Chapter 79: A-Bio Cancer Laboratory (3)

A-Bio had never made a diagnostic kit before. For this product in particular, it was probably going to require a difficult level of work because the technology was pretty sophisticated.

“To be honest, it might take a long time to develop it. The idea to catch DNA with Cas9 is extremely creative and innovative, but we have a long way to go because there are a lot of problems to solve to make it into a kit,” Cheon Ji-Myung said.

Young-Joon nodded.

“That’s right. And the key point of this project is to use PMDS to make a lab-on-a-chip that is stable for a long period of time, so we will probably have to collaborate with A-Gen’s Mobile Diagnostic Device Research Department at Lab One,” Young-Joon said.

Lab-on-a-chip: it was given this name because it was a technology that could carry out experiments normally done in labs on a tiny chip that was the size of one’s palm. It was an object that integrated semiconductor technology, ultra-fine nano circuit manufacturing technology, and cutting-edge biochemical engineering technology based on biomaterials. Pregnancy tests were also considered lab-on-a-chip as it confirmed the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin through an antibody reaction. If they were going to make A-Bio’s all-in-one diagnostic kit into a product that could be bought at convenience stores, they would have to overcome the lab-on-the-chip.

The problem was that confirming the presence of DNA using Cas9 was a very basic main idea. It was similar to saying, “Let’s put an elevator in high buildings and go up and down easily.” Like how a lot of cutting-edge technologies of electrical engineering and physics was put into making that elevator, there were obviously lots of difficult obstacles in the process of applying Cas9 to lab-on-a-chip.

“How do they analyze DNA in blood at Illimena?” Young-Joon asked.

“They separate all the blood cells like red and white from the blood. They spin it in a centrifuge and only take the upper layer because that’s where DNA is,” Cheon Ji-Myung replied. “But there’s only a trace amount of cancer cells or dengue virus DNA in that. So they can’t use that as is, but they have to uniquely amplify their DNA.”

“If you’re amplifying them, you’re doing PCR (polymerase chain reaction), right?”

“Yes.”

To settle the cells in blood, a centrifuge was required, and to amplify DNA, a thermo-cycler that could carry out PCR was required. Both pieces of equipment were worth a few million won. If they made a diagnostic kit with Cas9, it needed to be done in a kit that was the size of one’s palm; it actually had to be a lab on a chip.

“And we also need to create a signaling system that allows us to visually confirm that Cas9 has responded,” Cheon Ji-Myung said.

“We have a lot of obstacles to overcome. But we will find a way eventually,” Young-Joon said.

* * *

David, the CEO of Conson & Colson, was in a meeting with the scientists from Illemina. The person who came to the negotiation table as the representative of Illemina was Jonathan, the CTO. In this industry, he was a person who was called “One of Them”. It was because he was one of the people who first invented the cutting-edge technology called next-generation sequencing.

The reason why this technology was amazing was because it drastically reduced the money and time required for DNA analysis. For example, before this technology was invented, the Human Genome Project was a gigantic project that took three trillion won and hundreds of scientists worked on for more than a decade. But with next-generation sequencing, it could be done in around ten days with tens of millions of won. Now, the technology was more advanced that it cost around a million won.

“Did you see the paper about Cas9 that Doctor Ryu published?” asked Jonathan abruptly while they were talking about business.

“Of course I read it,” David replied.

“Mr. CEO. We are focusing on the fact that Cas9 can find a specific sequence of DNA. We think that they will be able to easily track down mutants that occur in the body with that technology. If they apply that in diagnosis, I believe they can become the most threatening enemy to our business.”

“Do you think it will be that easy?”

“It will be difficult, but I don’t know what will happen with Doctor Ryu’s ingenuity. Everything you suggest is great, but I’m worried that Doctor Ryu will bring about a new trend with Cas9 in the diagnostics market.”

“I thought you didn’t look well, but that’s what you were worried about.”

“As you know, it is best to not start a big new business when there is a huge variable.”

“Hahaha,” David laughed. “Jonathan, don’t worry too much. No matter how amazing the Cas9 technology is, it will be impossible to use that to measure DNA in blood. Even if Doctor Ryu uses that in diagnosis, he won’t use it on blood. It will be far from the business we are trying to do.”

