Chapter 1241: with translation of chapter title

1205 Almost Impossible Nobel Prize (5000-word big chapter, supplement missing)

Switzerland, Paul Scherer Institute, Life Sciences Laboratory

Francois's face was grim, as if a blizzard hung over the Alps, and he strode into the laboratory he shared with Mario

Their project studied the impact of biological immune tissue on tumors, and they had made breakthrough progress. Evidence indicated that there is a necessary connection between the two

In other words, Francois and Mario's research had not gone astray

This is necessarily a project that could win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and they have received a Nobel Prize nomination this year

With the backing of the financial consortium behind him, Francois lobbied the Nobel Prize judges, building rapport. Meanwhile, Mario continued his research in the lab, trying to push the study forward

Although Phase I clinical trials are at least 30 years away, according to past patterns, their chance of winning the Nobel Prize exists and is not small

"Dear Francois, are you unhappy because you can't get Appenzeller in Sweden?" Mario asked

"Those damned old fogeys!" Francois roared. The lab employees fell silent, no one knew what had happened, none dared to speak loudly, and they cautiously kept their heads down while doing their work

"Jenny's biomembrane channel project? I think it's just a pile of trash, fundamentally unable to compete with our project"

"Oh, could it be Stanford's nuclear remodeling project? That project has no future at all. God would not allow humanity to try to modify His great masterpiece"

"Don't be angry, the expertise of Cavendish Laboratory is not in biological research, and their biosensing project is not up to competing with us"

"Enough!" Francois angrily kicked over the chair beside him; the chair fell to the floor with a loud crash, frightening the employees, who cautiously kept their distance from the irate Doctor Francois

"Your condition makes me worried." Mario shrugged. "Why are you so angry?"

"That bunch of death-fearing old fogeys, bastards, Alpine goat dung!" Francois spat out countless curses, his roar echoing in the lab

After a long while, he finally calmed down and said, "Those bastards have actually pre-decided this year's Nobel Prize to be a clinical technique!"

"Calm down, my dear Mr. Francois." Mario heard him say that, smiled, and said, "A clinical technique could never win a Nobel Prize; that's been the rule for decades. Nobody who tries to break that rule has even been born yet—I really don't know what you're worried about"

"Those bastards!"

"Alright, alright, I know they're a bunch of bastards. Want a bite of cheese to calm down?" Mario soothed Francois

Francois grabbed an empty flask and hurled it hard against the wall

With a bang, glass shards flew everywhere

Mario shook his head, sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, waiting for Francois's explanation. It seems this lobbying trip didn't go well at all, and not just a little—it looks unlikely they'll win this year's Nobel Prize

He calmly reviewed all kinds of biological research; aside from his and Francois's project, no other project had made breakthrough progress

This year's opportunity is simply too good, a gift from God to us and Francois. As for the clinical technique Francois mentioned, he's just too tense—it's simply impossible

How many years has it been since a new clinical technique won a Nobel Prize?

Hmm, this should be a loss of behavioral control caused by tension, anxiety, and unease before obtaining something important. Mario looked at Francois and thought

After a long while, Francois, like a Spanish bull, panted heavily and sat opposite Mario

"My old partner, tell me, what have you encountered?" Mario asked, his gaze deep

"Doctor Mei Ha'er has already set off for China"

"Oh, the doctor is going to China? Can his body withstand such a long flight?" Mario asked: "If he can make it through another Christmas, I think that's practically a miracle; originally, in my plan, the person I needed to persuade didn't include him"

"Doctor Rosen said Doctor Mei Ha'er had undergone interventional surgery on his circulation and had recovered his health. I thought it was a wonderful blessing, but… we were careless, Mario!" Francois shouted

"Careless?"

