Chapter 1002
The Special Cure for Alzheimer's Disease, Li Xiu's Worries
After the establishment of Galaxy Agriculture, some of its businesses and units were transferred to Galaxy Agriculture.
For example, the research and development centers for super rice and super soybeans have officially come under the jurisdiction of Galaxy Agriculture.
The relevant R&D team also moved out of the original R&D center. After all, the project was nearing maturity and was about to be implemented, so there was no need to keep it in the R&D center.
According to Wang Donglai's vision, the R&D center would only focus on developing technologies, while the actual implementation would be handled by the relevant business companies.
This is both for decentralization and for improving efficiency.
In the office area of Galaxy Agriculture, a crop gene research center has been set up specifically for crops such as super rice and super soybeans.
Although it's called a research center, it's really just preparing for subsequent seed breeding and planting.
However, this moment is still very important.
From the outside, it was an inconspicuous six-story gray-white building, square and without any eye-catching corporate logo.
There is only a small stainless steel plaque at the entrance, with the words "Galaxy Agriculture Crop Gene Research Center" engraved on it. The font is so small that you have to get close to see it.
However, the security level here is extremely high, with double access control, independent power supply system, physical data isolation, and 24-hour surveillance without blind spots. All personnel entering the laboratory must go through three security checks, and even the soles of their shoes must undergo double treatment with dust mats and disinfection pools.
The security team is composed of elite personnel drawn from Galaxy Security, and each member has signed the highest level of confidentiality agreement.
As May arrives, some of the super rice planted in advance has matured and been harvested.
Currently, the research and development center is preparing to extract and experiment with special components.
Wang Donglai would naturally not miss such an important moment.
Baili Xiu has barely left the lab for the past few days.
A very faint smell of reagents permeated the corridor. It was the smell that seeped out from the sealed door of the constant temperature incubation room. It was not pungent, but it was very unique, like the soil after the rain mixed with freshly harvested grass, with a faint sweet and fishy smell.
This is not a dangerous substance, but rather a special, pleasant aroma secreted by this super rice, which is harmless to the human body.
The ventilation system was running quietly, displaying temperature and humidity data, as well as air cleanliness indicators, on electronic screens on both sides of the corridor in real time.
Behind each sealed door, a group of researchers in full cleanroom suits were working silently. Their movements were transmitted in real time to the monitoring center by high-definition cameras mounted overhead. The security supervisor sat in front of the monitoring console, staring intently at the sixteen split screens, closely monitoring everything.
In addition, "Nuwa" is also conducting background monitoring.
"Boss, this is truly amazing! We're about to shock the whole world!"
Baili Xiu's voice came from behind the protective mask, hoarse from staying up all night, but the excitement and agitation in his voice were impossible to suppress.
His eyes were red, and there was a piece of medical tape stuck to the corner of his eye that hadn't been completely removed. It was a mark left from wearing goggles for a long time. He looked like a taut bowstring, and his fingers were swiping rapidly on the tablet computer.
"The special component extracted from super rice, which we temporarily call SN-1 factor, has completed the fourth round of in vitro cell experiments and the third round of in vivo animal experiments. The first batch of mass-produced synthetic agent has also been produced, with a purity of 99.7%."
Baili Xiu pushed open the door to the core laboratory. Inside, hundreds of petri dishes were neatly stacked on a row of ultra-clean workbenches, each labeled with a number. The constant-temperature shaker emitted a low and regular hum.
"The animal experiment data has just been processed, and the results..."
He paused, as if searching for a precise word, but ultimately gave up on embellishment, shoved the tablet into Wang Donglai's hand, and said, "The result is not a surprise, but a subversion, a shock."
Wang Donglai stood in front of the laboratory monitoring station, but instead of looking at the tablet immediately, he first scanned the entire core experimental area.
On the clean bench, rows of cell samples in culture dishes are being automatically sampled, stained, and photographed by a robotic arm, with the data being fed into a giant electronic screen on the wall in real time.
The temperature curve of the constant temperature incubator is as stable as a straight line, with no error whatsoever.
A very faint bitter almond scent filled the air; it was a mixture of trace organic solvents, methanol, and acetonitrile, released during the operation of the high-performance liquid chromatograph. Even at a residual concentration of one part per million, it was still detectable by Wang Donglai's nose.
