Surgery Godfather-Chapter 625 - 568: Cell Bank

At six in the morning, at noon, and at six in the evening.

The forum’s chat room is very active during these times.

It’s also at these times that Song Zimo uploads the latest batch of spinal correction case data to the forum for everyone to study and research.

John Ansen founded the forum, but Song Zimo is the administrator.

All the case data from the first phase of clinical trials have been sorted and uploaded to the forum.

On Saturday, Yang Ping will host a live lecture on the forum.

He will connect online to answer members’ questions about new technologies and comprehensively explain the theory and practical operations of new technologies.

Since Xiao Su hasn’t come down yet and there’s nothing else to do for the moment, Yang Ping decides to do a round of ward inspections on his own.

Cui Shukai’s father is singing by the window when a nurse knocks on the door to tell him to stop singing as there have already been several complaints.

Old Cui had previously been complained about for singing in the garden and on the rooftop, not because he was being a nuisance, but because his singing was terribly out of tune, like a broken gong.

He’s happy and he can’t help it!

Since this is his only hobby and he isn’t allowed to sing, he won’t sing.

Upon seeing Yang Ping conducting ward rounds, Cui Xubing immediately instructs his son to walk a few rounds.

After the removal of the spinal brace, the focus is on whether the newly formed bone has collapsed in the area where it was cut due to insufficient strength. These are all factors to consider. When removing the brace, the new bone’s strength needs to be fully evaluated.

Therefore, Cui Shukai has not experienced any collapse so far.

"Professor Yang, a few days ago, I read an article online that said spinal braces are harmful. I wanted to thrash the person who wrote it. Strangely enough, today, I found multiple apology articles online saying that they had misunderstood spinal braces. Several big names even came forward to explain that spinal braces are a new, safe, and effective technology for correcting spinal curvature. Recently, my phone has been ringing non-stop with inquiries about the surgery." Old Cui spoke candidly.

Yang Ping knows that the giant companies now have no choice but to deal with the mess they’ve created.

This incident has essentially served as free advertising for Ruixing and the spinal brace.

The advertising cost was quite high, but at least it was sponsored by big companies.

Starting from yesterday, Sanbo Hospital’s phone lines are jammed with inquiries from patients seeking spinal curvature correction.

"The clinical trial quota has long been filled. You’ll have to wait until the product is officially launched."

Yang Ping informs Old Cui.

Old Cui is filled with a sense of superiority. He was fortunate to have secured such a good opportunity. If he had to queue now, who knows how long he would have to wait.

The process to fully implement a product in clinical use is a long one.

This is typically because the promotion of medical technology is relatively cautious. It has to be very mature before it can be widely promoted.

After completing a round of ward inspections, Yang Ping thinks of Sisi.

He has been working on the topic of stem cells lately and currently lacks a stem cell bank. If the bank could be a child, specifically a child with a tumour, that would be ideal.

This way, he could extract both pluripotent stem cells and tumour cells.

Perhaps, this could be an opportunity to save Sisi.

As he seeks to understand the patterns of stem cell differentiation, he could also observe the characteristics of the tumour cells in Sisi’s body.

Sisi’s ward room is the last one. She only stays in the hospital when she needs to be re-examined. Normally, she doesn’t stay in the hospital, instead living in a rented house near the hospital.

The external brace on her thigh has also been removed, and her femur successfully lengthened. However, due to the large areas of muscle removed during her tumour removal surgery, her entire hip and thigh have lost their ability to move. Her affected limbs have no movement capabilities and she relies on crutches and a wheelchair.

Since it’s time for her to come in for a check-up, Sisi has been admitted to the hospital for a few days.

"Sisi, do you want to go for a walk with your brother?"

Yang Ping enters the room.

Sisi is practicing walking with crutches.

The little girl’s face is as radiant as a flower: "Sure."

Yang Ping pushes Sisi in her wheelchair. Her mother is tidying up the sheets of the discharged patient to send them to the logistics team for washing.

"Mum, I’m going out to play with big brother." Sisi greets her mother.

"Don’t stay out too long, we don’t want to waste your brother’s time."

Seeing her daughter happy makes her happy as a mother.

Yang Ping pushes Sisi out of the first floor lobby’s main door. The security guard salutes and greets Yang Ping.

In the hall, some patients stand against the wall, looking at the doctor profiles displayed on it.

Some patients are sitting in the waiting area, waiting for their number to be called.

The distribution of the buildings in Sanbo Hospital is well planned, creating a sense of depth.

The hospital’s grounds are quite vast, especially the greenery which is very well-maintained.

"Do you have something to tell me?" The little girl is quick-witted.

Yang Ping pushes her slowly along the small path in the woods. The golden fragments of the setting sun are sprinkling through the leaves, making the world seem peaceful. "You’re pretty smart," Yang Ping compliments her.

"Have you found more cancer cells in the follow-up exam?" Sisi asks calmly, not seeming worried at all.

Yang Ping shakes his head: "I’ve told you before, you need to learn to coexist with them. That’s not the area I’m trying to focus on right now."

"Have you finished reading the book I sent you recently?" Yang Ping asks.

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?"

Sisi has already finished reading the book.

"That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. I plan to capture cells from you, normal cells or tumour cells, and then culture them in a lab. I want them to divide independently, like HeLa cells."

"Normal human cells have telomeres—a small segment of DNA-protein complex at the end of chromosomes. With each cell division, a piece of the telomere is lost. Hence, after about 50 divisions, the cell can no longer divide. This is known as the Hayflick limit."

"But your tumour cells are different, they are very special. I’ve seen your tumour cells, they are like HeLa cells and possess a kind of telomerase that can endlessly add the lost segments back to the telomeres after division. This allows them to proliferate indefinitely without division limits and achieve a form of cellular immortality, exactly what I need."

"If I am not mistaken, these cells, when provided with sufficient nutrients, can grow madly. Their numbers could double in 24 hours. They are not limited by the number of divisions, or the equipment. When normal cells can only cover a thin layer on the wall of a test tube, these cells can heap up in the culture medium. I can research many things with these cells, including your treatment."

"I want to use you as a cell bank. But extracting cells can sometimes be painful. Sometimes, I would have to draw bone marrow to find stem cells, or stick a needle into your tumour to draw tumour cells, or even take cells from your normal tissues. Are you afraid?"

Yang Ping believes it’s better to discuss this directly with the child first, and then talk to her parents.

If he wants to save her, this is the only way, maybe he can crack the code of tumour cells, just maybe.

"I’m not afraid!"

Sisi turns her head, looking at Yang Ping with a determined gaze.

"So, does this mean that I will be taking part in your experiment?"

"Of course! You’re now my good partner."

"That’s great. I’ve read this book. Even though Henrietta Lacks passed away, her cells remained alive, saving countless people."

"No, you won’t die. Trust me, I can race against time."