godfather of surgery

Chapter 629 Microanatomy
With the matter of introducing Tang Shun settled, Yang Ping felt a lot easier.

In this way, the stem cell laboratory has a member who does basic research, and it is much easier to carry out a lot of work.

In the system space laboratory, Yang Ping's experiments have been continuing, and he will use the appropriate time to go into the laboratory to continue the laboratory almost every day.

Yang Ping continued to collect substances that induce directional differentiation of stem cells, and used a cryo-electron microscope to distinguish and record them one by one, and then conducted reverse experiments to confirm. A lot of work is trial and error. The work is done impressively.

Interest drives Yang Ping to work selflessly in the system laboratory, doing all kinds of complicated work with gusto.

Some repetitive tasks, such as single-layer cell slices of muscles, Yang Ping handed over to the robotic arm to complete.

Although the mechanical arm can only do work according to Yang Ping's arrangement without any subjective initiative, it is still good to be driven by coolies, at least it can meticulously complete the assigned tasks according to Yang Ping's arrangement.

Muscle cells, also known as muscle fibers, are long cylindrical multinucleated cells with a length of 1-40 mm and a diameter of 10-100 μm. A muscle cell contains dozens or even hundreds of nuclei.

How are these muscle cells organized into muscle and how are they connected to each other?
Then how do structures such as nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels shuttle among them, how many layers are divided into nerves, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels, what cells are composed of each layer, and how these cells are connected.

This is the subtle anatomy of muscles that Yang Ping is currently trying to figure out.

In addition to being very cheap in time, these manipulators are also cheap labor in the systems laboratory, because they can be added as many as needed.

The laboratory seems busy, but it is in good order, with countless robotic arms doing their own work.

The light microscope and electron microscope pictures of muscle slices are all stored in the computer, and then reconstructed by the computer to reconstruct a three-dimensional fine anatomical map of the whole muscle.

These basic tasks are extremely cumbersome, but they are also extremely important, and there must be no sloppy in every link.

A muscle is sliced ​​at a single cell layer, considering only muscle cells, at least 2 slices can be made in the sagittal and coronal planes, but considering blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic vessels, millions of slices can be made in three sections.

Yang Ping didn't throw his hands away to read the pictures of the millions of slices on the computer, but read them one by one in person to know what he knew.

In the human body movement system, muscles are more complex than bones, ligaments, tendons and other structures. If the subtle anatomy of muscles can be analyzed, then structures such as bones, ligaments and tendons can naturally be analyzed.

How to make muscle slices of single-layer cells and how to construct micro-anatomy, Yang Ping explored a set of methods through a large number of slices and composition, he summarized this set of methods, and then applied them to real-world experiments, so as to reduce trial and error time.

In scientific research, a lot of time is wasted on trial and error, but trial and error is a process that must be experienced.

Why some senior companies in every technology industry can form a monopoly, for example, why some world pharmaceutical giants can form a monopoly, making it difficult for latecomers to surpass, the most important of which is that their scientific research database includes countless successes and failures data, emerging The drug that the company invested heavily in research and development, it is likely that these big companies have tried it decades ago and it is wrong.

Therefore, the longer this kind of company has, the more experiments it has. No matter whether it succeeds or fails, the data is extremely precious. These are core secrets and an important part of determining the technical threshold.

In other companies, such as some high-end steel manufacturing companies, the recipes for manufacturing materials are based on data accumulated through decades or hundreds of years of trial and error, which cannot be surpassed in a short time.

Therefore, in high-tech industries such as materials, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, it is difficult for later chasers to surpass the former. Unless there is a technological revolution and the track is changed, there will be no overtaking on corners.

Coming out of the system space, Yang Ping used his memory to write down the experience he summed up. These are extremely valuable things that have gone through countless trial and error tests.

The work on muscle monolayer cell slices is carried out by the Digital Medicine Laboratory of Southern Metropolis Medical University. They have gained rich experience in building digital humans.

