Chapter 8, Experiment on the Variants of Medicinal Herbs

The barrier environment laboratory of Dongda is located at the Experimental Animal Research Center, and this five-story yellow brick building stands adjacent to the experimental building

During the next two days, Gu Jun spent his time on campus. In addition to reuniting with friends, he focused on studying and reviewing in preparation for the retake exams, as it would be quite troublesome to be held back if he did not fail. Furthermore, he went to the laboratory building every day to take care of the cells and change the culture medium once.

The tumors in the untreated group B nude mice have increased from 0.3 cm to 0.6 cm, with no changes in body weight or mental state; whereas in the treated group A, the sizes of the tumors in both nude mice have remained unchanged at 0.5 cm over the course of two days

"Let's try a batch after raising them for two days," Gu Jun said with a shrug. "There's no way around it; time is running out. The system indicates that his condition will worsen in 30 days. If that's true, he might even have difficulty getting out of bed by then. He added, 'Senior brother, shall we go out for a meal tonight? It's on me.'

He first placed the cryopreservation tube in a water bath, using water at 37 °C for rapid thawing. Then, he replaced it with a centrifuge tube and centrifuged for five minutes. Next, he sat down at the laminar flow hood, briefly sterilizing the mouth of the centrifuge tube by heating it over an alcohol lamp. He discarded the waste liquid and used a pipette to add fresh culture medium, repeatedly mixing by aspiration and expulsion.

Gu Jun designated two tumor-bearing nude mice as Group A, one tumor-bearing nude mouse as Group B, and assigned two non-tumor-bearing nude mice to Groups C and D respectively. He also purchased 10 healthy nude mice from the animal center, assigning 5 to Group E and 5 to Group F. Groups A, C, and E will all receive the same daily dosage of "Yiweng Medicine" (the name he created); whereas Groups B, D, and F will not receive any medication and will serve solely as control groups.

The old Chinese medicine practitioner you mentioned... Zhang Lin still had a face full of Conan's vigilance, "Are you really not a fraud?"

Zhang Lin was responsible for assisting nearby. Theoretically, these cells could also form tumors when injected into a human body. Now, seeing how enthusiastically the wealthy and handsome Jun is treating the nude mice, he is certain that this young man is not intending to commit murder

... ...

They are all alive. A subcutaneous tumor, approximately the size of a yellow bean, has developed on the right side of the buttocks of individual 1, measuring 0.5 cm in diameter. Individuals 3 and 4 also exhibit noticeable protrusions, with diameters of 0.3 cm and 0.5 cm, respectively. However, individuals 2 and 5 show no signs of tumor formation.

However, Gu Jun also understands that the adverse reactions of the Yiweng medicine cannot be completely ruled out; this only proves that it has no side effects in the short term. Moreover, this is ultimately an animal experiment, which differs to some extent from clinical trials in humans.

"Dear friends, let us all survive," Gu Jun murmured, pressing his aching head. His condition was clearly worsening, "I beg you."

Before entering, they and all the items they brought must undergo a strict ultraviolet sterilization disinfection. The two individuals, fully equipped in specially designed full-body protective suits, masks, gloves, and shoe covers, then stepped into the nude mouse room

It seems that the variant medicine does not exhibit significant acute toxicity. Gu Jun Song let out a sigh, stating that chronic toxicity still needs to be observed further

Gu Jun went to the school's experimental animal center, which is actually a large breeding facility located several hundred meters outside the campus. It is quite isolated, possibly due to the various animal odors that permeate the area

He bought five naked mole rats, each costing over 100 yuan, which is quite expensive. Fortunately, he still has 20,000 yuan in savings, but it won't last long.

On the fourth day, the fifth day... In the blink of an eye, a week has passed

Cough, cough. These nude mice are only the size of two or three fingers when they are put together, and they are hairless. They are kept in a sterile box, and once they come into contact with an environment that contains bacteria, they can easily become infected and fall ill. Therefore, the daily care and experimental processes must be conducted in a barrier environment.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Jun resolutely threw a capsule of the foreign medicine into his mouth and swallowed it down with a sip of mineral water

"No need for that," Zhang Lin waved his hand, "I still have to go feed the mice their medicine tonight, and I will treat you."

Finally, Zhang Lin injected the cell suspension into the culture dish, added an appropriate amount of culture medium, and then placed it in the cell incubator at 37 °C with 5% CO2

Soon, at the front laboratory bench, Gu Jun marked five nude mice using the puncture method, and then administered subcutaneous injections of tumor cells to the right side of their hindquarters, one by one.

It must be said that the results obtained from this experiment are exceedingly satisfying

Gu Jun and Zhang Lin met in the lobby on the first floor of the research center and reserved one hour of usage for a small nude mouse room. This room, measuring only 21 square meters, is divided into an anteroom and a rear room, with the anteroom containing experimental tables and instruments, while the rear room serves as the breeding area

He had never conducted toxicity tests on the variant drug until this moment. If it were to die suddenly, perhaps this experiment would lose its significance. ... And now, he stared for five minutes, then for 10 minutes ...