"Doctor Mei Ha'er has fully recovered his health—at least healthy for an eighty-year-old man." Francois sounded a bit dejected, especially when mentioning this

It seems the Nobel Prize has drifted away, flown to the other side of the sky

"What exactly is the technique? Let me think." Mario's memory is obviously outstanding; he didn't bother looking up references, but with his eyes slightly closed, he searched the database like a computer, and soon said doubtfully, "There's no new cardiac interventional technique submitted for the Nobel Prize"

"My dear Francois, could you be mistaken?"

"It's not a cardiac interventional technique, but a new technique of TIPS surgery!" Francois roared, "Damned portal hypertension is just an ordinary common disease—on what basis could it win a Nobel Prize!"

"Calm down first, let me raise a few questions." Mario asked calmly: "First, are the developers of TIPS surgery related to Doctor Mei Ha'er's surgery?"

His question was correct

The distance between cardiac interventional surgery and hepatic interventional surgery is absolutely greater than that between Earth and the Moon

"Yes, your question is right, I thought so too. But Jason told me it's the same person! That person appeared in Sweden at the critical moment when Doctor Mei Ha'er's life was nearing its end, and, with his wife's permission, performed coronary artery grinding technique"

"My goodness, that's truly unbelievable"

"Then Doctor Mei Ha'er gave his endorsement—TIPS surgery, damn it! It's merely a basic technique, absolutely not innovative. This is a dark plot by the Nobel Prize judges! I'm going to appeal!" Francois roared

"Please calm down—did I hear you wrong? Are you saying the person who performed coronary artery grinding technique on Doctor Mei Ha'er and the person researching TIPS surgery are the same?" Mario asked

"Yes!" Francois said

"Truly unbelievable." Mario spread his hands and said, "Your statement is hard for me to believe"

"But he is the reality"

"What did Jason say?" Mario asked

"He said Doctor Mei Ha'er has gone to China to undergo a second-stage surgery. If the surgery succeeds, he told us to prepare next year's application work"

"Good heavens! Are they crazy?" Mario was truly shocked: "Just a clinical technique—could it really win a Nobel Prize? Aren't they afraid of a scandal? That bunch of rigid, old-fashioned, conservative judges—really aren't afraid?"

"Because they fear death even more." Francois said angrily: "The average age of the Nobel Prize judges for Physiology or Medicine is 81.3 years, and Doctor Mei Ha'er's escape from the clutches of death gives them hope"

"..." Mario was stunned

"I asked Jason about the pattern issue with clinical techniques." Francois, now calmed, his tone tinged with a hint of crying, said, "He gave an example using Doctor Murray's kidney transplant project"

"In the end, facts proved that kidney transplantation also didn't win a Nobel Prize, but rather because he discovered…"

"No, Mario." Francois said dejectedly, "Jason told me the factual truth isn't like that"

He paused, picked up Mario's coffee beside him, drank it all in one go, and then felt better

"Jason told me that in 1985, because Nobel Prize judge Doctor Lawrence suffered renal failure and needed a kidney transplant, Doctor Murray personally performed the surgery. Later, thanks to Doctor Lawrence's advocacy, Doctor Murray received the Nobel Prize"

"Dear Francois, these two matters…"

"No, Mario, that bunch of corrupt old fogeys exude the smell of burial shrouds. They fear death, and they won't hesitate to use the Nobel Prize to curry favor with someone who can prolong their lives." Francois's emotions had completely spiraled out of control; his eyes were red-rimmed as he gazed at the small river outside the window

"Impossible!" Mario exclaimed, "……"

Before he could finish speaking, Francois continued: "In the biology and medicine review panels, 70% of people have cerebrovascular diseases, desperately maintaining with medication. This data was given to me by Jason. He said, Dr. Mei Ha'er's matter gave everyone hope, and now everyone's eyes are on China."

If, if Dr. Mei Ha'er's surgery succeeds, that young Chinese person and Rudolf from Heidelberg... damn it, Rudolf is just a piece of moldy cheese!

If the surgery succeeds, all Nobel Prize reviewers wouldn't mind establishing friendship with that young Chinese doctor. When their lives come to an end, they could see if they can, like Dr. Mei Ha'er, miraculously recover health. Francois said this, then slumped his head, discouraged, and sank into his chair.

