Chapter 231 Targeting Cell Surface Antigens
Qingshan Pharmaceutical, drug research and development center.
Just as Lao Xia's family was selling their house to raise money to prepare for Xia Xue's second bone marrow stem cell transplant, Qingshan Pharmaceutical Drug Research and Development Center was also making the final sprint for the "acute myeloid leukemia" drug project!
After more than three months of high-intensity, heavy investment, and large-scale sprint, the progress of the project to treat "acute myeloid leukemia" has indeed made some breakthroughs.
but.
Dr. Zhou, Wei Tian and others still underestimated the difficulty of developing a treatment for "acute myeloid leukemia".
Although almost all the R&D elites of Qingshan Pharmaceutical have been summoned in the past three months, they have indeed increased the drug killing rate from 60% to 70%!
but!
A new problem has arisen!
This targeted drug, code-named "BXB01", developed complex drug toxicity after improving its killing rate against leukemia cancer cells!
To be precise, while it can kill more leukemia cells, it also begins to have the same killing effect on normal white blood cells, red blood cells and even hematopoietic stem cells!
This effect is somewhat similar to chemotherapy drugs.
But this is obviously not the result that Dr. Zhou, Wei Tian and Zhang Yang want.
At this point, we have to briefly talk about the current thinking of the pharmaceutical community on the research and development of target drugs.
First of all, the most mainstream method at present is to find the proliferation target of cancer cells and then inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells.
For example, in chronic myelogenous leukemia, cancer cells need to continuously obtain a substance called "tyrosine kinase" in order to continue to proliferate.
This is the proliferative target of chronic myelogenous leukemia!
The reason why "Gleevec" can control and treat chronic myelogenous leukemia for a long time is that the drug component inhibits the production of "tyrosine kinase" in cells, thereby blocking the transmission of cancer cell proliferation signals.
When the proliferation signal is blocked, a large number of leukemia cancer cells stop proliferating. The number of leukemia cancer cells in the patient's body is naturally well controlled, and the condition is also under control.
Of course,
Although this method is mainstream, it also has an unsolvable problem.
"Gleevec" can inhibit the production of "tyrosine kinase" in cells, but it cannot completely stop the production of "tyrosine kinase" 100%.
This will result in some cancer cells in the body still slipping through the net, and they will still receive "tyrosine kinase" to continue to proliferate.
At the same time,
For leukemia patients, especially in hematopoietic tissues such as bone marrow, there are still a small number of leukemia stem cells that are dormant or insensitive to drugs.
These stem cells can survive drug treatment and start to proliferate again at the right time, causing the disease to relapse.
And most importantly,
It is these cells that continue to proliferate that may develop drug resistance or even cause genetic mutations!
Therefore, this is why chronic myelogenous leukemia and even all cancers cannot be cured and must take long-term medication.
Therefore, this is also the reason why about 30% of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia will develop drug resistance after taking Gleevec for five years and have to choose bone marrow transplantation!
Therefore, this is why surgical removal is always the best treatment for early-stage cancer!
Because everything is done once and for all, only physical resection can truly cure it completely.
Compared with inhibiting amino acid kinases and inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, the pharmaceutical industry has another way to develop targeted drugs - targeting cell surface antigens.
The principle of this method is relatively simple and crude.
Simply put,
After canceration, the surface of cancer cells will express some antigens that are different from normal cells. These antigens can be used as targets for targeted therapy.
Pharmaceutical companies generally first find ways to find the different antigenic characteristics between cancer cells and normal cells, so as to identify normal cells and cancer cells, and then carry out precise attacks on cancer cells.
It sounds simple, but!
As we all know, cancer cells are actually malignant cells formed by mutations in normal cells.
Leukemia cancer cells, for example, are essentially the result of mutations in hematopoietic stem cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells.
So,
There is actually very little difference between cancer cells and normal cells. It is extremely difficult to find the unique antigenic properties and markers of cancer cells!
This time, the drug code-named "BXB01" developed by Dr. Zhou led the first project team is exactly this kind of difficult "targeting cell surface antigen" drug!
Of course, once the specific antigen between cancer cells and normal cells can be accurately found, the therapeutic effect will be unique!
First,
Because of the method of antigen recognition and violent killing, this drug is inherently slightly toxic, and the drug ingredients will directly enter the recognized cancer cells for toxic killing.
This is almost the same as the "Ikefenprovir" developed by Qingshan Pharmaceutical to cure hepatitis B.
Therefore, there is no resistance to traditional targeted drugs during this drug treatment.
Another advantage is strong targeting.
Because "targeting cell surface antigens" drugs originally use the unique surface antigens of cancer cells as targets, even if the cancer cells mutate subsequently, the surface antigens they carry will be difficult to change due to the cell characteristics!
