Chapter 776 The Key in the Nematode Cell

In fact, according to Professor Liu's status, there is no need to "lick" Lu Zhou.

Being able to have your own laboratory and do your own projects is better than working for others.

However, nothing can escape the word Zhenxiang.

Lu Zhou only used one sentence, and asked him to pack up and come here without saying a word...

"...I can't help you in this session, but in the next session, that is, two years later, I guarantee that you will be an academician, and there will be no major problems."

For Professor Liu, who has no contacts outside the small circle of cryobiology, this promise is enough...

Jinling Institute for Advanced Study.

A laboratory located in the farthest corner of the Institute of Biochemistry.

Some of the equipment here was ordered by Lu Zhou through his acquaintances from Germany and the Netherlands, and some of the equipment was simply moved or borrowed from the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences of the PLA General Hospital.

Although it is not correct to do so from a procedural point of view, everything can be worked around. Especially after this research group put up the brand of the key project of the Lunar Orbit Construction Committee, no leader would reject this kind of achievements in vain.

As long as you sign your name, you will be considered as supporting a national key project, which is really no different from Bai Jian.

Standing in the laboratory, Lu Zhou stared at the samples in the glassware in the refrigerated incubator for a while, and asked.

"This is?"

Professor Liu Zuobing: "A sample of ancient nematode cells! The research team of St. Petersburg University collected it from the tundra of the Alazeya River. Because I have a good relationship with the professor there, I bought it from them for a little money. .”

Lu Zhou asked casually.

"How much?"

"It's not expensive, just one hundred thousand dollars."

Just $100,000...

It's not cheap to buy such a few samples.

If Lu Zhou remembers correctly, this thing is not an endangered species, it is mainly found in the feces of ancient creatures. As long as the migration routes of ancient organisms are identified on the tundra, or places like ancient river beds, poking a shovel of soil may bring up a bunch of samples.

If you spend one hundred thousand dollars on this thing, you may even cover all the expenses for other people's scientific research activities.

As if he understood Lu Zhou's sympathetic gaze, Professor Liu Zuobing coughed lightly and explained.

"One hundred thousand dollars is not expensive! As the saying goes, rare things are more expensive. According to the carbon isotope detection, it is about 40,000 years ago. We want to get this kind of thing ourselves. It may only be found on the plateau, and we may not be able to find it like this." complete……"

Lu Zhou: "Let's get to the point, I don't know much about paleontology."

Professor Liu Zuobing nodded, put on a serious expression and continued.

"This is probably the earliest living biological sample that we can get at present. After obtaining the sample containing frozen nematodes from the research team of St. Collected and cultivated, we discovered a very miraculous phenomenon.”

One step ahead of Lu Zhou, Professor Zhang Jiafu, who was listening carefully, couldn't help asking.

"What phenomenon?"

Professor Liu Zuobing said in a serious tone: "Among the 173 petri dishes, nematode cells were observed to recover in 2 of them and resume normal life activities!"

Hearing these words, the expression on Professor Zhang Jiafu's face suddenly brightened.

"Are you sure you haven't mixed in pollutants? There is no problem with the samples given to you by St. Petersburg University?"

Professor Liu Zuobing continued in an affirmative tone: "I can be sure, because my students were present on the investigation team to the permafrost."

"It's me," Song Siyuan, who was standing next to Professor Liu Zuobing, raised his hand, and after glancing at his instructor, he said nervously, "I took the samples myself, and the photos are all there."

Lu Zhou asked inexplicably, "...then why do you have to pay $100,000?"

I dug it myself, why should I pay for it?

Professor Liu Zuobing's expression instantly became a little embarrassed.

Fortunately, Professor Zhang Jiafu understood, coughed lightly and said, "It's like this to cooperate with Maozi. They live a relatively poor life, so it's normal to pick a little money...Can I have a look at the samples?"

Professor Liu Zuobing glanced at him gratefully and nodded.

"sure."

After taking a sample from the petri dish with a special liquid picker, Professor Liu Zuobing's assistant quickly made the sample into a slide specimen, and then put it on the microscope in the laboratory.

Seeing that the specimen was ready, Professor Zhang Jiafu couldn't wait to go forward and stood in front of the microscope to observe carefully.

I saw these precious tiny organisms floating in the agar filled with special nutrient solution, using Escherichia coli as food, wriggling slowly.