"My goodness." Mario uttered this exclamation for the third time.

"They say, that Chinese doctor's hands have been kissed by Heaven." Francois finally said.

After those hands were kissed by Heaven, they drive away the God of Death; both know what that means. If there is even a sliver of possibility, everyone would hope to gain his friendship rather than try to fight him.

After a long while, Mario said: "Lunlun, I think you know what I need."

The aide beside him gave a slight Jiu Gong, saying: "Sir, as you wish, I will quickly gather all that doctor's information."

Francois and Mario exchanged glances; if that's really the case, winning the Nobel Prize this year would be nearly impossible.

……

……

At this moment, Zheng Ren was clueless, waiting at Capital International Airport to greet Dr. Mei Ha'er's entourage.

He stood beside Vice President Yuan, somewhat unaccustomed to this behavior. According to Zheng Ren's own thoughts, that guy didn't even want to come; letting Su Yun or Feng Xu Hui come pick him up would have been enough.

"Zheng Ren, a few days ago you rescued Director Miao but missed the awards ceremony. The first-place medal was just given to Director Kong, who will pass it to you." Vice President Yuan looked ahead and said: "Don't be arrogant; keep striving."

"Thank you." Zheng Ren said.

"It's what you deserve." Vice President Yuan said: "Do you have confidence in Dr. Mei Ha'er's surgery?"

"It's just a phase-two surgery; the difficulty isn't great. Dr. Mei Ha'er has a clotting mechanism issue; when the surgery was performed in Sweden earlier, the guidewire, when pulled out, had its tip nearly forming a clot." Zheng Ren said: "So his heart stent needs to be replaced roughly every three months; otherwise it will quickly become completely blocked, and the previous situation will recur."

"Oh?" Vice President Yuan perked up upon hearing Zheng Ren say that.

If it's not a one-time surgery, that means Dr. Mei Ha'er would need to come to China multiple times, or Zheng Ren would have to find time to go to Sweden.

If that were the case…… in an instant, countless ideas popped into his mind. These ideas are all very simple; anyone with a bit of scheming could think of them.

"For the technique nominated by Dr. Mei Ha'er, how many years do you estimate it would take to win the Nobel Prize?" Vice President Yuan asked.

"It should be impossible." Zheng Ren answered: "At the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Charles told me that to win a Nobel Prize one must go through basic research; clinical techniques cannot win a Nobel Prize."

"Don't be discouraged, things depend on human effort." Vice President Yuan was indeed interested in the Nobel Prize, but saying that this young person beside him could win the Nobel Prize, he didn't have much confidence.

Just being a Nobel Prize Nominee is enough to show off; he didn't really hope Zheng Ren could actually win the award.

In Nobel Prize history, aside from the not-credible Peace Prize, the youngest laureate is Lawrence Bragg. In 1915, at only 25 years old, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

But he won the prize together with his father, and there was still some water in between.

When Einstein won the Nobel Prize, he was also 42, which is still considered young. After all, just beginning his academic career, Einstein's five papers were each regarded as worthy of a Nobel Prize, possessing disruptive significance.

Even Einstein, such an unparalleled genius, emerging with an "I am the only one" attitude, but truly receiving the Nobel Prize was also something that happened many years later.

And the oldest Nobel Prize laureate is Leonid Khachiyan. When the old man received the Nobel Prize, he was already 90 years old. He is also an honorary professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and has given lectures in China before.

Vice President Yuan remembers these people and events. He deeply knows that obtaining a Nobel Prize Nomination and actually winning the Nobel Prize are two different things.

Performing surgery on Dr. Mei Ha'er, gaining the old man's friendship, obtaining a recommendation—this is a standard routine. When Mo Yan obtained his Nobel Prize Nomination back then, he also took the path of the Eastern literary circle.

