top student at medical school

Chapter 622 Picking at the Thread (Please Subscribe)
"Professor Fang, can you predict when this treatment plan can be applied clinically?" Professor Wei Yuquan asked, adjusting his glasses.

His eyes were filled with curiosity as he scanned Fang Ziye up and down, feeling both surprised and incredulous, but mostly curious.

Fang Ziye's research project, which combines clinical practice and basic scientific research, has made significant progress and achieved remarkable results.

Without the improvement of the microcirculatory system, which is analogous to the whole-body circulatory system, and without the microcirculatory system, which is analogous to high-level limb amputation, which breaks down the whole into parts, there would be no current combination of microcirculatory system and chemotherapy for orthopedic tumors.

“Professor Wei, I look forward to its clinical application as soon as possible, but I also find it more difficult than anyone to determine the specific time for its clinical application, because there is not enough data to support it at present.”

Fang Ziye's response was quite frank.

Once this treatment model is promoted, the fame and profits that Fang Ziye gains will be enough to make him truly successful. Even if Fang Ziye produces nothing from now on, he will still have a good chance of winning a National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, a National Science and Technology Progress Award (First Prize), or even a Special Prize.

If managed well, it would be reasonable for Fang Ziye to eventually take the place of Wei Yuquan and others at the right age.

"Therefore, I can't predict the time frame; I just want to do things well in a down-to-earth manner."

Fang Ziye kept in mind the instructions given by Dean Chen Song when he arrived.

You can ask me what I'm doing without any problem. I'm doing it anyway, and there's nothing shameful about it.

Even if some people think he's being pretentious or fanciful, Fang Ziye is still going to do it.

But if you ask me whether I can guarantee success or when it can be completed, Fang Ziye cannot give you an accurate answer.

I'd rather give up than make a promise.

It's impossible for anything to slip through your fingers when facing anyone.

Upon hearing this, Professor Zhang Limin joked, "Professor Wei, Professor Zhan just said that for this kind of tumor research, seven or eight years is a very short timeframe."

"If Professor Fang can see that far, I'd start to wonder if he's a reincarnation of someone from the future!"

Wei Yuquan nodded and did not continue the conversation: "I hope we can succeed soon. Breaking the 'soft blockade' would be a good thing."

"Although I trust that many foreign scholars and experts have no ill intentions towards China, I am even more convinced that some foreign politicians and experts do harbor ill intentions towards China."

Scholars and experts are both unrelated to and related to nationality.

A country's policies are not solely determined by scholars and experts, but hostility towards China is an established fact.

Many countries have adopted policies to make money from China and to "dominate" China in any way they want. This is not just something Wei Yuquan said; it is a living fact.

Professor Zhan Qiming then asked another question: "Professor Fang, how do you plan to conduct your clinical trials in the early stages?"

"Are there any suitable groups of patients?"

Clinical trials require patients to volunteer and can be conducted in multiple centers. Zhan Qiming wanted to seek some benefits for his workplace.

Zhang Limin understood Zhan Qiming's meaning and immediately said, "Professor Zhan, Professor Fang is currently on secondment to the military region's sanatorium, so the unit he's affiliated with has a relatively high-quality patient population..."

"Professor Zhan, as you know, our teaching hospital can't keep up with them in terms of patient compliance in clinical trials."

Military region hospitals and sanatoriums have a unique advantage in providing free medical care and direct subsidies.

Other teaching hospitals, except for those with certain administrative rank or sufficient commercial insurance who don't need to worry about treatment costs, are unlikely to be willing to conduct experiments on you, unless it's a small number of patients from particularly poor families.

In this respect, Zhan Qiming could not offer Fang Ziye a greater advantage.

Moreover, some people in the military region are very obedient; they're basically saying, "Take it or leave it, go wherever you want to get treatment, there's a subsidy anyway..."

After lunch, Fang Ziye went back to his room to rest for a while.

Luo Tingzhu's message arrived at just the right time: "Senior brother, you need to be careful."

"Never leak this information, and never make any promises."