The mass spectrometer currently in operation is Thermo Fisher Scientific's top-of-the-line configuration, a triple quadrupole liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system, which is very expensive.
The monitor displayed a dense array of data curves scrolling slowly across the screen, each curve representing a set of behavioral test results from experimental animals.
Wang Donglai moved closer to the screen, his finger slowly tracing a light blue curve.
In a row of animal cages nearby, several groups of mice were undergoing a water maze behavioral test, a classic experimental paradigm for evaluating the spatial learning and memory abilities of rodents.
Since its invention by British neuroscientist Richard Morris in the 1980s, this experimental paradigm has been regarded by the global neuroscience community as a standard tool for Alzheimer's disease research.
The left side shows the control group, an aging model mouse, 18 months old, equivalent to the human age of 70.
Their fur is sparse and grayish-white, with obvious patches of hair loss on their backs. They move slowly, wandering aimlessly in the murky water of the water maze, repeatedly bumping into the walls, and it takes them a long time to find the escape platform hidden beneath the surface.
After finding it, the next round of testing was forgotten, and the cycle of hitting walls and going in circles continued.
The monitoring video playback showed that the average escape latency of the control group was much longer than that of normal young and middle-aged mice. Their spatial exploration strategy showed a typical "edge search" pattern. They would only circle along the pool wall and rarely actively swim to the central area.
On the right is the drug-treated group, which is the same aging model mouse, also eighteen months old. However, their performance after being administered the drug via gavage made everyone who watched the video gasp in shock.
In the same water maze and the same hidden platform, the average escape latency of the drug-treated group was significantly shortened, even lower than the baseline of normal young adult mice.
Their swimming path was simple and precise, almost a straight line to the platform. After each touch of the wall, they could quickly correct their course, unlike aging model mice. They were more like young mice that had just reached adulthood, and their fur was much thicker than that of the control group.
"This performance..."
Wang Donglai pointed to a frame in the video recording of the drug administration group where a white mouse accurately jumped onto the platform, his finger hovering in mid-air without falling.
"It's equivalent to reversing the cognitive function of an aging model mouse to the level of a young adult, or even better. Have you examined the pathological sections of the brain tissue?"
Baili Xiu didn't say anything, but directly pulled a pathology report out of the folder and pushed it in front of him.
The report was neatly bound, with the words "Galaxy Agriculture - Preclinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Research - SN-1 Factor - Number GA-SN1-BP-003 - Top Secret" printed on the cover, and a red "Internal Data - Do Not Distribute" stamp in the lower right corner.
He turned to the key page, his fingertips pressing against the edge of the report, trembling slightly.
It was a thick stack of immunohistochemically stained slides, each one a coronal section of the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus magnified four hundred times.
On the micrographs, blue hematoxylin staining outlined the contours of neuronal cell nuclei, while brown immunoperoxidase staining marked the deposited plaques of β-amyloid protein. With Wang Donglai's knowledge of biology, he could immediately discern the pathological significance of this set of slides: six columns side by side, including the normal control group, the model group, the low-dose drug group, the medium-dose drug group, the high-dose drug group, and the positive drug control group.
"The density of neurons in the hippocampus was nearly half higher in the treatment group than in the control group."
Baili Xiu tapped the first row of bars with her fingertip. The error bars on the bars were extremely short, indicating that the data within the group was highly consistent and not a random deviation.
“We used NeuN immunofluorescence labeling combined with stereotactic quantitative analysis, counting more than three thousand neurons in each group. The neuronal density in the CA1 region of the model group was only about 60% of that in the normal group, while the high-dose drug group recovered to almost 95% of that in the normal group.”
He turned to the next sheet and pointed to several dark brown plaque-like deposits under the microscope. Those were the core plaques of β-amyloid (Aβ), the most iconic pathological change in Alzheimer's disease, and also the number one target for which major global pharmaceutical companies have invested hundreds of billions of dollars and suffered countless setbacks over the past thirty years.
"β-amyloid deposition, a core pathological marker of Alzheimer's disease, was reduced by nearly 90% in the treatment group."
