godfather of surgery

Chapter 1243: No Hardship
After Yang Ping established the "New Adjuvant" research group, across the ocean, in the conference room of the strategic analysis department of an American company.

Outside the huge circular floor-to-ceiling windows is the city skyline outlined by skyscrapers, the indoor temperature is kept at a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius, and the air purifier is running smoothly.

An internal briefing on the latest developments in global vaccine adjuvant research is underway.

On the huge circular screen, the PPT turned to a new page, titled "Monitoring of Potential Technology Trends in the Asia-Pacific Region." The most prominent position on the page displayed the basic information of Yang Ping's research group—a somewhat rudimentary list of members, along with slightly youthful photos of Jiang Jitong, Chu Xiaoxiao, and others, and the "funding of 500 million RMB (approximately 70 million USD)" highlighted in red.

The speaker was a sharp-looking young analyst with wire-rimmed glasses. He was preparing to move on to the next topic when he was interrupted by an attendee.

"Wait a minute, Jack."

A middle-aged man sitting at the other end of the long table spoke up; he was Zorn, the senior vice president in charge of the vaccine business.

He leaned forward slightly, his fingers lightly touching Yang Ping's name on the screen through the smooth tabletop, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Could you elaborate on this research group? A name we barely recognize, with five..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the photos of Chu Xiaoxiao and the others, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Looks like PhDs fresh out of school, aiming to develop revolutionary new adjuvants?"

He picked up the custom-made metal coffee cup on the table and gently stirred the black coffee inside, the cup clinking together with a crisp sound. "To be frank, this doesn't sound like a serious strategic analysis report; it sounds more like an excerpt from a science fiction novel."

A few suppressed laughs echoed in the meeting room, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Another senior scientist with an Asian appearance, Dr. Xu, pushed up his glasses and said in a relatively serious tone: "Mr. Zorn, I must remind you that Professor Yang Ping is a Nobel laureate, a Nobel laureate! The founder of the spatially guided gene theory."

He repeatedly emphasized the Nobel laureate to correct Zorn's misunderstanding of Yang Ping.

In the past, Dr. Xu would never have dared to argue with Zorn in such internal company meetings, but now it's different. Yang Ping's Nobel Prize has given him a certain confidence, allowing him to confront someone like Zorn head-on.

"Nobel Prize? Really? I don't know any of those." Zorn shrugged. "Even if it were, immunology, especially adjuvant development, is a completely different and extremely complex field. It involves the human body's most sophisticated defense system, and the failure rate has always been alarmingly high. We, and our competitors, have invested billions of dollars, spent decades, and assembled teams of hundreds of people, and so far, most of what we've accomplished is limited improvements and optimizations to classic systems like aluminum adjuvants and oil-emulsion adjuvants. The adjuvants we've discovered are extremely rare."

Zorn put down his coffee cup, spread his hands, and turned his gaze back to the photo on the screen of Chu Xiaoxiao, a picture that exuded a student-like air yet revealed a focused intensity in her eyes. "So, I'm curious, and I find it absurd. What makes them think that a few young people, like this young PhD student who looks like they've just graduated, can design molecules that are superior to all of our top teams combined?" He shook his head, as if discussing an unrealistic fantasy. "Commendable courage, but utterly meaningless."

Dr. Xu is not intimidated by Zorn at all: "Many scientists make major discoveries when they are young. Age can wear down a person's ability to innovate and can also make a person become empty and arrogant."

His words were loaded with meaning, clearly a dig at Zorn, who is now over fifty years old.

Zorn turned and gave Dr. Xu a look of disgust. When did this Chinese man become so arrogant?

Analyst Jack quickly added, "Based on our current intelligence, they have indeed just begun, and their current focus is still on the most basic molecular cloning and vector construction stages."

“See,” Zorn leaned back in his chair, his tone relaxed, “once they finally manage to assemble the first candidate molecule and get to the in vitro functional verification stage, they’ll see just how big the gap is between ideal and reality. I don’t think this project is worth investing too much attention and resources in; let’s skip it!”

“You will suffer greatly for your arrogance. I can clearly feel that our company is no longer young and is slowly entering its twilight years,” Dr. Xu said with a regretful tone.

……

At almost the same time, in a high-level conference room of the vaccine division of another European company.

The atmosphere here is more like that of a tech enthusiast, with most of the attendees being core scientists and managers on the R&D line, and similar technology monitoring information being displayed on the projection screen.