Fang Ziye knew that Luo Tingzhu must have asked someone to inquire, and the person she asked was probably that "old man" in Han City!
“Tingzhu, there’s no benefit in asking so many questions. I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid you would worry.”

"Don't worry, in the current situation, there won't be any forced tasks or pledges. I can also broaden my horizons," Fang Ziye typed back.

"Yes, that's actually a good thing. Understanding higher-dimensional perspectives earlier can help you, senior, to more clearly identify your future direction."

"Scientific research serves clinical practice, and clinical practice serves patients. Patients have a place of residence, a household registration, a province, and a nationality..."

Luo Tingzhu was still worried about Fang Ziye, so her thoughts were a bit chaotic: "Although our individual abilities are very weak, if we all think this way and do nothing, then no one will ever stand up."

"Senior brother, whatever decision you make, Tingzhu will absolutely support you."

This time, Luo Tingzhu did not use the character "我" (I/me), but instead used the two characters "听竹" (Listen to Bamboo).

Fang Ziye felt a warmth in his heart: "Tingzhu, you must also believe that I will discuss any decision I make with you beforehand."

“Your major is similar to mine, we share a common language and a common direction of understanding, I’m just here to broaden my horizons.”

"Let me tell you, I've met so many academicians here. They're the real heroes; even if the sky were to fall, they'd be the first to hold it up..."

"Today I also had dinner with three academicians and took pictures. If I use this picture on social media, I can gain at least a few thousand followers..."

Luo Tingzhu smiled after hearing this and immediately started a video call with Fang Ziye: "Senior brother, you already have more than 40,000 followers on your Douyin account."

"Hu Qingyuan is amazing!"

"However, I checked his previous account, and all the game-related videos have been taken down. He said in his account that he would post some videos related to medical experiments and medical procedures in the future."

"He has quite a few fans, probably several hundred thousand."

"Really? That's great..." Fang Ziye nodded.

……

Xie Heng was still present at the afternoon meeting, but he didn't just focus on Fang Ziye. Instead, he genuinely asked the other academicians and renowned professors one by one if they had any better solutions for treating tumors with drugs.
What are the available options? Given the current level of medical care in China, how can we become self-reliant, or should we simply follow the "ironclad rule" of internationalization and waste more money importing drugs?

In fact, even if international prices rise and tariffs on exports to China are increased, we can still purchase drugs openly. It's just that the price of the drugs will be higher for patients, but it won't mean that there are no drugs available at all.

But if you spend even more, it's essentially a different kind of 'no medicine available'!
China is a developing country overall, and there are very few families who can afford tens of thousands of yuan in medical expenses per year; in fact, very few.

However, since this dilemma has been presented, we have no choice but to find a solution.

They either copy it, or they go all in, learn from India, and simply give up and abandon the medical field.

But if you give up on any track, other countries will also give up on the track you are good at and start to give up as well.

Alternatively, one could seek alternative therapies or new treatments!
At four o'clock, Xie Heng said something Fang Ziye had never heard before: "In the past, our country was very poor, so we proposed to improve the technical skills of our medical practitioners by replacing drugs with procedures."

"To a certain extent, it has improved the level of medical operation services and professional skills in our country. However, we all understand the saying, 'Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice!'"

"There is a limit to the therapeutic effect that can be achieved through mere manipulation and technique."

"When this limit conflicts with the public's demands for health, we must seek a breakthrough and can only move towards a more basic, broader, and higher direction."

"We are also extensively collecting feedback from various experts and reactions from medical professionals. Currently, our country's top-level medical care is approaching international first-class standards!"

"However, the average level of medical care and surgical care in our country is still at the middle or even lower level globally."

"Apart from a few hospitals, most hospitals still have certain deficiencies in the depth of their professional skills and the proficiency of their techniques."

"We also understand that simply stimulating the improvement of medical staff's skills is a long-term plan, which is not a quick fix..."

"Currently, no matter how difficult the situation is, we must find a temporary solution, and negotiating the price is one option!"

"It's a tough decision, a necessary one, to cut our losses and give up some of the drug purchases."

"But just like our country's agriculture, our goal ahead is to strive for self-sufficiency; we must walk on every leg..."