“Hm…”

“Even if the patient has end-stage cancer, there are only trace amounts of the cancer cell’s DNA in your blood. In the end, they can only confirm the presence by amplifying it. And doesn’t amplification mean that they must use a thermo-cycler? If they get there, the most precise technique is Illemina’s next-generation sequencing. Cas9 will not be used there.”

“I also think so as well, but…”

Jonathan pressed on his temples with his fingers and thought hard.

“Haha. It will all be fine, don’t worry. You are too afraid of Ryu Young-Joon’s ingenuity,” David said. “But that ingenuity will feed us. If we hold the diagnostics market in our hands, the treatment market will naturally have no choice but to depend on us.”

“...”

“I will tell Director James this as well, but I am thinking of a strategy to supply Illemina’s equipment to every hospital in America. When patients who visit the hospital pay about a hundred dollars to get their blood drawn and give it to the doctor, the doctor will start Illemina’s equipment to see if DNA of cancer cells are present in the patient’s blood. It will be a precise and fast diagnosis,” he said. “We will set a new trend in blood testing. It’s not just simple PCR like before, but we will be doing next-generation sequencing at the hospital about the target locations that show cancer mutations.”

“Alright.”

“Don’t worry about Doctor Ryu. There are more than a couple obstacles to overcome to use Cas9 for diagnosis. Now, shall we sign? I need a weapon if I’m going to convince James.”

David pushed the contract in front of Jonathan. Chewing on his lower lip, Jonathan stamped on the contract.

* * *

“There is a way to separate blood cells from the plasma,” Young-Joon replied.

“How?”

“Like how we can filter out impurities and just get water with a water filter, we can put in a filter. Blood cells will get caught because they are much bigger, and we will be able to collect plasma only.”

“Hm… But I can’t imagine doing that on a flat chip. Are you going to enclose the filter and syringe separately in the kit?”

“We’ll make a micro-circuit in the PDMS chip where the blood moves through. We can make a net from agarose on that pathway’s wall. Then, the blood cells will be trapped there, and plasma and DNA will flow through.”

“Woah,” Park Dong-Hyun exclaimed. “I didn’t know there was a solution like that. Wow, you are really good. Then what about DNA amplification?”

“Hm.” Young-Joon was lost in thought for a bit instead of answering.

He was stuck. He didn’t have an answer anymore.

‘Rosaline. You can use as much fitness as you want, so give me some advice.’

—I didn’t think you needed me anymore because you did everything well alone from capturing DNA with Cas9.

Rosaline said playfully.

‘Of course not. Please help me. It’s hard.’

[Synchronization Mode: See Isothermal DNA Amplification Reaction. Fitness consumption: 1.5]

‘Isothermal DNA Amplification Reaction?’

—You can use recombinant polymerase amplification. After isolating the DNA using a material that attaches to single-stranded DNA…

Young-Joon scoffed after seeing the fantasy and detailed mechanism Rosaline showed him.

‘Right. She finds answers that didn’t exist before.’

“There is a way,” Young-Joon said. “But I think I will have to do the first experiment to see if it works. It’s also difficult to explain it as well.”

“Alright.”

“We also have to look for a signal amplification device that can show us that Cas9 did cut the DNA…”

[You do not have enough fitness.]

Rosaline sent him a message.

—There is a way, but let’s recover your fitness first. There’s a limit to making neurons in your head right now.

“Let’s think about that next time. First, let’s test if it is possible up to here,” Young-Joon said.

“What should we prepare?” Bae Sun-Mi asked.

“We have to make an experimental prototype for the lab-on-a-chip with PDMS. Let’s all go to the Mobile Diagnostic Device Research Department at Lab One next week,” Young-Joon said.

“Hup! Diagnostic Device!”

Suddenly, Jung Hae-Rim’s head shot up.

“Why?”

“Oh… Um… I know, sir.”

She glanced at Young-Joon like she was trying to see if he was okay.

“Are you talking about Park So-Yeon?” Young-Joon said first since it seemed like it was difficult for her to say it.

“Yes… You might see her there, and… If we do collaborative research together, she might come to A-Bio or come into meetings…”

Park So-Yeon was a skilled Scientist who worked at A-Gen’s Mobile Diagnostic Device Research Department. She was also Young-Joon’s ex-girlfriend.

