Chapter 129: The American Cancer Conference (5)
Doctor Moore had worked for the American Association for Cancer Research for thirty-seven years. He was going to retire last year, but he pushed back his plans to oversee the preparations for this years conference himself. It was because he was deeply inspired by Young-Joon.
Moore was also once a promising rookie who had successfully made his debut in Science. He went on to become a professor at Brown University and a well-known scientist whose name appeared in many of Americas top newspapers. He was past his prime now, but he was once nominated for the Nobel Prize. He had studied cancer for over thirty years and seen countless scientists, breakthroughs, and new drugs. However, the progress being observed since Young-Joon appeared like a comet was different.
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Cancer Conference, Moore said as he presented Young-Joon.
It was a standard courtesy for the moderator to give a brief overview of the seminar speakers career before they began their lecture.
Doctor Ryu was personally invited by me. He has graciously agreed to give the first lecture on the first day of the conference to kickstart this event. As the person who was in charge of organizing this conference, I would like to express my deepest gratitude.
Moore then pulled up a small slide on the screen.
Im sure many of you already know about Doctor Ryu Young-Joon, but I would like to give you a brief introduction. I have brought with me three important statistics that can visibly demonstrate Doctor Ryus achievements.
Several graphs appeared on the screen.
These are data that was gathered by the American Association For Cancer Research. These are the statistics on the number of patients newly diagnosed with cancer each month.
Breast cancer: 240 000
Lung cancer: 200 000
Liver cancer: 85 000
Pancreatic cancer: 15 000
These data were gathered at the end of last year.
Moore went on to the next slide.
Now, lets look at last months results.
Breast cancer: 310 000
Lung cancer: 240 000
Liver cancer: 125 000
Pancreatic cancer: 21 000
There is no way that the number of cancer patients increased so suddenly in just six months because there was a major change in human genes or lifestyle. So, how did this happen? Moore asked.
Diagnostic kits someone murmured.
Thats right. With the commercialization of the diagnostic kit that Doctor Ryu developed about five months ago, cancer patients are coming to the hospital and getting early diagnoses. People who would have otherwise not known they had cancer were diagnosed, said Moore. Lets look at the next one.
Breast cancer: 50 000
Lung cancer: 170 000
Liver cancer: 80 000
Pancreatic cancer: 40 000
This is how many patients die of cancer every month. These values were collected last year. How has this changed?
Moore went on to the next slide.
Breast cancer: 48 000
Lung cancer: 170 000
Liver cancer: 2000 (Monthly average after the launch of Cellicure, the liver cancer cure)
Pancreatic cancer: 3000 (Monthly average after the launch of Birnagen, the pancreatic cancer cure)
The graph of monthly changes shown below this statistic was even more dramatic. The values for liver and pancreatic cancer dropped to less than one-tenth of the original value from June and July.
Clap clap clap!
As someone in the audience began clapping, others followed.
The last statistic is fascinating as well.
Alimap: $7800
Clutinib: $5200
Keraptin: $3800
Osimerzumap: $2900
Bevatinib: $7500
This was the average monthly cost of the conventional anticancer drugs. As we all know, this is not something the average person can afford to pay out of pocket without insurance.
Moore went to the next slide.
Now, it has changed to this.
Alimap: $9.70
Clutinib: $7.50
I will now explain the prognosis of the clinical patient.
He continued with his lecture.
* * *
About twenty minutes later, Young-Joon finished his presentation and received another round of applause.
Are there any questions? Young-Joon asked.
Dozens of hands immediately shot up from the audience.
You manipulated a total of fourteen genes in immune cells in your paper. How many genes do you think can be manipulated at most?
I believe we can manipulate up to forty genes.
Originally, there were reports that chimeric immunotherapy worked well on blood cancers but relatively poorly on solid tumors. But you cured a solid tumor in lung cancer with the technology you developed, right?
Yes. And before that, it was used to cure liver cancer that had metastasized to the bone in a pediatric patient.
Then, do you believe that it will be effective on other types of cancers as well?
I predict so, Young-Joon replied.
More questions followed until finally, Young-Joon heard what he had been waiting for.
Doctor Ryu! a young, enthusiastic scientist asked. I know its a bit off-topic from your talk today, but you reported that immune checkpoint inhibitors have the potential to induce hyperprogression in a paper that came out around the same time, right?
Yes.
I was wondering if you could talk about that, at least briefly?
The look in everyones eyes changed. Jamie Anderson clenched his jaw.
I know that everyone is curious about that. We have data from an animal experiment and one clinical case, but science becomes clear through countless repetitions, Young-Joon replied. However, I also believe that it is unreasonable to keep giving patients that risky drug and wait for hyperprogression.
Doctor Ryu! Jamie Anderson shouted. That drug has no possibility of hyperprogression. Do not speak about your own opinions that havent been peer-reviewed so recklessly.
Nicholas interrupted again.
It happened to an actual patient!
Jamie Anderson turned and glared at Nicolas.
Do you have any evidence that it was due to EGFR like Doctor Ryu claims?
There is a high probability of NSCLC having a mutation in EGFR!
Its just a high probability, not a proven fact!
But isnt that probability enough to reconsider administering it to patients in the future?
That drug was studied at the Cold Spring Laboratory for twenty years. It passed all clinical trial phases. I believe that there is nothing wrong with it. As the director of the Cold Spring Lab, I am sure of it.
... Then, A-Gen will have to be more careful about using drugs developed at the Cold Spring Lab from now on, Nicholas said.
Doctor Nicholas, you are the CTO of A-Gen, arent you? How can you say that so lightly?
Of course, I can. Doctor Ryu is an executive of A-Gen.
...
Jamie Anderson paused.
It is just like what Doctor Nicholas said, Yoon Dae-Sung interjected, taking a deep breath. Doctor Anderson, Because Doctor Ryu is an A-Gen executive, the paper that Doctor Ryu published is also A-Gens paper. It is a legitimate criticism and a reasonable issue that could be raised in the scientific community. What would the pharmaceutical companies think if the developers of a new drug did not provide any feedback?
...
There was a heavy silence in the room. The air was so sharp and tense that someone could cut their finger on it.
Lets do this, Young-Joon spoke up again. I understand your position that mice experiments and one piece of clinical data are insufficient. It is a prominent new drug, so we should approach it carefully.
Young-Joon went on.
On the last day of this conference, I will demonstrate the process of hyperprogression caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors.
The scientists in the room looked confused. There were murmurs around the room.
How will we be able to see that with our own eyes? Are you going to inject the immune checkpoint inhibitor in the mouse, then take it out and measure the size of the tumor? Like you did in your paper? Jamie Anderson asked.
No, Young-Joon replied. If we cut open a rat, we can only see the size of the tumor at that moment. Its direct evidence, but I know you wont believe it because it would be a discussion only based on the result after the fact. And since there are a lot of different factors at play inside an organism, you could argue that its not because of the immune checkpoint inhibitor but because of other characteristics of the mouse.
Then what are you going to do?
I will show you the hyperprogression outside of the rats body. Not in pictures, but in videos. You will be able to watch the process of the tumor expanding explosively with your own two eyes, not just the last moment of the tumor.
...
The scientists were even more confused now. They all looked at each other like they didnt understand this nonsense.
Young-Joon smiled. His cell phone rang with a message from Cheon Ji-Myung.
[Weve attached an EGFR-mutant cancer cell to an organoid and created a mock tumor. The organoid has been treated, and you will be able to use it for your experiment in five days.]