"Therefore, I hope that all experts can combine scientific research with enterprises to think of new ways to develop generic drugs, new treatment methods, new therapeutic drugs, and alternative drugs."

"Even if there isn't a particularly good solution, let's find a breakthrough point to establish a foothold! Even if it's just a possibility..."

"Actually, our people don't have particularly high demands for the quality of treatment. First, we need to have it, and then we seek better..."

Xie Heng was quite frank in what he said.

Let's eat our fill first. Once we're full, then we can strive for better food and a higher standard of living.

Currently in China, as long as one is willing to work hard and not lazy, the problem of having enough to eat has been initially solved.

"Once the international patents for some drugs expire, whether our country's pharmaceutical companies can produce generic versions with sufficient efficacy is one of the directions we need to work hard to solve..."

"Professor Ding Jian, you are a pharmacy major, so you have a more professional and profound understanding of the generic drug production capabilities of some of our pharmaceutical companies. In your opinion, does our country currently have sufficient capacity to produce generic versions of those drugs?"

Upon hearing this, Ding Jian took a deep breath: "Team Leader Xie, currently, some pharmaceutical companies in our country still prioritize production over research and development. There are basically not many pharmaceutical companies that invest enough in research and development."

"Of course, these pharmaceutical companies must first ensure their revenue, and ensuring the return of funds is also one of the challenges they face."

"Apart from some classic drugs where domestic pharmaceutical companies are close to foreign companies in terms of efficacy, there is still a significant gap in the efficacy of other drugs, such as antibiotics."

"Drug manufacturing processes are also a relatively basic weakness..."

"In addition..." Ding Jian said with some shame.

“Some drugs are 80% excipients, used to suppress the remaining 20% ​​of the active ingredient.”

"If the pharmaceutical company's pressing process is substandard, it will greatly affect the release of the active ingredients in the body..."

“Many technologies used in original drugs are trade secrets. The publicly available formulas only provide a general range of parameters, without precise values, processing procedures, or sequences. Sometimes, a difference of just one or two degrees Celsius can affect the synthesis of the drug. These minute deviations are amplified step by step in the production process,” Ding Jian summarized.

This is an objective fact, so Xie Heng couldn't say much more.

Fang Ziye continued to listen attentively and took notes. There was nothing he could do to reverse these things, because the tracks were completely different.

As the afternoon session was drawing to a close, Xie Heng said, "Actually, the skill level of doctors in China is really no worse than that of doctors abroad. In fact, we are even stronger in terms of operation and application of technology."

"For example, the average level of our surgeons is among the best in the world. Therefore, we may need to leverage our strengths and continue to explore feasible methods through practice."

"For example, Professor Fang from our orthopedics department has taken a different approach to the treatment of orthopedic tumors, deviating from the current consensus and general direction of tumor treatment. As long as he can achieve good results, that's great."

"I hope that all professors and experts will think about new methods and procedures after they return, and apply the data we already have to create more treatment possibilities."

"This afternoon's meeting is now adjourned. Thank you to all the experts for your valuable opinions. We will also report the contents of this meeting back and strive to formulate some policies and regulations to ensure that our country's pharmaceutical companies adhere more strictly to national standards and strengthen audits when producing drugs."

"In addition, we should introduce policies to encourage and incentivize pharmaceutical companies to invest more funds in drug research and development, and provide subsidies..."

That was the only way Xie Heng could express his opinion.

Ideally, the government should take the lead in participating in drug research and development.

Unfortunately, the country doesn't have that much spare money, and that's all the money it can invest in the healthcare industry.

Moreover, there are just too many factors to consider in the healthcare sector alone, so it can only be allocated layer by layer...

The size of the pot determines the amount of rice you can cook. Without a large pot, you can't cook enough rice for a thousand people at once; that's an ironclad rule.

……

However, unlike after the meeting at noon, in the afternoon, Fang Ziye took the initiative to add everyone from the oncology group meeting as a friend.

Fang Ziye was young and shameless enough, and he didn't wait for others to take the initiative.

In just over twenty minutes, Fang Ziye added more than forty friends, and he sent each of them a note in a very warm and friendly manner.

