Chapter 212: Gene Editing Technology (First Update, Asking for Subscriptions)

Animal Basic Experiment Technology Pack Level 5 (0/500000).

The color was slightly different from the previous fluorescent green; it had turned a pale gold.

Although there were no overly glaring or dazzling changes, Fang Ziye, as the skill holder, knew he had now mastered a great deal of content regarding animal basic experiments.

Animal Basic Experimental Technique does not necessarily mean the technique itself is basic; rather, it is a basic methodology, a foundation of the operation object, not that the operation technique is very basic, something everyone would know.

The skill is the mastery of methodology, but mastering methodology does not mean one has completely and thoroughly mastered all animal experiments; one still has to rely on the most basic principles and ideas to complete the design of animal experiments.

Animal model construction is merely one type among many animal experiments.

Long ago, Fang Ziye already knew that to establish an animal model, the methodology used is actually called gene editing.

Gene editing technology, in terms of definition, is extremely simple!

That is, the process of modifying specific targets in an organism's genome. Efficiently and precisely achieving gene insertion, deletion, or replacement, thereby altering its genetic information and phenotypic characteristics.

But to actually operate it, the difficulty is not small.

After all, gene editing technology, first in the general direction, can be divided into gene knockout and gene knock-in; this is actually similar to the principle of silence and gene overexpression in cell experiments.

Its basic principles are very simple...

Fang Ziye did not think further, but rather pondered how using this operation technique would bring relatively large benefits to his current self, to the completion of his own experiment direction operations.

The answer is self-evident!

The design of the experiment direction must come before the completion of the experiment direction operations.

One is theoretical cognition, the other is operational arrival.

It is equivalent to: the prior design is you knowing a place exists; the experiment's completion is you personally going to the place you want to go — these are two different concepts.

And the design of the experiment direction actually does not require you to possess super high operational ability, but lies in your ability to collect and summarize data, and then produce a rough flow.

As for whether it can be completed, that is related to personal ability.

Anyone who has slightly touched scientific research knows that everyone can imagine a technical direction that makes the world feel shocked, but whether this imagination can be completed is another matter.

For example, building a ladder to the moon, tiling the Great Wall, establishing a Pacific swimming pool, etc.

Fang Ziye had long ago done the experiment direction design; one of the directions was the establishment of the HK2 gene knockout animal model.

Flipping through the notebook again, slowly reading the experiment design at that time, he appeared much more composed.

The current Fang Ziye no longer had particularly agitated and excited thoughts; on the contrary, after this technical skill upgraded, it made Fang Ziye's mood and thinking become slightly much calmer.

Fang Ziye also did not know why!

Clearly, just a few minutes ago, he really wanted to complete this research project, and then look at that Teacher's expression; but after the experimental technique added points, this mood was instead not that full anymore.

Fang Ziye guessed that perhaps, compared to making that Teacher powerless before Master, his own ability improvement, the differentiation of strength, gave Fang Ziye more of a sense of achievement.

Compared to watching certain people's expressions, Fang Ziye more hoped to do the thing of truly experiencing the joy of experimental results.

Notes written with the fountain pen, the ink already dry —

Experiment Design and Plan:

Confirm the research's scientific objectives and questions. Formulate the experiment plan, including animal model selection, gene knockout methods, etc.

Animal Model Selection:

Select appropriate experimental animals, generally mice or rats, depending on the research question and model feasibility.

These two points are completely copied from the basic theory part; they belong to the research project's general outline, with no special meaning.

What is more important is below.

Confirm the specific method of HK2 gene knockout!

Common ones include CRISPR/Cas9 technology, gene knockout mouse embryonic stem cells, etc.

Just one sentence, and the difficulty shot up at once.

CRISPR/Cas9 technology is a gene editing technology; editing genes requires relying on this technology, but how to knock out, and moreover obtain the gene mouse embryonic stem cells after knockout — at once it became hazy and uncertain.

Experimental animals cannot reproduce after undergoing animal experiments, but that does not mean the experimental animal model is a finished body from the very beginning.

This requires extracting them at the embryonic stem cell stage after mouse fertilization, and performing gene editing.

Then the operation steps are:

Design gene editing tools, gene editing in vitro experiments:

Perform gene editing on embryonic stem cells or other appropriate cells in vitro, verify the effectiveness of the editing tools.

Gene editing in vivo experiments:

Introduce the edited embryonic stem cells or gene editing tools into the animal body, usually mouse or rat embryos.

Screen normal gene editing bodies:

Through molecular biology techniques such as PCR, Southern blotting, etc., screen out animals with successful HK2 gene knockout.