Therefore, as long as the target is accurate, there will be no escape of genetic mutations!
And the most important thing is!
"Targeting cell surface antigens" may completely cure cancer!
That’s right, it’s a complete cure!
Completely kill all cancer cells in the body, achieve never recurrence, and cure cancer!
Of course, the premise is that the antigen targets of cancer cells must be very precise.
This is exactly the problem that the first project team of Qingshan Pharmaceutical is encountering now.
In March, the Qingshan Pharmaceutical Drug Research and Development Center indeed increased the killing rate of leukemia cancer cells from 60% to 70%. However, after the antigen target was expanded, the targeted drugs also mistakenly identified more normal red blood cells and hematopoietic stem cells. , be killed!
Thinking of this, Zhang Yang couldn't help but rub his temples. He knew very well that this was the problem that the antigen target of the drug was not very accurate!
And he didn't have any good solution to this problem.
After a moment, he couldn't help but look up at Wei Tian and others who were also sitting at the conference table with the same sad faces.
At this moment, the R&D briefing meeting on the "BXB01" drug is ongoing in the Qingshan Pharmaceutical R&D Center. The main issue to be discussed today is:
After more than three months of intensive research and development, will “BXB01” continue?
Not long after, Wei Tian, the host of this meeting and the head of Qingshan Pharmaceutical R&D Center, looked at Zhang Yang and said first:
"Boss, you also know the results of more than three months of mobilization and research and development. It cannot be said that there is no progress at all, but it is not as huge a progress as we imagined in one go."
"Now we have two options:
One is that in the past three months, although we have made little progress, we have determined that ‘BXB01’ can have an effective killing rate of about 65% of leukemia under relatively safe conditions. ”
"We can now devote all our energy to this target, and then conduct animal experiments around it. If nothing else happens...clinical trials should be launched soon."
"As far as the effect is concerned, it can only be said that it has a high probability of controlling the number of leukemia cancer cells."
"The other option is that we continue to research and develop... and strive to break through 70% or even 80% safely!"
After the words fell, everyone's eyes fell on Zhang Yang.
Not only Zhang Yang, Wei Tian, and Dr. Zhou attended this meeting, but also several doctors from other project teams also participated in this meeting.
Zhang Yang couldn't help but exhale slightly in his heart.
In fact, Wei Tian's words were not complete. The "BXB01" project must continue to be developed. What he really wanted to express was——
Next, should we continue to convene so many R&D backbones to carry out high-intensity R&D?
Zhang Yang was also thinking.
After a moment, his eyes fell on Dr. Zhou beside him.
"Zhou Bo, what do you mean?"
Dr. Zhou obviously guessed that Zhang Yang would ask himself, and took a deep breath, the tip of his nose trembling slightly.
Zhang Yang could visibly feel the tremendous pressure on Dr. Zhou, but he could understand it.
After all, the R&D center has invested so many R&D backbones in the first project team. As the project leader, he needs to produce results.
For a few seconds, Dr. Zhou looked at Zhang Yang firmly and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Zhang, I still prefer to try again."
"Although reaching 65% is considered a good targeted drug, it is far from what I expected!"
Zhang Yang fell silent.
To be honest, there was no systematic help this time. It could be said that this "BXB01" drug was self-developed by Qingshan Pharmaceutical from beginning to end. He didn't know what kind of results it would produce in the end!
After a few seconds, he suddenly laughed.
"Okay, Zhou Bo, I believe you! Continue research and development!"
"If you want money, give money, and if you want people, give people! I don't believe we can't develop top-notch leukemia drugs!"
call!
Wei Tian and Dr. Zhou breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
……
other side.
Just when Qingshan Pharmaceutical R&D Center unified its internal thinking and determined to continue research and development.
Read the error-free version in 6Ⅹ9ⅩBookⅩ! 6Ⅹ9 Shuyiba publishes a novel for the first time. Liujiu Book Bar Reading
Not far away from the Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Xia Xue also successfully entered the cabin.
Seven days later, Lao Xia received a call from Director Hu of the Department of Hematology. After Xia Xue's one-week observation, she had met the conditions for a bone marrow stem cell transplant and could proceed with the transplant.
The surgery requires an upfront payment of NT$600,000.
When Lao Xia heard this, he immediately transferred the 600,000 yuan he had prepared into the hospital account.
In fact, a few months ago, when Xia Xue was undergoing chemotherapy, he had paid more than 100,000 yuan in chemotherapy fees.
The cost of leukemia chemotherapy is also determined according to different types. For example, Xia Xue's "acute myeloid leukemia" is the most malignant type. One chemotherapy session costs about 20,000 yuan, and most of it cannot be reimbursed.
