Chapter 147: The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (2)

Young-Joon arrived in Korea.

[Ryu Young-Joon returning to Korea after developing cultured meat.]

Photos of him entering the airport terminal appeared in various articles. He was a little worried, but fortunately, the trouble had mostly died down. Young-Joons prediction that Korea would follow if the United States calmed down was correct. The plan to transform traditional livestock into cultured meat that he discussed and created with the White House, the USDA, and Mckinney was based on the United States, but it was created with other countries in mind as well. Campbell shared the plan with other governments, including Korea.

Its funny seeing how peoples attitudes change, Park Joo-Hyuk said to Young-Joon, who had arrived at A-Bio.

What attitude change?

Public opinion. When you announced cultured meat, people were all up in arms, making a fuss about how you were a traitor to your own people and whatnot.

It looked that way, even in the United States.

They were fighting with your fan club, environmentalists and vegetarians who were in favor of cultured meat. It was pretty big.

Did you get complaints?

You think it was just complaints? They swarmed here to protest and stuff. A-Bio people suffered.

It must have been hard.

Yeah. But that public opinion completely disappeared after red mold showed up and the live legislative hearing was broadcasted.

Thats good.

And there are two farms that switched to cultured meat in Korea, too. Now that theyve done it successfully, public opinion is praising it again. Talking about how this is the way to prepare for the future and whether it would be Korea, which imports food from the United States, or the United States that is going to go down if a food crisis happens.

Young-Joon nodded.

Countries that import food, like Korea, would be on the verge of starvation. But if a food crisis like that came, it wont matter whether they are a food exporter or importer.

Because there will be a war?

Yeah.

People would have bowed to A-Bio and eaten cultured meat if we developed this technology after the food crisis. Its a bit unfair because were being berated for making it early and pushing for it.

Ah, whatever. Young-Joon leaned back in his office chair.

Other than that, did anything else happen while I was gone? Young-Joon asked.

Young-Joon could ask this because Park Joo-Hyuk was his friend. There were other supervisors in the research team, management team, or finance team that he could ask as the CEO. However, Park Joo-Hyuk was his partner and a friend that he could rely on; he could be the most logical and give Young-Joon the advice he needed without being afraid of stepping on someones toes.

Well, I dont think there are any problems, Park Joo-Hyuk said. But Young-Joon, do you want to go on a blind date?

Do what?

Young-Joon squinted like he didnt believe Park Joo-Hyuk.

A blind date. If I were to make a line with the people who want to meet you through me, it would reach A-Gen.

Phew, no. I dont want to. I dont have the time, and Im not interested in dating.

Thats weird. I feel like you werent this uninterested in girls.

Park Joo-Hyuk crossed his arms and tilted his head in puzzlement.

Do you secretly have a kid or something?

Are you crazy? Young-Joon was startled.

If you dont, you dont. What are you getting so worked up for?

...

Rosaline, who was beside Young-Joon, giggled.

Are you already seeing someone? Is it that Doctor Song?

No. Im not interested in seeing anyone, so stop, Young-Joon said firmly.

Park Joo-Hyuk stared at Young-Joon in thought.

What? Young-Joon asked.

I usually dont tell you to date someone because I pity the girl who would date you.

This bastard

But honestly, Im worried for you. You look like youre addicted to work. Youre going to burn out if you keep doing that.

...

I had burnout syndrome when I was studying to be a lawyer, so I know what it feels like. Its a medical condition registered by the World Health Organization. I was worried about you because the entire world was criticizing you when you were doing cultured meat. And honestly, you have too much stress.

Im fine. And youre single, too. You shouldnt be worried about me.

I can get a girl whenever I want to because Im good-looking, Park Joo-Hyuk said.

Ha.

People can look like dogs or like cats, right? All your past girlfriends have looked like puppies, right?

Really?

I know someone that looks exactly like a puppy. Shes a model.

Whatever. You date her.

I dont like puppy faces. Puppy faces are drawn to puppy faces.

Then what are you? Young-Joon asked.

Park Joo-Hyuk gave him a sexy look.

A sculpture.

A broken one?

Knock knock.

As they were exchanging stupid jokes, Yoo Song-Mi, Young-Joons secretary, knocked.

Sir.

Yes, come in.

Click.

Yoo Song-Mi poked her head in and said, You have a meeting at the A-Bio Next-Generation Hospital. You have to leave now.

* * *

Jung Soon-Rae, an elderly woman, bought A-Gens life insurance. She did it because her son and his wife forced her to, but she didnt think it was a waste of money. It was because A-Gen sent her a diagnostic kit every month. It was included in the premium.

One day, a bright dot appeared in the kit.

What does this mean? Jung Soon-Rae asked her grandson anxiously.

You can diagnose yourself.

Her grandson connected the diagnostic to his phone and turned on the remote diagnostic service.

[Melanoma]

A few nearby hospitals showed up on the screen, and A-Bio Next-Generation Hospital was one of them. Jung Soon-Rae went straight to the hospital.

The diagnostic kit said melanoma? Have you had any age spots show up on your skin recently?

Here.

She showed him the dark spot on her shoulder.

Melanoma was one of the cancers that A-Gen and A-Bio had yet to conquer. The odds werent in their favor with existing treatments. However, this was the A-Bio Next Generation Hospital. This hospital was becoming increasingly different from other hospitals as Young-Joons research was getting faster and being commercialized here.