He emphasized and repeated, "Ninety percent, not twenty percent, not thirty percent, it's ninety percent. What is the Aβ clearance rate of the best monoclonal antibody drugs currently approved for marketing globally? The best is only a few tens of percent, and they come with serious side effects such as cerebral edema and microbleeds. The FDA requires them to have a black box warning when approving them. Our SN-1, at least in mouse models, has not shown any obvious toxic side effects."
His fingers continued scrolling down, and he excitedly explained, "The level of Tau protein hyperphosphorylation, another key pathological indicator and a major component of neurofibrillary tangles, has almost returned to the normal range. We used two monoclonal antibodies, AT8 and PHF-1, for double labeling, and the results were consistent. The PI3K/Akt pathway was significantly activated, and the phosphorylation level of GSK-3β was downregulated by about 60%. This is the direct molecular mechanism by which Tau protein hyperphosphorylation is inhibited. SN-1 activates a neuroprotective signaling pathway, turning that runaway phosphorylation switch back on track."
He flipped to the last set of data in the report, took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress all the shock into that last page.
"More importantly, the expression level of synaptophysin, a marker of neuronal synaptic plasticity, was upregulated by nearly two times. PSD-95 protein, the core scaffold protein of the postsynaptic compact area, was upregulated by about 1.7 times. This means that the SN-1 factor is not just clearing away existing pathological proteins, not just cleaning up trash, but actively promoting the formation of new synapses, allowing neurons to reconnect. Simply put, it is making the brain regrow."
His speech quickened, as if chasing the conclusions surging through his mind: "Currently, none of the Alzheimer's drugs on the market or under development worldwide can achieve this level. Aducanumab can't, Lecanemab can't, and Donanemab can't. At most, they slow down the rate of disease progression, giving patients a few more months of relief, but they come with the serious side effects of cerebral edema and microbleeds. But SN-1, at least in mouse models, directly reverses cognitive deficits. Reversal—in the field of neurodegenerative diseases, this word has only appeared in science fiction for the past twenty years."
The centrifuge next to the monitoring station emitted a faint humming sound, and the temperature cycling indicator light on the PCR amplification instrument flashed on and off.
The bitter almond smell of reagents in the air seemed to intensify, as if all the instruments were holding their breath, waiting for an answer.
"This significance..."
Baili Xiu looked at Wang Donglai, her voice suddenly dropping to a very low hue, as if she were saying something she dared not say aloud: "It is no less important than the Xuanwu Battery, no less important than room temperature superconducting technology. To put it more bluntly, it may even be more important than the two combined."
Wang Donglai was not surprised by this. He simply calmly turned back to the first page of the pathology report and read it through from beginning to end again.
The clearance rate of β-amyloid protein was close to 90%, Tau protein phosphorylation returned to normal levels, neuronal density increased by about half, and synaptic plasticity markers were upregulated by nearly two times.
Each number represents data from the animal testing phase, which is still separated from human clinical trials by three stages: Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III. However, these figures are sufficient to illustrate a conclusion.
This is not ordinary crop breeding and improvement, nor is it an agricultural upgrade that simply aims for "higher yield per acre and more protein."
This is a true crossover that straddles the line between super crop breeding and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, from food to medicine, from the table to the brain.
He put down the report, his expression calm, and asked in a composed tone, "What is the chemical structure of SN-1?"
Baili Xiu had already pulled over a whiteboard and was quickly drawing molecular structural formulas on it.
His pen moved extremely fast, as if it were running across the paper, with benzene rings, pyran rings, carbonyl groups, hydroxyl groups, and methoxy groups leaping off the page one after another.
After finishing the drawing, he stepped back and tapped the central skeleton of the structural formula with the cap of his pen: "A flavonoid derivative, the basic skeleton is dihydroflavonol, but at the C-3 and C-5' positions there is a special substituent that we have never seen in any natural product database. At the C-3 position is an isopentenyl side chain with a rare cyclopropane structure at the end; at the C-5' position is a methoxylated methyl group. This substitution pattern does not exist in any known natural flavonoid compounds."