"...In summary, this Chinese team's technical concept is very bold, even quite radical." The presenter was a female scientist in her forties, who used a laser pointer to circle keywords such as "de novo design of protein enhancers" and "modular linkages" on the PPT. "They are trying to abandon the existing adjuvant framework and start entirely from the underlying logic, using rationally designed protein components, like building blocks, to precisely manipulate the signaling pathways within antigen-presenting cells through specific linkers. Theoretically, this idea is very elegant and extremely attractive."

She paused, seemingly considering her words: "However, the engineering difficulty of its implementation increases exponentially. The design, expression, purification, and ligation efficiency with the antigen of each enhancement submodule, as well as the stability, immunogenicity, and safety of the complex after ligation... every step is full of unknowns and the risk of failure. My personal assessment is that the probability of its successful translation and application is infinitely close to zero."

Charles Whiteman, a technical vice president with graying hair but still sharp, hawk-like eyes, spoke slowly, his voice deep and clear: "This sounds like yet another project trying to impress investors with fancy theories. Do they have any actual progress? For example, what's the design concept behind these so-called enhancers?"

“Based on our very limited intelligence sources,” the female scientist replied, “their work has just begun and there has been no substantial progress.”

“Heh,” Charles chuckled, his laughter carrying the calm and certainty that comes with experience, “So, they haven’t even fully completed the first experimental step, they haven’t even obtained a decent candidate molecule, and they’re already discussing a disruptive future? And it’s five people?”

He stretched out a hand, spread his five fingers, then closed them and waved it. “Maintaining minimal information updates is sufficient. I don’t believe they are capable of navigating the maze of preclinical research. Our AS series adjuvants, after decades of validation and optimization, remain the gold standard and cornerstone of the global vaccine market. Our focus should be on further optimizing existing platforms and keeping up with Novartis and Pfizer’s new developments in mRNA vector adjuvants, rather than scattering our efforts across these garage startup-level projects.”

Meanwhile, within the upper echelons of these giant companies, a more discreet and informal discussion is taking place.

The location wasn't even a formal conference room, but a private reception room furnished with wood and leather furniture. Several figures who truly influenced the group's strategic direction sat on the sofa. "Five hundred million RMB, which is less than eighty million USD, right?" a middle-aged man in a casual suit, exuding a composed air, said slowly, toying with an unlit cigar in his hand. "This figure, here, might only be enough to support the miscellaneous expenses of a Phase II clinical trial, or the annual R&D budget of a medium-priority project." He was Robert Liu, one of the heads of the giant's global R&D strategy.

Li Gaoyang kept rubbing his temples, his gaze falling on Rolf. As the person in charge of BG Company, he really didn't need to manage such a trivial matter, but because Yang Ping was involved, they had to convene a private meeting with the executives of their subsidiary giant companies.

Rolf's eyes deepened: "The Chinese market has its own unique characteristics. The policy direction there is very clear, with strong support and an urgent need for independent innovation, especially domestic substitution in the field of biomedicine. Sometimes, the absolute advancement of technology is not the only consideration. Even a passable adjuvant technology labeled as independent innovation, once it receives policy endorsement, could form a force to be reckoned with in the huge domestic market, causing a devastating blow to our existing product portfolio."

The other executive sitting opposite him nodded thoughtfully: "Your concerns are not unfounded. Even if Yang Ping's team has only a one percent chance of success, we still need to treat them with ninety-nine percent rigor. Potential threats are best addressed in their infancy." He paused, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of the sofa. "However, it would be too embarrassing for us to personally get involved, or even compete with a fledgling academic team. It could easily trigger unnecessary public backlash and regulatory scrutiny, and the losses would outweigh the gains."

A knowing smile appeared on Robert Liu's lips. He put down his cigar and leaned forward slightly: "Of course, we don't need to do it ourselves. We've been cultivating the Chinese market for many years, don't we have many partners with good relationships who are eager for technology? Find a suitable one, give them some appropriate technical support, and help them quickly launch a 'self-developed' adjuvant product. Use the two weapons of 'domestic' and 'low price' to seize the market in advance and educate doctors and the public. By the time Yang Ping's team's seemingly unattainable 'dream adjuvant' actually leaves the laboratory one day, they will find that the market door may already be blocked."

A brief silence fell over the room. Then, the group exchanged knowing glances, a silent understanding being reached. The ruthless logic of capital and the market was laid bare at that moment.