She was also lucky, and the relapse was discovered right away, so she only needed four stages of chemotherapy. Some patients with more severe leukemia even need 6-8 courses of chemotherapy. The cost of chemotherapy alone costs more than 200,000!
but.
When the operation fee of 600,000 yuan was paid into the hospital, Lao Xia's heart suddenly lifted.
He knew that next, his daughter would face the greatest risk of surgery alone, and she would really need to survive in the gate of hell.
Before he could worry for long, he soon received another notification from the hospital that Xia Xue's surgery was scheduled for three days.
The day before the operation, not only Lao Xia had been waiting in the hospital, but Fang Mei, who was from her hometown more than 100 kilometers away, also came to the hospital specifically to see her daughter.
According to regulations, after leukemia patients enter the cabin, their family members are not allowed to enter the sterile ward.
But...
Almost every hospital's hematology department has a visiting ward. Family members can see their loved ones through the visiting window through thick glass.
Patients can also see their loved ones through the glass.
Lao Xia and Fang Mei didn't know how long they had been waiting outside the visiting window. They only knew that their daughter was having an infusion, and they would come to the visiting window after the infusion.
"Lao Xia, why haven't you finished injecting the liquid yet?"
"Hey, Fang Mei, don't worry, just wait."
Lao Xia comforted him, and finally a thin, familiar figure appeared in his sight.
After not seeing her for just a week, Lao Xia felt that her daughter had lost weight.
Fang Mei on the side couldn't help but shed tears. They all knew that their daughter would have an operation tomorrow, an operation with huge risks.
But at this moment, their biggest wish was to look at their daughter from a distance through the thick glass.
Lao Xia was also excited. He picked up the video phone and was about to say something, but thousands of words were in his mind, and he didn't know what to say at this moment.
"Xiaoxue..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xia Xue walked to the viewing window and whispered through the window:
"Dad, Mom, I love you."
Lao Xia was stunned for a moment, then his nose became sore and tears streamed down his face.
"Xiaoxue... Mom and Dad love you too!"
……
Lao Xia's family is not an exception. Every family of a leukemia patient has to go through the same ordeal. Everyone knows the huge risks of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation before entering the cabin and before the operation.
Fortunately, Lao Xia was very lucky, and so was Xiaoxue. In the afternoon of the next day, Lao Xia received a call from Director Hu himself.
"Lao Xia, congratulations, the operation was successful!"
"The child is awake and has passed the first gate of death. As long as there is no post-operative infection or bleeding, he will be able to leave the cabin in a month!"
Lao Xia's hanging heart finally fell, but just as he hung up the phone, he received a payment notice from the hospital.
If the operation is successful, it will cost about 150,000 yuan to enter the cabin for one month. This is a normal situation without complications such as bleeding and infection.
Although Lao Xia felt a little distressed, in the blink of an eye, the one million he borrowed from selling the house was almost gone!
But he didn't hesitate at all, as long as he could save his daughter, everything would be worth it!
Lao Xia's determination also seemed to bring him good luck. In the next month, Xia Xue, who was said to be the second hell after the transplant, also successfully passed through it!
You know, countless transplant patients did not collapse on the operating table, but many suffered from postoperative infection and bleeding.
Once infected or bleeding, life is in danger.
The day before departure.
"Dad, I will leave the cabin tomorrow!"
"Well! I know, I've been waiting for you at the hospital! You can see me early tomorrow morning! Are you happy?!"
"Happy! Smiley face.jpg"
Seeing his daughter’s rare smile coming from WeChat on his mobile phone, Lao Xia also showed a long-lost smile on his face!
Everything will be fine!
Early the next morning, Lao Xia had already put on the prepared N95 mask and was waiting in front of the sterile ward with some excitement.
After a while, Xia Xue put on the clothes she had prepared in the changing room in advance and walked out.
"Dad!"
Lao Xia took a deep breath and hurriedly rejected his daughter's idea of hugging him. He knew that there were many bacteria on his body and his daughter could not come into contact with him.
At this moment, the nurse who brought Xia Xue out came over. Seeing every patient successfully exit the cabin, they were also happy from the bottom of their hearts.
"Okay, congratulations on leaving the cabin."
"However, I still have to tell you some precautions!"
"You cannot go out after returning home. The home needs to be disinfected once a day with ultraviolet light. It is best for patients to stay in their own rooms and not go out, even to the living room and kitchen!"
"Try not to stay in a room or do outdoor activities for three months. The purpose is to avoid infection!"
"By the way! The most important thing is, if you have a fever, you must come to the hospital immediately!"
"Remember!"
Lao Xia looked stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily!
(End of chapter)