When the team completed the digital human, they selected the body of a young boy from 20 donated bodies, and used submillimeter grinding technology to cut the body into thin slices less than 0.2 mm from head to toe. A total of 8972 pieces were formed, and more than 20 scientific researchers processed more than 20 pictures day and night, each with a resolution of 4040*5880, and then used these pictures to build a digital human.

The difference is that today's muscle slices require much more technology than before to make a single layer of cells, and more pictures are processed. Just one direction of slice processing is hundreds of thousands or millions.

Moreover, for each picture, the cells must be identified. If it is a known cell, it must be figured out which type of cell it is;

The task of directional cultivation of stem cells into muscle cells is completed by the stem cell laboratory of Sanbo Hospital, not only to differentiate into muscle cells, but also to differentiate into cells that make up nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and a complete muscle All cell types involved need to be capable of directed cultivation.

After completing these two tasks, the following steps began to differentiate into two routes, one is biological 3D printing technology, and the other is gene expression regulation technology.

The bio-3D printing technology is in charge of the laboratory of Ruixing Medical Company, while the regulation of gene expression is in charge of the genetics laboratory of Nandu Medical University.

The whole process requires the division of labor and cooperation of multiple units. If it is not for the cooperation of Sanbo Hospital and Nandu Medical University, it will take a year and a half to contact and coordinate the cooperation units.

The resources invested in this project are huge, and the future is uncertain. Yang Ping was very moved by the decisive and firm support of Sanbo Hospital and Nandu Medical University.

Chen Zhi from Ruixing Medical is a graduate student majoring in bioengineering. This outstanding graduate student is studying for a Ph.D. in Nandu University of Technology in his spare time. He is very talented in the research and development of medical instruments and medical devices. Under the instruction of Huang Jiacai Now, he is organizing a team to develop a new type of biological 3D printer.

The existing bioprinters in the world cannot print a real muscle. The muscle printed in the United States is just a pile of muscle cells with some functions. It has no nerves, no blood vessels, and the connection between cells has not been done. simulation.

Every link of Yang Ping's project starts with basic research, which is very difficult, and I don't know how long it will take to produce results.

The risk of scientific research is that, when manpower, financial and material resources are invested, it is not known when the results will be produced, and the results may not necessarily be produced.

This is why everyone is reluctant to invest in basic research.

And basic research is the most important. Without a foundation, other applied research is like a building on the beach, which can be pushed down by others at any time.

Yang Ping organized the experience gained in the system laboratory into data, formed experimental guidance, and handed the data to Song Zimo.

Song Zimo flipped through this experiment guide, and the experimental route plan written in it was very clear, and the specific methods were also extremely detailed.

But this is only the first stage of experimental guidance -- obtaining a genealogy map of the inducing substance.

Of course, there is only the experimental guidance for the first stage, and Yang Ping himself has not completed the second stage of the experiment.

After Song Zimo finished reading, he looked at Yang Ping who was leisurely opposite.

Talent is an insurmountable mountain.

For such a complicated experiment, it was also the first time for Yang Ping to come into contact with the field of stem cells, so he was able to figure out a clear route.

"You—have done research in this area before?" Song Zimo couldn't help but wonder.

Forget it, this kind of question is redundant.

The external fixator for the spine, he hadn’t finished it in a few months, and sometimes he suspected that the professor he was talking to was an alien, and someday he would get him to have a head CT to see if there was any difference in the internal structure.
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"Professor, what project can I participate in?"

Robert has been paying attention to this matter for a long time. He also wants to participate in such a big project. Even if he is assigned to a small branch project, it is very good.

From the multi-ligament reconstruction of the shoulder and knee joints, to the reconstruction of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in children, to the development of some medical devices, and the latest spinal external fixation technology, Yang Ping has been singing all the way, with great momentum, and his scientific research ability is absolutely rare in the world.

Robert has keen professional judgment. He believes that Yang Ping's topic of stem cell cultivation of muscle will surely make a breakthrough, and it is only a matter of time.

It is something that Robert has always longed for to take the train of Yang Ping.

Yang Ping knew in his own mind that he would definitely not be allowed to participate in core projects. A good relationship is a good relationship. Some things involve the foundation of the country's science and technology in the future.