After they finished doing all that, Professor Zhang Limin and the others had already left, leaving only Fang Ziye and another professor who was not very old chatting at the entrance of the conference room.

"Professor Fang, you are truly remarkable for your age, only thirty!" "Tsk tsk, I can't even imagine what I was doing when I was thirty? Awesome." The professor who spoke was forty-two years old, one of the few young middle-aged people under forty-five in the conference room.

"Teacher Tao, I'll take that as a compliment."

"Teacher Tao, where are you going to eat? Would you like to go out to eat together?" Fang Ziye invited.

Tao Huang shook his head: "We're not in the same circle. Since the other teachers didn't invite me, I won't be so shameless as to try and squeeze in. I'll just go find some friends to get together with."

Tao Huang knew that Professor Zhang Limin and the others had made plans to have dinner with Fang Ziye, but they did not invite him, Tao Huang.

Although it wouldn't be a problem for him to go with Fang Ziye and try to freeload, freeloading has both advantages and disadvantages.

Sometimes, being too shameless can backfire and cause serious harm.

"Professor Tao, let's keep in touch. I'm a little hungry, so I'm going to eat now." Fang Ziye said goodbye to Tao Huang.

Fang Ziye had a meal with Professor Zhang Limin, but there were no other outsiders present, only members of Zhang Limin's team.

The topics of discussion were unrelated to the meeting's content; everyone simply expressed their gratitude for the significant guidance Fang Ziye had provided to the team's research in the previous meeting.

Furthermore, Professor Zhang Limin did not inquire about the research progress of Fang Ziye's microcirculation device and tumor chemotherapy. Since Fang Ziye's team has not made an official announcement about this, nor has any other official department made an announcement, there is still a way out...

Fang Ziye still has a choice: whether to advance or give up, and whether he is morally harmed by excessive praise.

After dinner, Fang Ziye returned to the hotel and was greeted by an 'uninvited guest'!
To be precise, it wasn't one, but three.

Fang Ziye knew all three of them.

The titles and specific positions of the leaders Xie Heng, Xie Shulan, and Liu Lizhi are unknown.

"Professor Fang, good evening." Xie Shulan greeted Fang Ziye very proactively.

Upon seeing the three, Fang Ziye's Adam's apple bobbed several times, and he also extended his right hand and waved: "Hello, Professor Xie."

Xie Shulan said, "This is my supervisor, Professor Liu Lizhi in our laboratory, who is also my current teacher."

"This is my dad."

"I didn't expect Professor Fang to be here for a meeting. I didn't even recognize you just now." Xie Shulan didn't know whether she managed her expression well or she really didn't know she was at the meeting, but at least on the surface she was very surprised.

She then introduced Fang Ziye to Professor Liu Lizhi and Xie Heng.

Professor Liu Lizhi was probably in her fifties and looked like a rather intellectual and mature middle-aged woman. She generously extended her right hand to shake hands with Fang Ziye: "Professor Fang, I have long admired your name."

Although Fang Ziye hadn't challenged Xie Shulan's research project before, her challenge caused some trouble in the lab for a while.

Is Xie Shulan's task simply to hand it over to someone else?

Moreover, it's still unknown whether Fang Ziye will continue to attack Xie Shulan, so Liu Lizhi is actually quite conflicted.

She and Xie Shulan had no teacher-student relationship, though they might have some now. However, it would be a shame to get herself caught up in the "vortex" because of Xie Shulan.

If that miniature circulatory device can be combined with the treatment of orthopedic tumors, Fang Ziye's academic achievements and accumulation will surpass those of this well-known and established professor.

Whether it will be a back-and-forth attack or a one-sided suppression, it's really hard to say.

Fang Ziye said, "Hello, Professor Liu. It is my honor to have Professor Liu remember my name."

"Fang Ziye, Fang as in direction, Zi as in children, Ye as in business."

Upon hearing this, Xie Heng said, "Shulan, you should go back now. This is not a place for you to stay for long. Go back and rest. This is not your workplace either."