Animal reproduction:

Use successfully edited embryos to cultivate the entire gene knockout animal, usually produced through breeding and screening to generate gene knockout body offspring.

Verify gene knockout effect:

Conduct detailed molecular biology and biochemical analysis on the produced gene knockout bodies, confirm whether the HK2 gene has been successfully knocked out.

These seemingly impossible, especially high-difficulty experimental operations, as Fang Ziye now reviews them one by one, he feels the difficulty is not especially high anymore.

At least, looking at them, they are not like before when looking at them, feeling they were just castles in the air, like dreams and illusions; they appear slightly more substantial.

This is Fang Ziye obtaining feedback on experimental operation feasibility through his own ability.

Since he thought of it, then go do it.

Every step still needs to be detailed; for example, contact a large animal experiment company, ask if they can provide embryonic stem cell extraction technology; if they cannot provide it, ask if they can provide an experimental operation platform and address, and he will go operate personally.

If they can provide, then how they transport, where they transport to — these are all problems.

This is no ordinary animal experiment, find an animal laboratory and do it directly; Fang Ziye suspects he will very likely have to return to Han City, or even fly to Magic Capital and Jingdu, or fly to Yangcheng — such economically developed places with medical technology levels at the domestic research frontier.

But no matter what, everything is hard at the start; having the idea, at least there is this kind of confidence to go do this thing.

Fang Ziye contacted the large animal experiment center in Han City that his Master Yuan Weihong had previously taken him to.

The staff immediately said they would ask.

A few minutes later, the person named Xiaoya contacted him saying: "Teacher Fang, the question you asked, isn't it a bit too high-end? Our Director of Technology, who is also our company's Doctor, said that this experiment direction of yours is not something our laboratory can operate?"

"Teacher Fang, we still have other……"

Fang Ziye read halfway through and tactfully refused her subsequent proposal.

If there were absolutely no difficulty, why would I consult you? Couldn't I just come over and do it myself?

Then he successively consulted several other experimental center representatives, and finally discovered that there was one and only one animal laboratory in Han City capable of feasibly operating in this manner, and it was still inside the internal laboratory of Tongji Hospital affiliated with Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

"Teacher Fang, this Tongji Hospital animal experiment team, in principle, only accepts Premium animal experiments from this hospital's own staff, and does not accept external ones."

"Of course, if Teacher Fang you have a need, we can help you try to contact them." A biotechnology company Manager named Xiaohui replied so enthusiastically.

The market share of Fang Ziye's direction, if he could secure it, would at least be equivalent to their team's, possibly a year's worth of market share.

Wanting to establish a new animal model, at most reaching tens of millions, less than two million, you fundamentally don't even need to try anything.

"En, I'm just consulting first, thank you Teacher Wang. If there's a need, we can contact." Fang Ziye said.

He only needed to ask for the address first; as for whether he needed to go through this hospital's teachers or through other channels to break in, that was a separate matter.

If there was really no way, then let the other party help; this is the proper principle. Otherwise, you would be caught by the neck by him, and at that time, owing a favor, if you don't buy the other party's things, how inappropriate would that be?

But what if the other party's company's things are not suitable?

Tongji Hospital!

If placed before going to Xia'en City, Fang Ziye could only seek help from his own teacher, asking if he had channels. But now, Fang Ziye could instead ask Senior Brother Wu Xuanqi.

Additionally, Fang Ziye also knew that in Magic Capital there were at least three experimental centers that could complete such operations. It's just that currently, teams willing to operate such high-end and frontier animal experiments with extremely high uncertainty are extremely few.

……

Next Day.

After Fang Ziye finished ward rounds, he chatted a few casual sentences with Wu Xuanqi.

Wu Xuanqi's first reply was: "……"

Then his reply was: "Ziye, can we not strike people like this? You're asking about gene editing technology; what you're playing with is a bit too high-end?"

"Any good research projects?"

"En, Senior Brother, also planning to try an animal experiment to establish an animal model, handle some money, scout a path." Fang Ziye also didn't dare to confirm the reply.

Within the province, domestically, teams wanting to do super high-end experiments, not one thousand but eight hundred.

Who hasn't harbored a dream?

But how many teams succeeded in the end? The vast majority of operations of most teams are Broken Halberd, Sunken Sand, equivalent to taking money to skip stones and feed fish, but there still are and still will be countless teams who will take money and sprinkle it into the water.

"Ziye, let's speak some truth. Is this sincere of yours, or do you just want to play around?"

"If it's sincere, we'll follow the sincere process. If it's just wanting to play around, we'll follow the play-around process." Wu Xuanqi was actually quite enthusiastic.

"Senior Brother, there's still this distinction?" Fang Ziye asked further.

(Chapter End)