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.
โLetโs go. Iโm so mad that I canโt wait one more second.โ
As Young-Joon was about to drag Park Joo-Hyuk out, Kang Hyuk-Soo stepped in front of him. โDoctor Ryu, if you go to Sunyoo Hospital right now, will she get the treatment?โ
โI donโt know,โ Young-Joon replied firmly. โOnly the experimental hospital has the right to select participants. It is not something I can do. I sympathize with your situation, but it doesnโt do anything.โ
โThen...โ
โI will support the doctorโs 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 itโs too difficult for you to take care of her in the meantime, please tell me. I will assist you financially.โ
โ...โ
โBut please remember that I do not have the right to interfere with the selection process of clinical trial participants,โ Young-Joon said as he glanced at Shin Young-Yeon.
โLetโs go, Joo-Hyuk.โ
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-Hyukโs car, Young-Joon, who was sitting in the passengerโs seat with his arms crossed, was lost in thought with a serious face.
โWhy are you so angry? Who got in the trial instead of that elderly woman?โ Park Joo-Hyuk asked.
โCongressman Shim Sung-Yeol took out that woman and put in his mother.โ
โHm.โ
Leaning his head on the window, Park Joo-Hyuk stared at Young-Joon.
โIs that something to be this mad about? I think itโs the angriest youโve been since you started working at A-Gen.โ
โOf course!โ
โBecause a politician interfered?โ
โNo. If that's what I was mad about, I would have made us go to Shim Sung-Yeolโs office rather than Sunyoo Hospital.โ
โThen why are you so mad?โ
โThe bastards at Sunyoo Hospital messed with my research.โ
Young-Joon grit his teeth.
โShim Sung-Yeol could have requested that to the hospital to help his mother because he doesnโt know anything about experiments and research. I understand that. Itโs wrong, but I can at least understand it, right? But the hospital shouldnโt have accepted that.โ
โ...โ
โA clinical trial isnโt treatment. I donโt know how high peopleโs 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.โ
Young-Joon emphasized what he was saying.
โThis 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.โ
โPatients are just trying to get into your clinical trials because youโre such a famous star. They trust you that much and are trying to get better...โ
โThatโs wrong, too! Iโm thankful that they have that much faith in me, but in principle, they should not be doing that. Itโs not like fame guarantees success. Do they think that Iโll be right this time too because all the experiments Iโve done in the past were right? We canโt do that since this is a clinical study with peopleโs lives on the line. Research should be done according to data, not the name value of the participant.โ
โOkay, man. Why are you getting mad at me?โ
โAnd 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 donโt fit the criteria and conduct it after randomly selecting the participants from the remaining people. That is controlling the variables in a study. Itโs the basics!โ
โOkay, I get why you are so mad. Can you calm...โ
โAfter 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, itโs data manipulation.โ
โData manipulation?โ
Park Joo-Hyukโs eyes widened at an unexpectedly impactful word.
โOf 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?โ
Thud!
Young-Joon slammed his fist on the window out of frustration.
โBut an outside force interferes with my research and puts pressure on participant selection? And the hospital changes patients according to that for reasons that arenโt part of the criteria? Itโs an experiment that works with peopleโs lives; they shouldnโt be conducting it however they want, right? If something happens, I canโt even track down the cause! What were they thinking? These bastards...โ
โWoah... Relax, man.โ
โItโs 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.โ
โ... Itโs that bad?โ
โOf course! Itโs data manipulation. Itโs a fake paper! And to be honest, Iโm 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? Itโs a clinical trial of a project where Iโm the general manager, but the staff under me are lobbying and switching out patients, and politicians are switching patients by putting pressure on them... Itโs a fucking mess.โ
โ...โ
โI trusted them because they were a large hospital and experts, and I didnโt 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?โ
โI think you should also manage the clinical trial yourself.โ
โI was considering opening a hospital when the company gets bigger, but I think I have to hurry. I donโt think I can trust any investigation institution easily.โ
โBut in my opinion, I donโt think Shim Sung-Yeol acted in worry for her mother or because he wanted her to get better.โ
โThen?โ
โItโs because he can get close to you if it succeeds. The election is right around the corner,โ Park Joo-Hyuk said. โI know that people are confusing your clinical trial and actual treatment, but honestly, not me. I donโt know if itโs because Iโve known you ever since you were a little kid, but I donโt trust you that much, okay?โ
โWait, this is kind of hurtful too.โ
โBut 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 itโs 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.โ
โHm...โ
โBut the reason he went out of his way to make another spot and include himself in phase one? Because heโs in the Ryu Young-Joon fantasy? Nope. In my opinion, his goal in the first place wasnโt his motherโs health, but a connection with you,โ Park Joo-Hyuk said.
โThe 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 Alzheimerโs for the first time ever and befriend you.โ
โ...โ
โHeโll give you some gifts as a clinical trial patientโs 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.โ
Park Joo-Hyuk went on.
