Super Genius DNA-Chapter 49: A-Bio (4)
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Chapter 49: A-Bio (4)
Young-Joon was like a volcano that was about to erupt. Baffled, Park Joo-Hyuk grabbed his wrist.
βLetβs go. Iβm so mad that I canβt wait one more second.β
As Young-Joon was about to drag Park Joo-Hyuk out, Kang Hyuk-Soo stepped in front of him. βDoctor Ryu, if you go to Sunyoo Hospital right now, will she get the treatment?β
βI donβt know,β Young-Joon replied firmly. βOnly the experimental hospital has the right to select participants. It is not something I can do. I sympathize with your situation, but it doesnβt do anything.β
βThen...β
βI will support the doctorβs judgment that her high blood pressure will be a problem if it is appropriate. You will have to wait for phase two of the clinical trial since the range of participants will expand then. If itβs too difficult for you to take care of her in the meantime, please tell me. I will assist you financially.β
β...β
βBut please remember that I do not have the right to interfere with the selection process of clinical trial participants,β Young-Joon said as he glanced at Shin Young-Yeon.
βLetβs go, Joo-Hyuk.β
Leaving the elderly man and Shin Young-Yeon who both looked disappointed, they left the building.
On the way to the hospital in Park Joo-Hyukβs car, Young-Joon, who was sitting in the passengerβs seat with his arms crossed, was lost in thought with a serious face.
βWhy are you so angry? Who got in the trial instead of that elderly woman?β Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
βCongressman Shim Sung-Yeol took out that woman and put in his mother.β
βHm.β
Leaning his head on the window, Park Joo-Hyuk stared at Young-Joon.
βIs that something to be this mad about? I think itβs the angriest youβve been since you started working at A-Gen.β
βOf course!β
βBecause a politician interfered?β
βNo. If that's what I was mad about, I would have made us go to Shim Sung-Yeolβs office rather than Sunyoo Hospital.β
βThen why are you so mad?β
βThe bastards at Sunyoo Hospital messed with my research.β
Young-Joon grit his teeth.
βShim Sung-Yeol could have requested that to the hospital to help his mother because he doesnβt know anything about experiments and research. I understand that. Itβs wrong, but I can at least understand it, right? But the hospital shouldnβt have accepted that.β
β...β
βA clinical trial isnβt treatment. I donβt know how high peopleβs expectations of me are and why everyone is dying to be included in my clinical trial, but a clinical trial is not the same thing as treatment in any way.β
Young-Joon emphasized what he was saying.
βThis is research and an experiment! A-Bio commissioned a clinical experiment to the hospital, and that hospital is an institution that conducts the experiment for A-Bio.β
βPatients are just trying to get into your clinical trials because youβre such a famous star. They trust you that much and are trying to get better...β
βThatβs wrong, too! Iβm thankful that they have that much faith in me, but in principle, they should not be doing that. Itβs not like fame guarantees success. Do they think that Iβll be right this time too because all the experiments Iβve done in the past were right? We canβt do that since this is a clinical study with peopleβs lives on the line. Research should be done according to data, not the name value of the participant.β
βOkay, man. Why are you getting mad at me?β
βAnd everything about a clinical trial must be controlled as strictly as possible, starting from the participant selection process! We have to exclude volunteering patients who donβt fit the criteria and conduct it after randomly selecting the participants from the remaining people. That is controlling the variables in a study. Itβs the basics!β
βOkay, I get why you are so mad. Can you calm...β
βAfter excluding patients who do not meet the criteria, the will of the investigator should never be involved in the selection process of the remaining patients. They have to be drawn completely randomly, like rolling a dice. There are places overseas that use a computer to randomly pick. If this principle is broken, itβs data manipulation.β
βData manipulation?β
Park Joo-Hyukβs eyes widened at an unexpectedly impactful word.
βOf course! How can the data be reliable when the sample is subjectively selected? If I allow this, the research will become a mess right away. There are so many scammer pharmaceutical companies that choose patients with light symptoms or ones that they think they could treat and advertise their success in clinical trials to sell their drugs! If I pick the participants, how am I any different?β
Thud!
Young-Joon slammed his fist on the window out of frustration.