“I don’t care, so we can just move forward with it. It doesn’t matter to me if we are working together. You know me, right? I won’t incorporate any personal feelings, so let’s just work by meritocracy, alright?”

* * *

“What should we do now?” asked a man as he kept touching his curly hair. They were on the way out after a meal.

Park So-Yeon desperately wanted to ask to go home, but she kept it in. Her friend had tried hard to set her up. She said that he was a good person. To be honest, he wasn’t bad, but it was just that his bluffing was funny and he wasn't charming.

“Why don’t we go to a cafe?” Park So-Yeon asked.

“Maybe not coffee. I have a nice sky lounge that I know. Do you want to go there in my car?”

As if he was waiting for it, he pulled out a smart key from his pocket. A shiny Audi rang.

“It’s only been two weeks since I bought it. Ms. So-Yeon, you’re the first woman I’m taking in my car.”

The man put on a confident expression. This man, who said he worked at SG Group, constantly bragged about his money and job, even while eating. He would have loved it if Park So-Yeon asked how much the watch he was constantly touching was.

“I like walking after I eat. I’ll take the car next time.”

Park So-Yeon started walking with the man slowly.

“You seem to have a very calm personality, Ms. So-Yeon,” the man said.

“I do?”

“Kind of like an ice queen? You’re that type, right? You don’t talk much, don’t have much of a reaction.”

“...”

“You shouldn’t be like that. Men like girls who have a big reaction to things.”

What kind of crap was this?

‘Do you think I came here to make you feel good and react to what you say?’

Park So-Yeon wanted to spit it all out, but she didn’t.

“What kind of things do you like?” the man asked.

“I like perfume.”

“Oh! Which one? I know a bit about perfume. I mostly use Jo Malone or Chanel. Which do you usually use?”

“I just use one that I like. I don’t care about the brand.”

“What kind of scent?”

“One that smells like rain.”

“Oh, you like the smell of rain. It’s nice. The scent of rain is different depending on the kind of perfume. Did you know that? Ones like Alaska Raindrop from Jo Malone are made with melted Alaskan snow water, so it has a colder and fresher scent. The scent of rain is different in different regions. Depending on the origin…”

“Water molecules don’t have a scent. Rainwater doesn't have a scent as well,” Park So-Yeon said.

The man who was confident was sort of flustered.

“Oh, really?”

“The smell of rain is actually the smell of a substance called geosmin emitted by bacteria living in the ground traveling through rainwater and flowing into the humid atmosphere. The smell of rain is actually just the smell of bacteria.”

“...”

After finishing her explanation, Park So-Yeon chuckled. It was because she thought of Young-Joon. He was the one who told her about the smell of rain. On the first date before actually dating him, Young-Joon had explained to Park So-Yeon with a straight face that he had read a paper like that. Now that she thought of it, it was pretty funny. Depending on the situation, wasn’t it something that could be a little rude or insensitive? Breaking the romance of the first date by explaining to a woman who liked the smell of rain that it wasn't actually rain but bacteria.

‘I thought that was cool back then.’

Young-Joon’s charm was his innocent curiosity and passion for science. He wasn’t interested in cars, watches, or showing off his money, and he liked reading papers more than meeting girls. It seemed like everyone was focused on his ingenuity right now, as he was very famous, but his real charm was his humanness behind all that.

‘I was crazy, wasn’t I?’

She shouldn’t have left Young-Joon when he fought with the lab director. She should have stood by him when he was having a hard time. This was the biggest mistake in her entire life. It wasn’t because Young-Joon was successful now, but it was because it wasn’t common to see someone so innocent and upright in character. She felt this so much every time she was set up with another person. If she didn’t make a mistake back then, maybe she would be happily experimenting beside him.

“Phew…” Park So-Yeon suddenly let out a deep sigh. Surprised, the man was now walking on eggshells.

“Um, well… I don’t know if the smell of rain is bacteria or something because I’m in the arts, but Jo Malone’s perfume smells good. I just wanted to tell you that. Would you like one?”

“You don’t have to,” Park So-Yeon replied. “And I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I should be on blind dates.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t think I’m over my ex-boyfriend yet. I’m really sorry. I came out here not ready to meet someone else.”