been in love lately and is chasing a beautiful woman."
"The two of them were fighting fiercely. I think something good is coming soon."
"Is he from the company? Do I know him?" Huang Qin's heart burned with gossip.
Ding Mian came closer and whispered: "My sister-in-law is very powerful. You know Mr. Sun, right? He has taken a liking to my daughter."
"That Sun Xiaoshi? Her father is one of the few shareholders of our company." Huang Qin was so shocked that his voice trembled.
"That's right, otherwise I would say that Brother Xue has a high vision. He can only appreciate such fair and beautiful people."
Ding Mian whispered and took off Xue Shen's underwear.
"Miss Sun came to work in the company after graduation. She seems to be in the administration department. I don't know how they hooked up."
"Brother Xue is seven or eight years older than her, but people don't mind. They also say that older men tend to be more affectionate."
"It's just that the family backgrounds of the two parties are very different. I'm afraid it will be difficult for my father-in-law to go through this."
Huang Qin didn't take it seriously: "Brother Xue is considered a senior executive in the company. He has a bright future. Do people still care about this?"
"Mr. Wei appreciates him so much, so he will definitely speak for him."
"Okay, okay, aren't you talking about work? Why does it get involved in my personal affairs?"
Xue Shen looked over angrily and shouted in a low voice: "Xiao Ding, you still talk about me, why don't you think about yourself."
"Your mother calls me every day and asks me to introduce you to a girlfriend. Besides, I will arrange a blind date for you tomorrow."
When Ding Mian heard this, his face suddenly fell: "I'm still young, brother, okay, I won't compete blindly."
"Let's talk about serious things. By the way, about this stem cell..."
(End of chapter)