Well harvest some skin cells. We need it for simultaneous precision diagnosis, said the doctor.

He harvested the cells from the epithelial tissue from where the melanoma was and sent them to the stem cell technicians at the Next Generation Hospital.

Epithelial skin tissue from patient sample 48847

The technicians dedifferentiated the somatic cells into stem cells. And at the same time, they sent the entire genome extracted from the cells to the Diagnostic Device Department at Lab One.

[Requesting whole genome (WG) analysis for patient sample 48847]

The results were transferred to the A-Bios server cloud a few days later.

Genetic analysis data of patient sample 48847.

The data was fully analyzed.

34 melanoma-specific mutations were found. Of these, clinical cases of mutations that were resistant to treatment are the following.

[KN44 T790M mutation: report of celostin resistance in a 44-year-old male patient,

Nature

.]

[ART K24L mutation: report of telinib resistance in an 85-year-old female patient,

NEJM.

]

...

This information was more valuable than gold to a doctor. Back in the day, hospitals would just try a bunch of drugs and change them if they didnt work to find the right one for the patient. But in just two days, A-Gen could analyze existing clinical cases and the patients genotype to pick the most promising treatments. However, this is a theoretical value; they needed empirical data.

The skin tissue is ready.

The Stem Cell Research Team sent a report. The organoid wasnt ready yet; the Life Creation Department hadnt gotten to that stage. However, A-Bio had succeeded in regenerating some skin epithelial tissue from stem cells before.

Celostin and telinib are very likely to be resistant, so please test those two if you have time. In the meantime, lets prioritize clutinib, alimap, keraptin, osimerzumap, and bevatinib.

The Stem Cell Research Team, which had received the doctors email, began dropping the treatments onto the skin tissue they grew. Among them, osimerzumap showed especially strong effects. The doctor, who received the results, gave her a prescription.

Its called osimerzumap. I will give you a weeks worth, so come back after you finish them.

Because Jung Soon-Rae had A-Gen Life, all the costs were covered by them, including whole genome analysis and the stem cell-based treatment testing. It seemed like A-Gen would lose money because it was so expensive, but to everyones surprise, A-Gen Life was making a huge profit. It was because the price of the testing had gone down.

The two hundred gene analysis machines at A-Gen were running twenty-four hours a day, producing massive amounts of data. Technologies like iPSC and skin tissue differentiation were well-established and could be tested quickly and easily. And the most crucial point was that drugs were cheap.

One weeks worth of treatment is eighteen thousand won, the pharmacist said to Jung Soon-Rae who went down to the pharmacy with her prescription.

The Plant-based Pharmaceuticals Research Department had worked on a total of seventeen drugs so far, and osimerzumap was one of them. Plus, it was a perfect match for Jung Soon-Rae.

In just two months, Jung Soon-Raes melanoma was almost gone. If it was a few years ago, she would have spent tens of millions of won to try a bunch of drugs. She would have lost her hair, gotten sick, and gotten worse overall. She could have been in danger if she used celostin or telinib.

Diseases that other hospitals cant cure can be cured here. And they can do it cheaply, quickly, and with minimal side effects.

After her treatment, Jung Soon-Rae became a walking advertisement for A-gen Life. Whenever the elderly people in the neighborhood gathered, she talked about the Next-Generation Hospital and A-Gen Lifes insurance.

Its a relief to hear that its going well, Young-Joon said when he heard how the hospital was going.

Several donors who were running public welfare foundations and doctors were present at the hospital board meeting.

I dont want to interfere with running the hospital, but the reason I called for a board meeting is because of the A-Bio Cancer Lab, Young-Joon said. I would like the new anti-cancer technologies that will be created there to be adopted right here. Technologies that can completely conquer cancer in the future. It would be best to write a technology supply agreement as soon as possible.

* * *

Young-Joon, who came out of the meeting after writing the contract, looked around the hospital. It had gotten bigger, and it now had thirty-two medical specialties. There were about a thousand beds and more than one hundred attending doctors.

Was there a psychiatry department here? Young-Joon asked as he walked down the hall. He asked because he saw the Department of Psychiatry down the hall.

It was built a few months ago when Professor Shin Jung-Ju transferred here from Yeonyee University Hospital, said the young intern doctor who was seeing Young-Joon off.

I see.

Oh! Suddenly, Rosaline popped out of his body as if she had seen something.

What?

Young-Joon stopped in his tracks and stared at Rosaline. She began running toward the lobby where the front desk of the psychiatry department was located.

Come here.

Young-Joon, who followed her, was surprised.

Doctor Ryu? Song Ji-Hyun said with wide eyes.

Beside her was a big man who was shaking his leg with his head down. He raised his head and stared at Young-Joon.

Young-Joon recognized him.

[Synchronisation Mode: Would you like to gain insight into schizophrenia? Fitness consumption rate: 0.2/second.]

A message window popped up. He also recognized this message as well. This man was in the hospital lobby when Young-Joon went to see a psychiatrist to see if he was going crazy after getting Rosaline. He had barely stopped this man, who was extremely tense, anxious, and panicked at the time, from jumping out the hospital window.

And this is?

... Hes my brother, Song Ji-Hyun said.