Quickly, Gu Jun held a prepared gavage needle in one hand and firmly grasped a healthy nude mouse in the other hand, beginning the gavage administration for the first mouse

At this moment, Gu Jun's heart was beating a bit fast, his eyes fixed intently on the nude mouse in his hand

Moreover, everything appears to be normal with the other treated mice, which also suggests that the experimental drug seems to have no adverse reactions and does not significantly harm bodily functions

On the second and third days, Gu Jun continued to come to the nude mouse room every day to be busy

"Just wait, it needs to be cultured for at least two days." Zhang Lin removed his mask and adjusted his glasses, "I suggest you culture it for a week; that way, the tumor formation rate will be guaranteed."

At this moment, six cages have been prepared on the experimental table, and the nude mice are chirping, creating quite a lively atmosphere

Gu Jun was fiddling with 25 capsules of the anomalous drug. Since the system's instructions stated that one box could extend life by 5 days and contained 5 capsules, it should be one capsule per day. This is the dosage for adult humans, while the average weight of these nude mice is less than 20 grams. If they were to take one capsule per day, they would likely perish immediately.

Thank you very much, Senior Brother. Gu Jun gave a thumbs up to Senior Brother Zhang, acknowledging that it would not have gone so smoothly without his help

On the morning of the third day, Zhang Lin personally came to check and said that the cells had grown sufficiently. He assisted in the subculture and preparation of the cell suspension

"Chirp, chirp, chirp." This naked mole rat struggled slightly, but this poor creature was still administered the injection, contributing to the field of medicine

Only when the money is needed do we regret having too little. Gu Jun now truly feels a bit regretful for having donated the money so early... People are still alive, but the money is gone

Gu Jun has been observing attentively from the side, asking Senior Brother Zhang for clarification whenever he has questions, and has learned a great deal.

He poured out all the powder from a capsule to weigh the dosage, then calculated the dosage for the nude mice based on his own body weight, prepared a solution, and then diluted it proportionally

Perhaps, this time there is really hope? he thought, although the unease still lingered in his heart, a new hope simultaneously ignited.

On the seventh day, Gu Jun once again entered the nude mouse room wearing sterile equipment, observing each of the nude mice one by one

This week, he only completed three ordinary tasks, as those that required healing and saving lives could not be undertaken. Although the hospital is right next door, he is not yet a doctor. The tasks he completed were all related to medical practice, and he already has 5 boxes of tablets in hand, while his proficiency in handling them has reached the first level (3000 / 5000)

That afternoon, after Gu Jun wrote his suicide note, he arrived at the waiting area of the emergency department of the East University Affiliated Hospital and sat down on a rare empty spot on a long bench. The surroundings were filled with a sea of patients and their families, mostly consisting of crying children and comforting parents, while nurses hurried back and forth and caregivers pushed rescue beds.

All five nude mice have been injected, and Gu Jun placed them into the breeding cage, then observed whether they could develop tumors

"Come on," he said with a calm expression, glancing at the emergency sign on the wall over there. "If there are any toxic reactions, let them all come."

Zhang Lin took the canister out of the liquid nitrogen tank, then retrieved a cryopreservation tube from the canister, and carefully placed the canister back, as it still contained many other cryopreservation tubes of cells. After sealing the lock cover of the liquid nitrogen tank, Zhang Lin began a series of patient and meticulous operations

Gu Jun knew what this might imply, that the Yiweng medicine truly has therapeutic effects! These capsules can significantly inhibit tumor growth

... ...

In a bustling environment, the emergency department's announcement system continuously calls out numbers: "Number 182, Chen Ziyang. Number 183, Wang Yuxuan. Number 184, Huang Zixuan ... ... "

The efficacy of the alternative medicine is superior to that of the top-tier small molecule targeted cancer drugs currently available on the market

The tumors in Group B nude mice have grown to 1.5 cm, with the large tumors forming a stark contrast to their emaciated bodies. They have begun to lose weight and their condition has deteriorated. In contrast, the two nude mice in Group A continue to maintain stable health, and all the treated nude mice are doing well, showing no significant difference from the blank control group of nude mice

He then continued with the administration of the drug to the next nude mouse. After ten minutes, having completed the administration for the other 7 nude mice in the three treatment groups, he observed them for another hour. None exhibited any abnormal reactions; they were still active, vocal, and able to drink water and eat feed

At this point, he can confirm that out of five nude mice, three have developed tumors

In the following week, Gu Jun continued his previous routine, but he added a daily visit to the nude mouse room to check on the cages of the nude mice. Their care was managed uniformly by the staff of the nude mouse room, with each mouse incurring a daily cost of 3 yuan for food and accommodation

Operations such as the control of centrifuge speed and the aspiration and dispensing control of pipettes require precision; any negligence in these resuscitation procedures can significantly impact cell viability and proliferation rate

Both tumor-bearing nude mice, non-tumor-bearing nude mice, and healthy nude mice each have one group receiving medication and one group not receiving medication

Half an hour has passed, and this nude mouse still shows no signs of any abnormalities

... ...

However, this experimental result is already worth the risk he is taking