But Zheng Ren is still young; this year it's fundamentally impossible for him to win the Nobel Prize.

"Clinical work must be done solidly; if there's anything needed, bring it up to the institute." Vice President Yuan personally said this to Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren smiled and nodded.

"If circumstances allow, you and Dr. Mei Ha'er should discuss whether postoperative recovery could be done with a lecture at the institute." Vice President Yuan said.

He said it politely, but his tone carried an air that brooked no refusal.

This matter was originally the responsibility of Vice President Guo of the Science and Education Office, but because Section Chief Mao and Zheng Ren have a somewhat strained relationship, Vice President Guo merely fell behind, letting Vice President Yuan and Zheng Ren handle this.

One must have the big picture. After all, this is beneficial for 912, so Vice President Yuan is also happy to do a favor.

"Fine." Zheng Ren didn't mind; postoperative recovery is expected to be quick, just depends on how long Dr. Mei Ha'er plans to stay in China.

They chatted intermittently, and the flight had arrived. Dr. Mei Ha'er was not on a private charter like Zou Jia Hua's, but a regular flight.

The group was clearly larger than Zheng Ren had expected, with over twenty people. Professor Rudolf Wagner stepped forward first, and upon seeing Zheng Ren, gave him a bear hug.

Before, it was always him coming to the airport to pick up Zheng Ren; this time, Zheng Ren was welcoming him… welcoming Dr. Mei Ha'er, and incidentally welcoming him.

"Boss, I've missed you so much." The professor patted Zheng Ren's back and loudly said.

It hurts, Zheng Ren felt somewhat helpless. However, not having seen the professor for a few days, he also missed him.

Vice President Yuan stood aside, feeling even more helpless than Zheng Ren. Professor Rudolf Wagner acted as if he hadn't seen himself, or as if there was no place for him in their eyes.

He also knew that without Zheng Ren, these people definitely wouldn't come to 912.

"Boss Zheng is not bad," Vice President Yuan thought.

"Boss, Dr. Mei Ha'er is behind." After Professor Rudolf Wagner and Zheng Ren exchanged greetings, he immediately said.

His attitude toward Dr. Mei Ha'er is somewhat delicate. Winning the Nobel Prize has always been Professor Rudolf Wagner's cherished wish, and the weighty Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Mei Ha'er holds in the professor's heart is easy to imagine.

At this moment, attending to his every need was all for that slim hope, which might not even exist.

"Doctor, nice to see you again." Zheng Ren smiled and reached out to greet Dr. Mei Ha'er.

The doctor looked very healthy; the system panel was only slightly red, completely different from the dying old man Zheng Ren saw in Sweden the first time, lying in bed, using a model lung and ventilator to assist breathing.

Dr. Mei Ha'er was somewhat surprised; although he had recovered his health, he is after all an eighty-year-old, and walks slowly.

He extended his hand, shook Zheng Ren's once, and Dr. Mei Ha'er said: "Zheng, I didn't expect your Swedish to be so good."

Dr. Mei Ha'er is a Gotlander; his accent isn't strong, but Zheng Ren's speech carries his hometown accent.

Even for a Swede, it's hard to distinguish the Gotlander accent, yet this Doctor Zheng is so meticulous; it seems he really cares about the Nobel Prize.

The moment he stepped off the plane, Dr. Mei Ha'er made a mistaken judgment of the situation.

"I've studied." Zheng Ren gave a simple smile: "How is your physical recovery?"

"Very good." Dr. Mei Ha'er said: "After passing the dangerous period of postoperative cardiopulmonary dysfunction, my lung function is gradually recovering; I can now take a walk on that small path I've walked for decades."

"That's good." Zheng Ren said with a cheerful laugh.

Afterwards Zheng Ren introduced Mei Ha'er to Vice President Yuan and Vice President Guo behind, seeing they were exchanging pleasantries, Zheng Ren felt a bit bored.

"Boss, the patient has suffered cardiac arrest again!" Su Yun suddenly came over and whispered.