"What do you think...... There is a very important problem that if the U.S. Congress, or any of the country's funding agencies, sees our output, the genome project could be halted...... "Dalbeko apparently thought about whether to do the technology or sequencing first, but didn't decide. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Yang Rui said: "The Human Genome Project will be very different from other projects. ”

"Of course. ”

"If the current technology is used, the sequencing will be very, very long, indeed, if the sequencing is direct, with the existing technology and tools, we may be able to get some results in the first year, 50,000 base pairs?" Yang Rui smiled disdainfully, and said: "Our goal is 3 billion base pairs, and with the current level of technology, if we don't make a lot of investment, even if we budget for 15 years, we can't complete the entire project." ”

"But from a congressional and civil perspective, we're getting at least 50,000 base pairs, which is a visible benefit, right? And in the process, we can continue to develop the technology, and the sequencing itself can help us develop the technology, right?"

Yang Rui said without hesitation: "Impossible, sequencing itself is a manual work, we need to pay attention to the method of sequencing, and we also need to pay attention to the results of sequencing, as for sequencing itself, it is meaningless." ”

Darbeko was a little surprised by Yang Rui's arbitrariness, but he was also a person who had been on the front line for many years, and after thinking about it carefully, he had to admit: "What you said has a certain truth. But I think even Congress will ask us to develop technology and sequencing at the same time. ”

"If I had to choose, I wouldn't recommend it. Yang Rui shook his head and said: "Even if we go all out for sequencing, the results of the first and second years will be ugly, in this case, why should we come up with results." If you want me to say, we shouldn't sequence even a single base pair in the first, second, or even third year, except for testing. ”

Not only Darbeko, but also Professor Cai and Tobylls were dumbfounded.

This is the first time that Yang Rui has put forward his own opinion, not agreeing with Darbeko's opinion, but contradicting Darbeko's opinion.

For the relationship between the two people, as well as the relationship and position in the future, Yang Rui's performance at this time is of decisive significance.

Of course, the opinions he put forward were also very decisive.

Darbeko couldn't help but think deeply, and after a while, asked, "Why? ”

"As long as the project is established, such a huge project, even if it is a person who is eager for quick success, will not ask us to give results in one or two years, so completely abandon base pair sequencing in the early stage and focus on technology, I think that although the pressure will increase, it will not increase too much, and in the third year, the pressure may increase a lot, and at that time, it is okay to do a certain amount of base pair sequencing. Yang Rui explained softly.

"Is it necessary?",

"Very necessary. Yang Rui said: "We don't sequence any base pairs, we can explain to investors or the public, the technology-first strategy we are adopting now, and our current preparation is to complete the sequencing of base pairs more quickly in the later stage, and it is more cost-effective." And once we do sequencing, let's say in the first year, we do 50,000 base pairs, what is the result? Will investors and people be happy?"

Darbeko hesitated, "Won't it?"

"Of course not, because anyone would do this simple calculation, it took us a year to complete the sequencing of 50,000 base pairs, 10 years to complete the sequencing of 500,000 base pairs, 100 years to 5 million, 1000 years to 50 million sequencing, so all the media will come to the conclusion that the human genome project is over. Yang Rui took out the big move he had been preparing for a long time.

Darbeko was stunned, and for a moment, he said: "Our sequencing of 50,000 base pairs in the first year does not mean that our progress next year will still be like this, our progress in the second year may be 1 million base pairs." In the third year, 10 million base pairs may be sequenced. ”

"In that case, why don't we re-sequence it in the second year? Ordinary people can't predict the speed of development of science and technology, they will judge technological innovation by the increase in their salary, such as 10% progress, or more, double the progress, but no one will believe in a 20-fold increase, and if I were to judge, a 50-fold increase can be done. ”

"You mean, with a technology-first strategy, you can get 50 times the rate in a year?"

"Yes, and only with this approach will we be able to complete the genome project as quickly as possible and gain a competitive advantage. Yang Rui actually felt some emotion in his heart. The Human Genome Project took more than $2 billion to sequence 2.3 billion base pairs of the human body for the first time.

However, by 2015, the cost of sequencing a single pair of 2.3 billion base pairs of the human body had been reduced to $99, and the time consumed was measured in hours.

The pace of this technological innovation could not have been foreseen even by Darbeko.

It should be said that Yang Rui used his past experience to try to influence Darbeko's decision.

Darbeko was also really affected.

If anyone else said this, even Professor Cai, or even someone like Professor Richard of the University of California, Berkeley, would say such a thing, Dalbeko would not be affected.

But Yang Rui is different. Yang Rui is the inventor of PCR, and Yang Rui is also the pioneer of genomics.

Darbeko has always paid attention to Yang Rui's research, and no scholar who is currently doing genetic research has not paid attention to Yang Rui's work. The name of the so-called shadow man of the tree, Yang Rui's performance in the past two years, determines the value of his thoughts.

If Darbeko is asked to choose, who is most qualified to estimate the development speed of gene technology, Yang Rui may not be the first choice, but if Darbeko is asked to make a choice between himself and Yang Rui, he believes Yang Rui more.

The so-called art industry has a specialization, and Darbeko's research in the field of genes, especially in the field of gene technology, is far less in-depth than Yang Rui, and Darbeko is no longer young.

A scholar's research life can last for a long time, but he or she has to rely on himself, especially his own intelligence and physical strength to complete the research work, and the age is usually under 40 years old, at least under 50 years old.

This is the golden age of scholars, scholars over 50 years old can be a competent academic leader, can be a competent laboratory manager, can be a competent project manager, but it is not suitable to veto the academic achievements of scholars who are at the peak of their energy, physical strength and intelligence.

"Do you think that with technology-first means, we will be able to catch up with the results of technological parallelism in a few years?" Darbeko already had a tendency in his heart.

"Three years. If sequencing is started in the third year, it will not be a problem to complete the sequencing of millions of base pairs by the end of the third year. If sequencing is not carried out in the third year, there is a chance to complete tens of millions of sequencing from the first half of the fourth year. Yang Rui is very confident in this. The Human Genome Project is a very large project, which means that it is a project with very many people and funds, and as long as you choose the right direction, the results are very fast.

"Your prediction is well-founded, right?"

"Of course. ”

Darbeko thought for a long time and admitted: "If you can really achieve tens of millions of sequencing speeds, your solution may really be better." ”

He looked up and said, "Would you like to write an article about it?"

"No problem. "Yang Rui has been training for so long, writing an article is handy, as for the basis, it is true, it is not difficult to prove.

"We at the North Congress fully cooperated. "Professor Cai turned it into a collaborative project in due course.

Yang Rui said indifferently: "Then let's do it in the ion channel laboratory." ”

Professor Cai nodded and said, "I agree." ”

Darbeko, of course, didn't care more, confirmed the matter, and inquired more actively.

In his heart, there was also a thought that was getting tighter and tighter.