Shen Ke followed Yuan Zirui to Dr. Yu's laboratory.

This is the seventh laboratory building of the School of Medicine, and the laboratories occupy the entire third and fourth floors, and there are also temporary dormitories and other supporting facilities next to it.

When Shen Ke arrived, Dr. Yu was very happy and immediately introduced Shen Ke to other members of the laboratory.

It's just that the other members are not very enthusiastic, and it is not that they are rude to Shen Ke, but they are all disheartened.

The whole lab was dead.

"Xue Yi, you can introduce Shen Ke to our experiment and the difficulties we are currently encountering. ”

Dr. Yu called a girl, who had delicate eyebrows and a middle-to-upper complexion, and looked very capable, but she also looked down.

Cheering up, Pan Xueyi took Shen Ke to visit the entire laboratory, and while introducing the division of labor in each experimental area, she told Shen Ke about the difficulties encountered in the current experiment.

"In fact, our study, after a double-blind trial and phase III clinical trial, has been considered a success in the generalized vaccine rollout process.

Now, as long as a normal person is injected with our MERS vaccine, they can produce high-titer antibodies.

After vaccination according to high, medium and low doses and different programs of 0, 14, 0, 21, 0, 28, compared with two doses, the neutralizing antibody positive conversion rate reached 100%.

Safety and immunogenicity, immune cell activity, and antibody levels in the body are all rated as perfect. ”

Shen Ke has no research on virology, but he has read the textbooks of the university for four years, which also include virology and immunology, and he can still understand Pan Xueyi's words.

"According to this, even if your experiment is successful, the next step should be trial production and small-scale market launch, how can it suddenly be completely interrupted?" Shen Ke was puzzled.

Pan Xueyi smiled bitterly and said, "Because during our last phase of clinical trial, a volunteer suffered from a cold, and after being injected with our trial vaccine, an accident occurred. ”

"Had a serious adverse reaction?"

"No, he also produced antibodies in his body, it's just ...... The RNase of MERS-CoV in his body was transferred and parasitized on the 229E single strand along with the viral nucleoprotein. ”

"What?"

Shen Ke's face immediately changed.

If Shen Ke hadn't read those medical books, he might not understand them, but as long as he has read some medical students who have read some ordinary virology medical books, he knows what 229E is.

229E is a very common cold virus that is not very pathogenic and does not cause severe symptoms. But there is only one thing, 229E is very contagious.

MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), on the other hand, is highly pathogenic and has severe symptoms, but its transmission is limited, and the third and fourth generation viruses are rarely found, and there have been no cases of community transmission.

However, if the RNase and nucleoprotein of MERS-CoV are transferred to 229E, it is equivalent to combining the advantages of the two viruses, which have high pathogenicity, high severe disease rate, and high infectivity.

It's horrible.

It's like turning a restricted virus into an epidemic plague.

No wonder the whole experiment was terminated like this, and things were far worse than Dr. Yu and Yuan Zirui had described.

Don't talk about patience or impatience, whether to make money or not, even if Shen Ke, as an investor, discovers this sign, he will stop the research as soon as possible.

Now it seems that the abrupt interruption of this five-year study is completely reasonable, and it is far less tragic than what Dr. Yu and Yuan Zirui said.

It's just that the staff of this entire laboratory, years of hard work, are really about to come to naught.

"Isn't there a way for you to eliminate RNase targeting of MERS-CoV?" Shen Ke finally asked.

Nucleoprotein is the chain of viral genes, but RNase is a targeted replication tool with proofreading function, and RNase with exonuclease activity can make the virus complete accurate replication.

Once the RNase of the virus is inactivated, even if the nucleoprotein is still there, there is no spread.

Pan Xueyan shook her head helplessly: "The nuclear protein of MERS-CoV is a non-structural protein, and there are two subunits of S1 and S2 protease cleavage sites.

The S1 subunit contains two ends, C-domain and N-domain.

We haven't found the RBD for C-domain yet. ”

RBD is the receptor binding domain, and if this location cannot be localized, then RNA inactivation is impossible.

In this way, the experiment really fell into an endless loop.

"Okay, that's all it takes to get introduced, let's see if you can get any ideas, but time is running out.

After three days, someone from the Biotechnology Development Center will come over to evaluate our five-year research and do the final technical cleanup, which is also the deadline for the final dissolution of the entire laboratory. ”

Pan Xueyi left after speaking, obviously she didn't have any hope for Shen Ke, just out of politeness, she finished the introduction.

"MERS-CoV parasitizes 229E because it is a non-structural protein, cannot determine the receptor binding domain, and cannot be inactivated, resulting in the vaccine not being used in people with colds, otherwise it will cause a large outbreak. ”

Shen Ke thought carefully about Pan Xueyi's words, objectively speaking, this endless cycle already means the complete failure of this project.

But is there really no help? Now there is only one key point, and that is to find the receptor binding domain of MERS-CoV.

If found, the whole situation can be reversed.

"Doctor, I'd like to get some authorization. ”

Shen Ke checked the entire test procedure again and found Dr. Yu.

"Which authorizes, you say. Dr. Yu said.

"The right to view the genetic sequence of MERS-CoV, to view magnified images of the replication process of MERS-CoV translation proteins, to view the physical sign data generated by the vaccine virus to induce living bodies, and to use equipment related to in vitro serological tests. ”

"Will you do any of these?" Dr. Yu looked at Shen Ke in surprise.

Not to mention Dr. Yu, Yuan Zirui and others next to him all looked incredible.

That's right, Shen Ke proposed these four authorizations, which are the key points to determine the binding domain of the virus receptor.

But you must know that Yuan Zirui, an excellent talent, will only sequence the virus gene in four years of college.

Shen Ke wants four authorizations alone, even if Dr. Yu gives it, can he do it alone?

"Could it be that Dr. Yu really has a discerning eye and found a genius?"

Yuan Zirui and Pan Xueyi suddenly became excited in their hearts.

"I won't. ”

Unexpectedly, Shen Ke would answer these four words.

Yuan Zirui, Pan Xueyi and others were speechless to Shen Ke.

"But I can learn it. Shen Ke added.

He has read virology textbooks and knows how to determine the receptor binding domain, but the specific operation is not something that can be explained clearly in university textbooks, and of course he can't do it now.

But Shen Ke believed that he would soon.

"Well, anyway, now that all experiments are suspended, as long as the original data and lab equipment are not destroyed, the four authorizations are given to you.

Zirui, Xue Yi, you work with Bingyue, if you have any needs, just look for me. ”

Three days, the last fight, Dr. Yu didn't know if he should have hope for Shen Ke, but now there was no other way.

After Dr. Yu and the other researchers left, Shen Ke asked Yuan Zirui to recall the genetic sequence of MERS-CoV.