"I have other things to discuss with Professor Liu and Professor Fang privately."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shulan hesitated for a moment, but still obediently nodded.

"I'll be going now!" Xie Shulan left with her bag in her hand, not particularly scared, and walked away in a very open and easy manner.

She understood the main reason why Fang Ziye was targeting her, but now she didn't know what to say.

Since her grandfather hadn't provoked Fang Ziye beforehand, Fang Ziye's "action" against her was merely a normal academic exchange, and no one should stand on moral high ground to condemn it...

It's tough on her; she's already an associate professor, but she still has to learn experimental methods and structures that are beyond her ordinary understanding.

I still need to study further!

……

"Team Leader Xie, you wanted to see me?" Fang Ziye asked after Xie Shulan left.

Xie Heng is now the head of the oncology conference group, so it's perfectly acceptable for Fang Ziye to address Xie Heng as "head of the group," just like everyone else.

"Professor Fang, actually I wanted to see you, so I asked Team Leader Xie to come with me to visit you. However, you were out earlier, and we were planning to reschedule, but we didn't expect to run into you again." Professor Liu Lizhi had a very good demeanor, and her tone was slightly official.

There's a sense of formality about it.

Perhaps this is just her usual work attitude, and she's not deliberately putting on airs.

Since they were guests, Fang Ziye couldn't refuse them outright, so he led them into his room.

Although there was nothing to serve guests, Fang Ziye had come to Kyoto for a meeting, so of course there was no tea.

"Professor Liu, Team Leader Xie, all we have here is bottled water," Fang Ziye said respectfully, placing the bottled water on the table.

Professor Liu Lizhi said, "Professor Fang, I focus on gene expression and regulation in processes such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor characteristic regulation, tumor metastasis, and drug resistance. My current research direction is prognostic molecular markers."

"Today at the meeting, I also heard Team Leader Xie say that Professor Fang, you have a deep understanding and expertise in the field of orthopedic tumors."

"I would like to ask Professor Fang how you metabolize the chemotherapy drugs in the microcirculation device."

"Furthermore, during the treatment of bone tumors, do you conduct tests for molecular markers?"

"Can a miniature circulation device replace human organs and metabolize so many non-human substances?" Professor Liu Lizhi, being a professional, immediately got to the heart of the matter.

There are many chemotherapy drugs, and each drug is metabolized in different organs in the human body, and their metabolic mechanisms are also completely different.

While it's good that the microcirculation device doesn't pass through the human body, how to metabolize chemotherapy drugs is also a very important issue.

At the same time, after the microcirculation is established, will some blood sampling results within the microcirculation be different from those of blood sampling from the whole body, and will its concentration increase?
This is the question that Professor Liu Lizhi is particularly interested in.

Upon hearing that the other party had come to ask professional questions, Fang Ziye cautiously replied, "Professor Liu, regarding the metabolism of chemotherapy drugs for tumors, we metabolize them through the principle of dialysis."

"Tumor drugs have different molecular structures, so they can be removed by different mechanisms once they enter the dialysis machine."

"As for your question about whether molecular markers in local circulation can accumulate and lead to an increase in concentration, we are currently only in the animal testing stage and have not yet conducted similar studies."

"After all, the focus should be on the therapeutic effect. However, we have also considered this issue. According to our speculation, the concentration of molecular markers should increase."

"After all, the total amount of secreted molecular markers remains basically unchanged, but the local circulating blood volume is many times less than the systemic circulating blood volume, so this concentration increases exponentially."

"Their relationship with prognosis can actually clarify the prognostic effects of different concentrations more clearly..."

"However, one problem is that increasing the number of chemotherapy drugs can also affect the prognosis. Therefore, analogical predictions may have a significant impact, and may even lead to false positive results. If we were to delve deeper into this, it would be a very broad sub-topic..."

The emergence of a new treatment method is accompanied by a great many sub-topics and many sub-directions that can be refined. It is not the end once it is completed, nor can it be perfectly applied in clinical practice without leaving any side effects.

Any effect unrelated to treatment is a side effect.

Fang Ziye's answer was also very professional!
This means that the local concentration may increase, but if the treatment is very effective, the increased concentration may not be very predictive of the prognosis.