βBut an outside force interferes with my research and puts pressure on participant selection? And the hospital changes patients according to that for reasons that arenβt part of the criteria? Itβs an experiment that works with peopleβs lives; they shouldnβt be conducting it however they want, right? If something happens, I canβt even track down the cause! What were they thinking? These bastards...β
βWoah... Relax, man.β
βItβs not something to relax about! This is something that institutions in developed countries that are really strict about research ethics could kick everyone related to the study kicked out for.β
β... Itβs that bad?β
βOf course! Itβs data manipulation. Itβs a fake paper! And to be honest, Iβm suspicious of Shin Young-Yeon-ssi from the Stem Cells Department bringing that elderly woman. It would be nice if she didn't have any relationship with them, but what if she got something from the elderly man and lobbied the hospital? Itβs a clinical trial of a project where Iβm the general manager, but the staff under me are lobbying and switching out patients, and politicians are switching patients by putting pressure on them... Itβs a fucking mess.β
β...β
βI trusted them because they were a large hospital and experts, and I didnβt think it would be right for me to supervise and tell them what to do when I requested it to the clinical trial investigation institution. I just received reports and waited. I even went to the hospital after the patient was fully cured during the glaucoma trial. But they stab me in the back right from the selection process?β
βI think you should also manage the clinical trial yourself.β
βI was considering opening a hospital when the company gets bigger, but I think I have to hurry. I donβt think I can trust any investigation institution easily.β
βBut in my opinion, I donβt think Shim Sung-Yeol acted in worry for her mother or because he wanted her to get better.β
βThen?β
βItβs because he can get close to you if it succeeds. The election is right around the corner,β Park Joo-Hyuk said. βI know that people are confusing your clinical trial and actual treatment, but honestly, not me. I donβt know if itβs because Iβve known you ever since you were a little kid, but I donβt trust you that much, okay?β
βWait, this is kind of hurtful too.β
βBut to put my mother in phase one of a clinical trial Ryu Young-Joon is running? I could never do that. I would just wait until phase two, and itβs not like dementia is an immediately life-threatening disease. Since a politician like Shim Sung-Yeol would have a lot of money, he could just get her a caregiver, and she would last until phase two.β
βHm...β
βBut the reason he went out of his way to make another spot and include himself in phase one? Because heβs in the Ryu Young-Joon fantasy? Nope. In my opinion, his goal in the first place wasnβt his motherβs health, but a connection with you,β Park Joo-Hyuk said.
βThe news that it was the first successful treatment in phase one and the news that it works well for many patients in phase two have different impacts. He is just trying to take a picture with you in the huge spotlight when you succeed in treating Alzheimerβs for the first time ever and befriend you.β
β...β
βHeβll give you some gifts as a clinical trial patientβs son, call all the patients together for a meal and gain sympathy by asking you if there were any difficulties in the study, that he was so touched by seeing his mother get better, and that he is indebted to you and wants to support you.β
Park Joo-Hyuk went on.
βAfter he makes you an ally by cajoling you, actually supporting you, and creating a win-win relationship, he will ask you to support in his election campaign in turn for a spot in the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Ministry of Science and Technology. Itβs a cliche repertoire, isnβt it?β
βI donβt care if that is true or not. Even if it is true, tell him to keep going with that disgusting scheme and delusion that uses his own mother. I will never follow along.β
βWhy donβt you cooperate a little bit? Heβs a candidate after all. Do you hate politics?β
βItβs not that I hate politicians, but I never cooperate with people who donβt keep principles. Heβs already done to me from the things heβs shown me before.β
βYou also put pressure on politicians too, right? When you caught Ji Kwang-Man.β
βAll I did was ask them to investigate it thoroughly according to the law. It wasnβt even a request. A victim who was attacked canβt even ask them to thoroughly investigate the people who attacked him? I only asked them to do it according to the law, and I never said Ji Kwang-Manβs name. If he was innocent, he wouldnβt have been caught. I did put pressure on them, but it was to do everything lawfully. Isnβt that different from this?β
βYouβre right. To be honest, I donβt think thereβs a problem with that either.β
βThen why are you picking a fight with me?β
βI just want to tease you when you're mad. You know when you want to mess with kids who are upset? Itβs similar to that.β
βAre you a psychopath?β Young-Joon cringed.
Park Joo-Hyuk saw the side of his face and chuckled.
βItβs been a while since youβve been this angry. It reminds me of old times... Were you like this when you cursed at the lab director?β
βIt was worse. My hands were trembling back then.β
βYou had a tremor, right?β
βStop talking nonsense and focus on driving.β
* * *
Young-Joon, who pushed the Sunyoo Hospital main doors open, headed straight to the Neuropsychiatry Department. The nurses at the administration counter recognized him.