At present, many cutting-edge biological technologies in the United States, including stem cell research projects, are not allowed to visit by foreigners, and a strict confidentiality system is implemented.

For example, the directional differentiation technology of stem cells, how to obtain induced proteins, what are the induced proteins, how to match the ratio, external conditions such as the temperature for inducing differentiation, and the scaffolding technology for stem cell differentiation are all absolute secrets of the laboratory.

Just like the engine technology of the aviation industry, it will never be sold or opened.

However, branch projects can allow Robert to participate, which can expand the extension of the project.

Yang Ping thought about it. Robert is a sports medicine major and can participate in peripheral projects, such as cartilage research.

"Analyze the structure of articular cartilage, slice a single layer of cells, and use the slices to construct a three-dimensional microanatomy of cartilage. I refer to cartilage, including subchondral bone connected to cartilage and a large amount of cancellous bone."

Yang Ping assigned the research on cartilage to Robert, which is Robert's dream. If Yang Ping's research achieves a breakthrough, then the project Robert participated in will also be revolutionary.

In the future, patients with cartilage damage can directly use the patient's cells to clone cartilage and transplant it to fill the damaged part, and it will be completely the same as the previous cartilage without rejection.

"That's it. Professor Wei follows the lead, and I'm in charge of the microanatomical research of articular cartilage." Robert successfully boarded the car.

"And me?"

August is not to be outdone.

"You do microanatomical studies of intervertebral discs."

August is a spinal surgery specialty and naturally assigned tasks related to his specialty.

The microanatomy of the intervertebral disc is much more complex than that of cartilage.

At present, the most cutting-edge method for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation is artificial disc replacement. However, due to various reasons, the effect of artificial disc replacement is not ideal, and there are many complications.

If the human body's own intervertebral disc can be copied in the future and then implanted into the intervertebral space, it will be much better than artificial intervertebral disc replacement.

"When you do the microanatomical study of the intervertebral disc, don't limit yourself to the intervertebral disc, but study the upper and lower endplates of the vertebrae and the vertebrae near the endplates, and treat them as a whole." Sample told August.

This is to pave the way for future applications. Bone-to-bone healing is the easiest and most reliable healing for the human body, while the healing of other tissues and bones is much more difficult.

If you want to do cartilage transplantation in the future, it is a stupid thing to simply transplant cartilage and let the cartilage and bone heal.

Design the grafted cartilage as a cartilage-bone complex, allowing the bone to act as the healing interface, and things go a lot more smoothly.

In the same way, if intervertebral disc transplantation is performed in the future, it is almost impossible to allow the intervertebral disc to heal with the upper and lower cartilage endplates.

If a complex is made: a complex containing part of the vertebrae, the upper and lower cartilage endplates, and the intervertebral disc.

The problem of graft-recipient bonding becomes the easiest and most reliable bone-to-bone healing.

Although it is only a sentence added, it points out a different research direction.

August understands the value of adding this sentence, so everyone rushes to get a ride on Yangping. Sometimes he can point the way with one sentence, avoiding a lot of trial and error.

These projects for Robert and August are peripheral research and downstream projects of Yang Ping's project. Yang Ping can't distract his energy for the time being and entrusts them to do it. Not only can he maintain contact with the world's top scientific research forces, Without losing control of the core technology of the subject.

That is to say, to maintain cooperation while maintaining one's own dominance.

Just like building an airplane, you can focus on core technologies such as engines, and other projects can be properly handed over to others, instead of researching and manufacturing everything yourself.

This is called globalization and international cooperation.

The essence of globalization and international cooperation is: I am the boss, you work; I eat meat, you drink soup.

Whether it is the study of cartilage or the study of intervertebral discs, once successful, it will be a huge breakthrough.

Robert and August are very happy to undertake this task, and they are confident that under the guidance of Professor Yang, they will be able to succeed.

Moreover, not everyone can have the opportunity to participate in such a large project with Professor Yang.

Immediately, Robert and August jumped into action, sketching out a project plan in their heads.

Professor Yang already has a mature method for obtaining fine anatomy, and they just need to follow it, which can shorten the research time.

(End of this chapter)