At this moment, Li Gaoyang finally spoke up: "Never underestimate Professor Yang Ping's abilities. He is a man who creates miracles. We cannot use ordinary thinking to simulate his ideas. I remind you all—although theoretically his research has a very low success rate, I believe he will succeed, he will! The Chinese are incredible. MacArthur has already shown us through his experience—we must take the Chinese seriously, otherwise we will end up like him—very tragic!"

"One more reminder: never let him think that it's another giant company targeting him!"

Li Gaoyang rubbed his temples hard, his headache was severe, and he might need a second surgery.

……

A few days later, in the chairman's office of the headquarters building of a biotechnology company in Shanghai, China.

This office is extremely luxurious, with a huge mahogany desk, a genuine leather executive chair, and an entire wall of display shelves behind it, filled with various antique-style handicrafts and corporate honor trophies. The air is filled with the mixed aroma of cigars and strong tea.

Chairman Jin Dafu, a middle-aged man with a plump figure and ruddy complexion, was squinting his small eyes as he greedily browsed the technical information displayed on the tablet computer in front of him.

This is a "simplified" set of technical documents about adjuvant platforms that leaked from a major company through special channels.

Sitting opposite him was Zhao Ming, the technical director, a man in his mid-thirties with a rather capable-looking PhD who had returned from overseas and wore frameless glasses. Zhao Ming had previously worked for several years in the R&D department of a tech giant before being poached back by Jin Dafu with a high salary and the position of CTO.

"Dr. Zhao," Jin Dafu put down his tablet, rubbing his thick hands together, his tone filled with barely suppressed excitement, "this thing the bigwig gave us... tell me honestly, is it reliable? Can we really make it?"

Zhao Ming was actually very clear about the details of this technology. It was an old adjuvant platform that the giant had evaluated and abandoned five or six years ago. Its effect was only slightly better than the most traditional aluminum adjuvant, but its performance was significantly inferior to the mainstream oil emulsion adjuvants such as GSK's AS03 and MF59.

The only advantage might be that the production process is relatively mature and the cost is relatively easy to control.

But he remained outwardly composed, adjusted his glasses, and said in a professional tone, "Mr. Jin, the technology itself is mature, after all, it has the foundation of a giant's previous research and development. From laboratory to production, the path is clear, and the risks are controllable. In terms of efficacy, as the data shows, it has a clear improvement over traditional aluminum adjuvants and can enhance antibody responses. Of course,"

He then changed the subject, leaving room for maneuver.

"Compared with the top international compound adjuvants, there may still be some gaps in terms of stimulating cellular immunity."

Jin Dafu didn't care about the technical details at all. He only listened to the keywords "mature technology", "better than aluminum adjuvants" and "controllable cost", which meant that he could make money quickly!
He slapped his thigh, his fat face jiggling: "Great! That's exactly what I wanted! The gap? What gap? This is 'independent innovation'! We'll put a lot of effort into the publicity, highlighting our 'breakthrough' and 'high cost-effectiveness'! The price must be driven down, making it much cheaper than imported products! We want to make sure that people all over the country can use our own cheap and effective adjuvants."

He seemed to already see the wonderful scene of the product launch, the influx of orders, and the soaring stock price, and he paced excitedly in his office.

"Oh, right," Jin Dafu suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and turned to ask Zhao Ming, "I think I heard you mention something about a team in our country working on some new adjuvant? The leader is a professor surnamed Yang?"

Zhao Ming nodded, his tone calm: "Yes, Mr. Jin, it's Professor Yang Ping's team from the Sanbo Research Institute. Professor Yang is a Nobel laureate. Their technical approach is very cutting-edge, based on synthetic biology and de novo protein design. The idea is grand, but it is also extremely complex and high-risk."

"Cutting-edge? Grand?" Jin Dafu scoffed, his face full of the shrewdness and disdain typical of a businessman. "Isn't that something that hasn't even been proposed yet? Researchers just love to come up with these empty concepts. They don't use the existing technology, but insist on going through all the trouble to develop these things. Isn't that just making trouble for no reason?"

Jin Dafu sat back in his spacious and comfortable executive chair, looking quite pleased: "Dr. Zhao, you just said that Professor Yang is a Nobel laureate?"

"Yes!" Zhao Ming replied.

Jin Dafu said with a tone of utter disappointment, "I really don't understand. Professor Yang is already a Nobel laureate, successful and accomplished, he has everything he could want! Why would he go through this hardship? Wouldn't it be better to use his youth and fame to make more money and enjoy life? Honestly, he's forcing himself to suffer!!!"