Chapter 109: Plant-based Pharmaceuticals (2)

Chapter 109: Plant-based Pharmaceuticals (2)

These are the forty completed kits that diagnose thirty-two diseases in groups or individually, said Park So-Yeon as she pushed the box containing forty kits towards Young-Joon. I backed up all the research notes of the development process on the companys cloud, and I left the hard copy in the laboratory archive, so you can use it when you need. And this is an explanation of each project. I just wrote the basic things.

Young-Joon took the explanation that Park So-Yeon handed him. He flipped over each page and read through it.

Wasnt yesterday your last day? I heard that you left everything in my secretarys office when I wasnt here, Young-Joon said.

I did, but I had a couple of things to add to this explanation and data, so I came for that. I dropped off all the products here in the secretarys office yesterday.

I see.

Young-Joon organized the explanations and put them on one side of his desk.

So, are you leaving now?

Yes. Im going straight to the airport because my flight is soon.

Do you want me to go with you?

Oh, its okay

Lets go in my car.

Young-Joon took Park So-Yeon and went to the parking lot. He shook his hand as the K-Cops security team was about to escort them to their van.

Its alright. I will drive.

Young-Joon declined and went into the drivers seat.

Then we will follow you in a different car, Kim Chul-Kwon said.

Alright.

Young-Joon took Park So-Yeon, who was sitting in the passengers seat, out of the company. On the way to Incheon Airport, he asked, Where are you going now?

America. Im going into the WHO, Park So-Yeon replied while staring at him as the strictly formal tone he had been keeping with her disappeared.

The WHO?

Yeah. Im already confirmed to join them.

Its not easy to get into there. Its amazing.

They took me as soon as I said that I was one of the developers of the diagnostic kit.

Haha, I guess it was a valuable project. Then what are you going to do there? Im going to go to Switzerland after I finish a few things in America. The WHO headquarters are there. After that, Ill probably be dispatched to Africa.

Africa? The place where the diagnostic kit is being used the most is Africa. Theyre using a lot for HIV eradication.

So, youre doing something related to the diagnostic kit in Africa?

Yeah. I think they talked about the need to produce the diagnostic kit within Africa. Ill probably go there and work on optimizing the production process in their conditions.

...

Young-Joon thought for a moment, then said, So-Yeon, the Diagnostic Device Department is going to start the Genome Project.

The Genome Project? Youre talking about collecting DNA data from different races?

Thats right.

Youre going to find disease-related mutants based on the DNA data you obtained from the Genome Project?

Yeah.

Its not going to be easy. The relationship between gene mutations and diseases is clear, but the data will greatly vary between individuals. The same mutation can present differently in different people.

Probably. So, Im thinking of gathering the genomic data of at least one hundred million people.

What?

Park So-Yeon was filled with shock.

How many people did you say? she asked again.

One hundred million.

...

Individual differences will gradually fade as the sample size becomes enormous. If one million people out of one hundred million are skin cancer patients, I can get values beyond individual differences if I compare their genetic variation against the remaining ninety-nine million people.

Executive Vice President Baek Joong-Hyuk frowned.

I keep bringing up this item because we have not come up with a concrete alternative, Lim Gil-Won explained.

Now, stop with all this.

CEO Ryu bought DNA analysis equipment.

DNA analysis equipment? Chief Executive Officer Hwang Jun-Young asked.

Yes. I heard he bought two hundred of them. Where would CEO Ryu use that? I believe that he will use that to start a gene analysis business. A gene analysis business?

This time, the directors faces changed. The gene analysis market was one of the future industries that was quite worrisome among insurance planners. Of course, the insurance industry still required information such as family history when customers subscribed to insurance products. However, if gene analysis data became commonplace, the probability that was previously lumped with family history would become much more accurate. From the perspective of insurance companies that developed and sold products based on uncertainty, the future of more accurate predictions was burdensome.

Is that information accurate? Hwang Jun-Young asked.

I am certain. Dozens of Illeminas equipment came into A-Bio, Lim Gil-Won said. And I dont think that is all. We need to come up with countermeasures against the huge structural changes that CEO Ryu will make in the

Stop, Baek Joong-Hyun cut him off. Director Lim, youre talking about CEO Ryu like his work is going to cause some sort of structural reform in the whole insurance industry, but have there been any kind of changes to our work even though he has been on the news countless times?

...

Now there are only people who think that glaucoma is no longer one of the three major eye diseases. Now, our insurance covers glaucoma stem cell therapy. Thats all the change weve seen.

That is because the only kit that has been commercialized is the glaucoma cure kit. If you look at the business that CEO Ryu is doing

You keep bringing up that item every time we have a board meeting, but I dont think we need to be that nervous. Lets keep watching. Slowly. Lets hear the next item on the agenda, Baek Joong-Hyuk said.

One of the new cancer insurance products that Boryung Life has released provides living expenses

The next director began presenting.

An hour later, the board meeting came to an end. Lim Gil-Won, who returned to his office, couldnt calm down his anger and kicked his sofa.

Thud!

Damn it, these grandpas

He swung his fists in the air. He felt like he was going to die from frustration. Stagnant water was bound to rot; those senile old men were so stuck in the old-fashioned insurance industry and could not predict the future.

The entire medical insurance industry is on the verge of chaos. What good is the new product that Boryung Life released?!

Knock knock!

Mr. Director!

Executive Manager Lee appeared outside.

Yes.

You have to see this.

He handed Lim Gil-Won his tablet. A news article was on it. As soon as he saw Young-Joons name in the headline, he thought that the time had come.

[Ryu Young-Joons succeeds at producing Alimap, a kidney cancer treatment, from plant cells.]

Plant cells?

He was expecting something about the Genome Project, so he was a little surprised when he saw that it was completely different. However, his fingers trembled as he read the news.

[... As such, it is predicted that Alimaps production price will fall to less than one-thousandth of the original price, and Director Ryu Young-Joon stated that he would apply this production method to other drugs as well. Each drug will need its own optimization process, but theoretically, there will be a major drop in the price of all kinds of bio-based drugs, and]

No way. Lim Gil-Won turned off the news. The diagnostic market was not the only problem; he could also reform the price of treatments like this.

Damn it.

He sighed.

I didnt even think of this Anyways, thank you for giving me this important information, Mr. Manager.

Um Sir, theres more news after it.

Theres more?

Lim Gil-Won turned on the news again.

[Ryu Young-Joon begins Genome Project for one hundred million people.]

[Ryu Young-Joon provides genetic testing services.]