"Rebuilding the immune system?" Wang Wei looked confused.
"Do you know what is the most effective clinical treatment for leukemia now?" Chen Chen asked.
"Well, I didn't pay much attention to it. This should be biomedical knowledge." Wang Wei scratched his head.
"Simply speaking, leukemia is a type of hematopoietic stem cell disease. For some reason, the body's hematopoietic stem cells undergo malignant proliferation, thereby inhibiting the body's normal hematopoietic function. The principle is similar to that of cancer, so it is also called 'Blood cancer'."
Chen Chen explained, “Today, the most effective method for treating leukemia in the medical community is to conduct bone marrow matching and select a volunteer who is most genetically similar to the patient. The patient will then receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy to kill the hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. "
"Then, the volunteer will be injected with a drug called a 'mobilizing agent' to promote the growth of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow and release them into the blood. The hospital will then collect these stem cells and inject them into the patient."
"Because the hematopoietic stem cells in the patient's body have been killed before, a niche is left in the patient's body. The newly injected hematopoietic stem cells will produce an effect called 'homing' and spontaneously enter the patient's bone marrow. It takes months to rebuild the patient's immune system."
Chen Chen concluded: "This is called bone marrow transplantation. Healthy hematopoietic stem cells from volunteers are used to replace the patient's diseased stem cells. In fact, the so-called bone marrow is not real bone marrow, but just a hematopoietic stem cell transplant."
"What does that have to do with your experiment?" Xia Yin asked impatiently.
"My third experiment is to select a group of old and frail rats, clone them, and then extract young hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells from the clones."
"Then, just like when treating leukemia, the rats' hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells are killed and replaced with cloned stem cells."
Chen Chen thought, "If it succeeds, will this old rat become young again?"
"Y-it shouldn't be possible, right?" Xia Yin looked shocked.
"Why isn't it possible?"
Chen Chen raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to differentiate into various cells such as muscle cells, liver cells, osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, and stromal cells."
"Why does the human body age? It is because of the functional decline of human muscles, bones, and internal organs. But why do human muscles, bones, and internal organs functionally age? It is due to the aging of stem cells."
"Stem cells of young people can continue to replicate and replace aging muscle cells, bone cells and visceral cells. Therefore, the metabolism of young people is much faster than that of adults. However, after humans reach the age of thirty, the stem cells will age and replicate. The speed of replacement gradually cannot keep up with the aging speed of the cells themselves, so the human body will also show signs of aging... "
Chen Chen said, "So, if the human body's mesenchymal stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells can return to youth, can the human body also return to youth? Even if other internal organs cannot be restored to youth, muscles, bones, hematopoietic functions, etc. Restoring some body functions to a younger age is also something that many people can’t achieve, right?”
After hearing this, Xia Yin immediately looked thoughtful. After all, she was already a senior in college and had a wider knowledge than Wang Wei. She also understood better than Wang Wei how this experiment, if successful, would have a profound impact on modern society. What an impact on the medical community.
"If it really succeeds, this kind of result is enough to be voted into the first district." Xia Yin showed a look of longing.
"I have contacted Meng'an Pharmaceutical Company and can use their channels to help us purchase experimental drugs. I asked about the price and it is absolutely fair and just."
Chen Chen added, "We can start the experiment today."
"Then let's set off now." Xia Yin agreed, "Start the experiment early, maybe we can complete the experiment within three months!"
The three of them immediately set off and took a ride to the building of Meng'an Pharmaceutical Company. The Mediterranean man who showed Chen Chen and Xia Yin before also waited for a long time.
It’s only been a few days since we last saw each other, but the Mediterranean Sea above the Mediterranean Man’s head seems to be even wider.
"You are finally here. If you don't come again, the leader will scold me to death."
The Mediterranean man smiled bitterly and said, "I shouldn't have agreed to your condition that we start calculating the rental time after the winter vacation. We lost more than a week in vain."
"Have you bought everything?"
"I bought it. I bought the head-mounted experimental recorder and various experimental drugs. I have moved you to the fifth floor."
The Mediterranean man took out three magnetic cards and handed them to Chen Chen, "This is the laboratory access card. From now on, we will send people to the laboratory to check once a month. If there is any damage, please compensate according to the price. I hope you can take good care of our experimental equipment and not contaminate it." lab environment."
"Of course." Chen Chen took the magnetic card.
"And this." The other party took out a business card again, "This is the supply contact person of our laboratory. If you are short of experimental drugs and experimental animals, you can call this number to purchase them."
Chen Chen took the business card, which showed someone from the Shangdu Animal Experimental Research Center, and handed the card to Xia Yin.
Because all the agreements had been signed before, after sending Chen Chen and the others to the fifth floor, the Mediterranean man said goodbye and left.
"The entire floor is a laboratory you rent?"
As soon as Wang Wei arrived on the fifth floor, he wandered around, touching here and there with curiosity, "This is too luxurious, it's better than the school's laboratory environment. By the way, where did I enter the GMP laboratory? Why didn't I?" See the entrance?"
"It's in the basic laboratory."
Chen Chen put on disposable slippers and walked into the basic laboratory. "The blue alloy door in front is the entrance, and there are two cubicles at the back of the basic laboratory. I asked them to buy three beds and put them inside. Use it as a lounge.”
The two of them followed in and saw a lot of items piled up in the basic laboratory, including three folding beds.
In addition, there are also various packaged chemicals. If these drugs are to be transported into the clean area, the three of them may be busy for a while.
As students of the School of Biological Sciences, this is not the first time for the three of them to enter a sterile laboratory. They are still familiar with the relevant procedures. Wang Wei is responsible for transporting medicines into the buffer corridor, Xia Yin is responsible for putting them into the delivery window, and Chen Chen Responsible for coordination in the GMP laboratory.
As the three of them got busy, they were able to divide their work and do their own things in an orderly manner.
But before waiting for a while, the elevator door opened again, and a man walked in pushing a small cart of sterile boxes.
"Is this what you call an SPF-rated experimental animal?"
"Yes." Wang Wei was responsible for delivering medicines to the outside world. At this time, he immediately notified Xia Yin to come out to inspect the experimental animals and sign.
These experimental animals were sixty SD rats and ten experimental rabbits. After a simple handover, the two people settled these animals into the animal breeding room.