βHello.β
A nurse quickly approached him and greeted him.
βIβm here to see Professor Koh In-Guk. Heβs the primary doctor, right? Where is he?β Young-Joon asked.
βHe should be in the office.β
βWhen will he be done?β
βHe is done soon because of the clinical trial preparations. In about...β
The nurse glanced at the clock.
βTen minutes?β
βAlright. Please let me know when he comes out.β
Young-Joon went to the waiting room and sat down quietly.
βYou looked like you were going to barge in through his office door,β Park Joo-Hyuk said with a smirk.
βI donβt have the right to interfere with the patientβs rights to be treated, so...β
A little while later, Koh In-Guk came out of his office. After the nurse approached him and talked to him for a bit as she gestured to Young-Joon, he came over.
βHello.β Koh In-Guk smiled and greeted him. novelbuddy.co(m)
βHello. Letβs cut straight to the chase since we donβt have much time. Can we go somewhere quieter?β Young-Joon asked.
Koh In-Guk got a little nervous as he saw that Young-Joonβs expression and tone was serious.
βNurse Kim, do we have any seminar rooms available?β
βRoom two-one-one would be empty. The lecture room where the immunity seminar was held.:
βIβm just going to use that for a bit,β Koh In-Guk said. βLetβs go, Doctor Ryu.β
Young-Joon followed Koh In-Guk and Park Joo-Hyuk to the small conference room.
βYou came here regarding the clinical study?β Koh In-Guk asked as he sat down in the chair.
βYes. I heard that the patients were changed.β
Koh In-Guk flinched slightly at Young-Joonβs response. He pretended like he didnβt know anything.
βThe patients were switched?β
βYouβre the doctor in charge, and you donβt know? Thatβs a problem as well.β
β... A woman named Shin Mal-Ja came in instead of someone named Park Joo-Nam. Thatβs what youβre talking about, right?β
βWhatβs the criteria?β
Koh In-Guk gulped.
βThat is... We didnβt think she was fit because she had high blood pressure.β
βIs that all?β
β... Yes.β
βIf you look at the pre-clinical data we provided, there is data on obese mice as well. And obese mice have pretty high blood pressure. You know why we tested that, right?β
β...β
βIt is because eighty percent of Alzheimerβs patients are obese. And a lot of them have high blood pressure as well.β
βThat is... true...β
βWe could get a safe starting point if we only included patients with no cardiovascular diseases, but it would only be effective for twenty percent of Alzheimerβs patients. That was why we purposely tested obese mice. We have blood pressure data as well. But why arenβt you using it?β
β...β
βThe treatment I developed is to send small stem cells to the brain. The stem cells are less than eight micrometers in diameter. Itβs smaller than the diameters of capillaries. And the stem cells, which will be administered through the veins in the arm, will move through the internal carotid artery to reach the brain. Right? The diameter of the cerebral carotid artery is usually measured in millimeters, isnβt it?β
β...β
βDo you think that a patientβs internal carotid artery will get smaller than eight micrometers even if a patientβs artery constricts due to high blood pressure? Iβm curious about your opinion as a doctor.β
βAs I told you, we just wanted to get a safer starting point just in case anything happens...β
Young-Joon stared straight into Koh In-Gukβs eyes.
βSo there is no scientific reason.β
β... Yes.β
βDo you know why I am asking you this aggressively?β Young-Joon asked.
βPardon?β
βThe patient who was put in the place of Park Joo-Nam. It was Shim Sung-Yeolβs mother, right? I heard that he put pressure on you.β
Koh In-Guk froze.
βPlease be honest. There were only eight participants approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and you already had eight people. So, in order to fulfill Shim Sung-Yeolβs request, you had to take someone out, and the person chosen was a patient with high blood pressure, whom you would have an excuse for. Is that right?β
β...β
βHow could you allow external pressure in the selection process and...β
βIβm sorry.β
Koh In-Guk bowed.
βI am truly sorry. I will be honest. I couldnβt bear it because it was weighing on my conscience, but I canβt do it anymore. I will just resign. This was what the hospital director ordered me to do.β
βThe hospital director?β
βYes, Iβm sorry. I will make it right now. Iβm so ashamed.β
β... Then, itβs not something that can just be settled with you, Professor,β Young-Joon said. βI think I need to meet the hospital director.β