Professor Liu Lizhi nodded: "That's true. The prognosis of a tumor is most closely related to the treatment method!"

"I see. If we block local blood supply before tumor treatment even begins, wouldn't that increase the concentration of tumor diagnostic markers even more?"

"Could we even use this to find specific biomarkers for different tumors?" Liu Lizhi asked quickly.

Unexpectedly, after Liu Lizhi asked her question, Fang Ziye did not answer. Instead, he looked at her with a half-smile.

It's like saying, "Guess whether I'll answer you or not? You've gone straight into another sub-topic of our research group."

One of the research pathways Fang Ziye is working on is the development of miRNAs specific to osteosarcoma, which may become tumor markers specific to osteosarcoma and assist in the accurate diagnosis of osteosarcoma.

Therefore, specific tumor markers for other tumors are naturally the focus of Fang Ziye's team's local research after the construction of the microcirculation instrument.

"Professor Fang's team is also planning to work on this topic, right?"

"I should have thought of that sooner." Liu Lizhi's expression was somewhat regretful.

Fang Ziye replied bluntly, "Professor Liu, our research group's current accumulation is certainly not as good as your team's, so we are not so generous as to share with other research groups without restraint for the time being."

"However, if Professor Liu is really interested in this direction, we can race against time."

You can do it; whoever does it fastest and produces the most accurate results gets the prize.

After sensing Fang Ziye's hostility, Liu Lizhi turned to look at Xie Heng and smiled, saying, "Professor Fang, you're too kind. How about this, Team Leader Xie has something to discuss with you. If we have the opportunity next time, we can talk in more detail."

"I won't bother you any longer." Liu Lizhi felt that she wouldn't be able to have much in common with Fang Ziye until Xie Shulan's problem was resolved.

After all, Xie Shulan was part of their team, and Xie Shulan's grandfather had messed with Fang Ziye's teacher.

"Okay, Professor Liu!"

"I look forward to your guidance." Fang Ziye was not intimidated by her at all. He had made all the necessary preparations for his upcoming sparring match with Xie Shulan.

This includes, but is not limited to, Xie Shulan's leadership and the preparations made by her mentor, Professor Zhang Limin, to step in.

After seeing Professor Liu Lizhi out, Fang Ziye went back inside.

Xie Hengcai looked at Fang Ziye and said, "Professor Fang, first of all, I want to apologize to you, and then I need to explain a few points that you may have doubts about."

“Before, my father…”

At 7:20 p.m., after seeing Xie Heng off, Fang Ziye returned to his room.

However, Fang Ziye did not start working, did not handle matters within the research group, and did not reflect on the content of today's meeting. Instead, he kept thinking about Xie Heng's words.

Xie Wucai is a 'spoiled slave'!
His doting on Xie Shulan far surpassed that on his father, Xie Heng!

How did Deng Yong's case come about? It was gathered long ago by people at a sanatorium in Kyoto, but they didn't want to confront Fang Ziye directly, to avoid Chen Song getting involved and noticing them too early.

Then, just then, a trigger was found.

Grandpa Xie, do you know? Your granddaughter was bullied. Yes, she's unhappy because her research project can't be completed, and the other party isn't offering a solution.

Don't you know how to deal with him?

I know...

If he leaves his post sooner, he can find a solution sooner, and Professor Xie can finish the project on time, right?

Hey, this isn't a problem we created; it's their own doing.

Well, and then, and then, Fang Ziye went through all of that.

Those people at the Kyoto sanatorium were simply there to stir up trouble, to muddy the waters, hoping that Fang Ziye and everyone else at the Enshi sanatorium would leave, leaving only a lonely sanatorium box...

Fang Ziye also knew that the dilemma "choice" faced by the Gong family and the professor was also closely related to the Kyoto Sanatorium.

If you leave the sanatorium and go back to get a promotion, will you go or not?
An open conspiracy, no solution!
However, the Kyoto Sanatorium miscalculated one thing regarding Fang Ziye: the extent of Fang Ziye's importance in Chen Song's heart.

(End of this chapter)