โAfter 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. Itโs a cliche repertoire, isnโt it?โ
โI donโt 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.โ
โWhy donโt you cooperate a little bit? Heโs a candidate after all. Do you hate politics?โ
โItโs not that I hate politicians, but I never cooperate with people who donโt keep principles. Heโs already done to me from the things heโs shown me before.โ
โYou also put pressure on politicians too, right? When you caught Ji Kwang-Man.โ
โAll I did was ask them to investigate it thoroughly according to the law. It wasnโt even a request. A victim who was attacked canโt 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-Manโs name. If he was innocent, he wouldnโt have been caught. I did put pressure on them, but it was to do everything lawfully. Isnโt that different from this?โ
โYouโre right. To be honest, I donโt think thereโs a problem with that either.โ
โThen why are you picking a fight with me?โ
โI just want to tease you when you're mad. You know when you want to mess with kids who are upset? Itโs similar to that.โ
โAre you a psychopath?โ Young-Joon cringed.
Park Joo-Hyuk saw the side of his face and chuckled.
โItโs been a while since youโve been this angry. It reminds me of old times... Were you like this when you cursed at the lab director?โ
โIt was worse. My hands were trembling back then.โ
โYou had a tremor, right?โ
โStop talking nonsense and focus on driving.โ
* * *
Young-Joon, who pushed the Sunyoo Hospital main doors open, headed straight to the Neuropsychiatry Department. The nurses at the administration counter recognized him.
โHello.โ
A nurse quickly approached him and greeted him.
โIโm here to see Professor Koh In-Guk. Heโs the primary doctor, right? Where is he?โ Young-Joon asked.
โHe should be in the office.โ
โWhen will he be done?โ
โHe is done soon because of the clinical trial preparations. In about...โ
The nurse glanced at the clock.
โTen minutes?โ
โAlright. Please let me know when he comes out.โ
Young-Joon went to the waiting room and sat down quietly.
โYou looked like you were going to barge in through his office door,โ Park Joo-Hyuk said with a smirk.
โI donโt have the right to interfere with the patientโs rights to be treated, so...โ
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.
โHello.โ Koh In-Guk smiled and greeted him. novelbuddy.co(m)
โHello. Letโs cut straight to the chase since we donโt have much time. Can we go somewhere quieter?โ Young-Joon asked.
Koh In-Guk got a little nervous as he saw that Young-Joonโs expression and tone was serious.
โNurse Kim, do we have any seminar rooms available?โ
โRoom two-one-one would be empty. The lecture room where the immunity seminar was held.:
โIโm just going to use that for a bit,โ Koh In-Guk said. โLetโs go, Doctor Ryu.โ
Young-Joon followed Koh In-Guk and Park Joo-Hyuk to the small conference room.
โYou came here regarding the clinical study?โ Koh In-Guk asked as he sat down in the chair.
โYes. I heard that the patients were changed.โ
Koh In-Guk flinched slightly at Young-Joonโs response. He pretended like he didnโt know anything.
โThe patients were switched?โ
โYouโre the doctor in charge, and you donโt know? Thatโs a problem as well.โ
โ... A woman named Shin Mal-Ja came in instead of someone named Park Joo-Nam. Thatโs what youโre talking about, right?โ
โWhatโs the criteria?โ
Koh In-Guk gulped.
โThat is... We didnโt think she was fit because she had high blood pressure.โ
โIs that all?โ
โ... Yes.โ
โIf 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?โ
โ...โ
โIt is because eighty percent of Alzheimerโs patients are obese. And a lot of them have high blood pressure as well.โ
โThat is... true...โ
โWe 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 Alzheimerโs patients. That was why we purposely tested obese mice. We have blood pressure data as well. But why arenโt you using it?โ
โ...โ
โThe treatment I developed is to send small stem cells to the brain. The stem cells are less than eight micrometers in diameter. Itโs 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, isnโt it?โ
โ...โ
โDo you think that a patientโs internal carotid artery will get smaller than eight micrometers even if a patientโs artery constricts due to high blood pressure? Iโm curious about your opinion as a doctor.โ
โAs I told you, we just wanted to get a safer starting point just in case anything happens...โ
Young-Joon stared straight into Koh In-Gukโs eyes.
โSo there is no scientific reason.โ
โ... Yes.โ
โDo you know why I am asking you this aggressively?โ Young-Joon asked.
โPardon?โ
โThe patient who was put in the place of Park Joo-Nam. It was Shim Sung-Yeolโs mother, right? I heard that he put pressure on you.โ
Koh In-Guk froze.
โPlease 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-Yeolโs 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?โ
โ...โ
โHow could you allow external pressure in the selection process and...โ
โIโm sorry.โ
Koh In-Guk bowed.
โI am truly sorry. I will be honest. I couldnโt bear it because it was weighing on my conscience, but I canโt do it anymore. I will just resign. This was what the hospital director ordered me to do.โ
โThe hospital director?โ
โYes, Iโm sorry. I will make it right now. Iโm so ashamed.โ
โ... Then, itโs not something that can just be settled with you, Professor,โ Young-Joon said. โI think I need to meet the hospital director.โ