He pressed the pen cap back on, his tone revealing undisguised amazement: "The molecular weight is not high, accurate to single digits after the decimal point. The logarithm of the lipid-water partition coefficient, logP, is within the optimal range. This value means that it will neither fail to cross the blood-brain barrier due to poor lipid solubility, nor will it remain in adipose tissue and cause cumulative toxicity due to excessive lipid solubility. We have measured its efficiency in crossing the blood-brain barrier using an in vitro BBB model, and the apparent permeability coefficient is ridiculously high, at least an order of magnitude stronger than all currently under development small-molecule anti-AD drugs."
Then, Baili Xiu added, "The content in natural seeds is extremely low, at a level of a few parts per million, specifically 3.7 parts per million. But our process team uses enzymatic enrichment and supercritical fluid extraction to bring the yield up from 3.7 parts per million to the threshold of industrial production."
"Currently, the extraction yield at the laboratory level has steadily exceeded 85%, and pilot-scale amplification tests are underway. The purity of the first batch of production-grade reagents has reached 99.7%, a level sufficient to ensure that three batches of validation data can reliably pass GMP certification."
Wang Donglai sat in a swivel chair, slowly turning half a circle, his gaze falling on the rows of culture media emitting a faint glow in the culture room.
In those culture media, green callus tissue is silently dividing, proliferating, and differentiating. Each clump carries a precisely edited gene sequence, and each clump embodies new hope for humanity in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases.
They are as quiet as a group of sleeping children, yet they contain the power to revolutionize the entire industry.
"Baili, do you know?"
"The total amount of soybeans imported by the country each year is astronomical. Last year, the import volume exceeded 90 million tons, accounting for more than 60% of the global soybean trade, mainly from Brazil, the United States and Argentina."
"On a larger scale, the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land in China is stuck here. Staple grains must be protected, vegetables must be planted, and meat, eggs, butter, and vegetables also require feed. The arable land area is limited. Rice, wheat, and corn already account for the majority, and the planting area of soybeans and alfalfa is simply not enough, so we can only import them."
"Our super rice and super soybeans have seen an explosive increase in yield per mu, and with the amount of arable land in the country, we can fully supply the needs of domestic development."
"Imagine if our staple food self-sufficiency rate remained consistently above 95% or even close to 100%, and our dependence on imported soybeans plummeted. What would that mean for feed prices? What would it mean for the cost structure of the pig farming industry? What would it mean for the price of that plate of braised pork on the tables of 1.4 billion people?"
"The resulting chain reaction will also relieve the pressure on planting alfalfa and other forage crops, and the feed cost of the entire livestock industry will be re-anchored."
"Furthermore, there is an increase in per capita protein intake, enhanced international competitiveness of the livestock industry, and an explosion in vegetable oil pressing capacity. These may seem insignificant, but when combined, they lead to an overall explosion in the nation's fortunes."
“In the past, some agricultural economists have repeatedly argued in their papers that the reason we couldn’t get past this hurdle was not because the policies were insufficient, but because the seeds were not good. Now we have solved this problem.”
Wang Donglai spoke calmly, but the meaning behind his words was extremely profound.
Baili Xiu is not an ignorant person. Although he is still young, he has seen so much at Galaxy Technology in the past few years and has already become very experienced.
Baili Xiu was initially proud and honored by this, but after calming down a bit, he thought about very practical issues.
That's the global chain reaction caused by the exposure of such an important seed and genetic breeding technology.
Putting aside other factors, if this rice and soybean were promoted domestically, it would reduce the import of soybeans from overseas.
At the same time, the supply of staple food in China will be better guaranteed.
Not to mention that the emergence of this special ingredient can treat Alzheimer's disease. The appearance of such a groundbreaking medical product will also cause a shock in the global medical field.
A closer look reveals that Galaxy Technology has presented a number of absolutely leading pharmaceutical products, including Evergreen Liquid, Beauty Water, contact lenses, and Cholagogue and Liver-Soothing Tablets.
Now, with the launch of this drug that can treat Alzheimer's disease, the outside world will undoubtedly have even greater confidence in Galaxy Technology's research and development capabilities in biomedicine.
Galaxy Semiconductor has already undergone restructuring, and Baili Xiu doesn't want such a thing to happen to Galaxy Bio or Galaxy Agriculture.
However, Baili Xiu felt that such a thing was very likely to happen! (End of Chapter)