After observing like this for five or six minutes, he finally moved his face away from the microscope and said something with emotion.

"This discovery is incredible... St. Petersburg University just gave up the research results to you?"

"Of course not, the papers and so on are theirs, but I will not continue to cooperate with them in the follow-up research," Professor Liu Zuobing finally smiled, "For example, the retrieval of DNA fragments of nematodes... ...I guess they've been doing it, but haven't seen anything."

Upon hearing this sentence, Professor Zhang immediately cheered up and asked quickly.

"what have you found?"

"Through the study of the DNA of nematode samples, we found that the 18S-rDNA gene fragments may store factors that allow them to actively dormant in extreme cold environments!"

This time, not only Zhang Jiafu, but also Lu Zhou's face showed a somewhat surprised expression.

DNA Fragments Associated With Freezing Dormancy!

This discovery was incredible.

Lu Zhou immediately asked, "Have you published it in a journal?"

"Not yet," Professor Liu Zuobing shook his head, "This is only a phased result. We are sure that the Russians have not discovered this, so we have not published it."

Such manipulations are common in academia.

It's not that Lu Zhou himself has never done it before, so he nodded in understanding.

"I know the situation, now I want to hear your experimental ideas, can you tell me briefly?"

Professor Liu Zuobing nodded and said.

"The 18S-rDNA gene fragment may become the key to solving the freeze dormancy technology. At present, we have speculated on two possibilities. One is that this 18S-rDNA gene fragment synthesizes a special protein by transcribing RNA, so that cells can survive in extreme climate conditions. Suspend life activities and maintain the normal basic structure of the cell body!"

That sounds exciting.

However, there was no obvious excited expression on Lu Zhou's face. After thinking for a moment, he said: "But there are still many cells dying."

Professor Liu nodded and spoke.

"Yes, not every individual can survive, because what they encounter on the permafrost is not just severe cold...Of course, these are not the key points. The key point is that we now have two ideas."

Pausing for a moment, he walked to the whiteboard in the laboratory, drew two lines on it, and wrote next to one of them.

"One is to use the method of gene editing to insert potentially effective gene fragments into the gene fragments of living organisms after modification, so as to achieve dormancy in a frozen environment!"

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zhou asked, "What about another experimental idea?"

The marker in his hand clicked on the narration of another line, and Professor Liu Zuobing continued: "The other is to adopt a research idea similar to that of Professor Glaunster, and to completely immerse the human body in the protein substance containing this protein through drug induction. in the sustained release agent!"

Professor Zhang Jiafu: "Like formalin?"

Professor Liu Zuobing nodded: "You can say that, but it is definitely different from formalin..."

Standing next to the whiteboard, Lu Zhou stared at the two lines and thought for a long time.

After about five minutes, he spoke.

"It sounds crazy, but I feel like the latter could give it a go."

Professor Liu Zuobing nodded.

"I also think so. The method of genetic modification...whether it succeeds or not, the price is too high."

And most importantly, research involving the modification of human DNA is not allowed by morality and ethics.

And unlike the controversial cryo-sleep technology, there is no dispute that that thing is unethical, and whoever does it is anti-human...

This kind of extreme research, not to mention that he dare not go beyond it easily, even Professor Lu dare not let him try it.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

After getting permission, Lu Zhou's office assistant opened the door and walked in.

"Professor, someone is looking for you."

Find me?

Lu Zhou recalled it carefully, but he didn't remember who had an appointment to meet with today, so he asked.

"Who?"

The young female assistant spoke with a slightly subtle expression.

"The visitor claims to be Professor Angus Deaton from Princeton... Judging by his appearance, he seems to be in a hurry?"

Angus Deaton?

For this name, Lu Zhou has a little impression. He vaguely remembers that it is a student from the School of Economics.

Although Princeton does not have a business school, it does have an economics department, and its influence is not low. Especially theoretical economics, which ranks quite high in the United States, and even stands on the top1 position on many lists.

However, Lu Zhou had never studied economics before, so he didn't pay much attention to this aspect.

Therefore, he really couldn't think of any reason for this Professor Angus to visit him.

After thinking for a while, Lu Zhou said.

"I see, let him wait for me in the reception room for a while."

The female assistant nodded.

"Okay, Professor."

After that, she turned around and walked out of the corridor.