Chapter 155: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (10)

Chapter 155: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (10)

The national park tour vehicle went around the bonobo reserve and found about eighteen different groups. Rosaline was able to determine which ones had schizophrenia within seconds of finding a new group. Then, she would

Theres none here.

Either wave her hand

Its that one.

Or she would point at one.

The one with the white spot in front of its eyebrow?

No. That one is just anxious. The one to the right of it. The male that is balding.

Please get the male over there thats balding, Young-Joon asked the ranger.

The rangers used the tranquilizer gun to make the bonobo go unconscious and moved them into cages. By the evening, they had captured twenty bonobos. Young-Joon also included six normal animals as a control group.

Back at the hotel, Young-Joon worked out a transportation plan with Michelle.

Well send them to A-Bio on a flight the next morning. You should tell your employees to pick them up at the airport, Michelle said.

Thank you.

Us GSC members should help each other out. You really helped Congo, no, the entire region of Africa.

With the HIV cure?

Thats right.

Michelle smiled brightly.

You will be surprised if you knew what kind of changes have happened in sub-Saharan Africa.

Has it become a lot better?

The infection rate of HIV has become negative, and thats very significant. A negative value means that its not spreading anymore and those who were already infected are being cured, Michelle said. By the time you get your Nobel Prize, Doctor Ryu, Africa will have made so much progress that it will be difficult to find HIV patients here.

Thats a relief.

Michelle smiled deviously.

Doctor Ryu, did you know that bonobos only live in Congo, even in Africa?

I heard.

In our country, they are an endangered animal.

Dont worry. We will return them to Congo safely after treatment.

Im saying that exportation itself is illegal. However, I fiercely convinced the President, and we were able to hastily pass a special law to allow the exportation of bonobos.

...New novel chapters are published on

Here it comes.

Most successful scientists that were from Africa did not live in Africa. If Harvard offered them a tenured post, why would they come back and work in their home country that was likely to be in a civil war? Most of them would assimilate into Western civilization and continue their studies in the amazing infrastructure while receiving high salaries. That was the privilege that great scientists had. Among those great scientists, Michelle was someone who had such great accomplishments that she was able to join the GSC.

However, she returned to Congo, her home country. Congo was so dangerous that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea advised against traveling here. It wasnt difficult to figure out why she returned; it was because Michelle was that famous. She had devoted her entire life to advancing science in Africa.

Im sure she will ask for something in return for giving me the bonobos. Maybe collaborative research

As he sipped his tea, Young-Joon said, Please feel free to tell me if theres anything I can do to help, Doctor Michelle. I will do my best to help.

Thank you.

That was when Michelle pulled out a file from her bag.

This is a copy of the data that the Ministry of Public Health in Congo has been collecting on a certain disease, Michelle said as she handed Young-Joon the file. Its the ebola virus.

Ebola?

Its a virus that spreads by human contact, but its also spread by bats. The Congolese government hasnt been able to control it completely. Were using this treatment called Gmapp, but its not very effective.

Hm

* * *

The Clinical Trial Headquarters of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety was turned upside down in the morning. It was because Young-Joon himself was here.

Hes definitely going to ask for approval for that schizophrenia drug or something.

Fifteen staff were walking to the conference room. They were the evaluators, the principal officers, and the working officers. As they walked, they urgently checked each others plans.

You have to say absolutely not. Hes going to say that he did his animal experiments like this and that, but deny it by saying that there is no way that is going to determine the complexity of the human mind.

If he threatens to do the clinical trial in the United States, tell him to do it.

Its easier for us if he just does it overseas.

Everybody got it? The key word is the human mind. A rat doesnt have a mind like humans, right? How can we approve a drug for a mental disorder based on a rat that doesnt have a mind?

They kept talking until they reached the conference room. They all stood there together.

Be careful not to give away any loopholes.

Heo Song-Hyuk, the principal officer, took a deep breath and opened the door.

Hahaha. Doctor Ryu, hello. Its been a while.

He shook Young-Joons hand with a bright smile. After some formalities, the principal officer got to the point.

I heard youre here to get approval for a clinical trial of a drug for schizophrenia that A-Bio is developing. May I see some preclinical data?

Here it is.

Young-Joon pulled out a file out of his bag and handed it to him.

How many did you experiment with?

Twenty-six.

Isnt that number too low for such a difficult disease? You should have done like fifty.

I wanted to, but it seemed like it was too much for Congo to give away that many subjects. I was happy with a statistically clear range.

Congo?

Heo Song-Hyuk frowned.

Yes, Young-Joon replied.

What about Congo? Didnt you use beagles or rabbits? Heo Song-Hyuk said.

I used bonobos.

A few people froze.

Bonobono?[1]

One of the employees tilted their head in confusion.

No, bonobos. They are a type of primate, like a chimpanzee, Young-Joon said with a chuckle.

The evaluators began whispering amongst themselves.

Yes, and these bonobos have almost the same mind as humans. They can understand language and even start a fire.

...

I have obtained enough data to prove that the bonobos suffered from the same schizophrenia that humans suffer from. The expression levels of neurotransmitters are the same as those of patients with schizophrenia, and we have identified all the unusual behaviors, Young-Joon said. And out of the twenty bonobos, we gave ten of them the treatment and ten of them a placebo. The ones that were given treatment were cured, and the ones that received placebos are still suffering from the disorder.

...

We also did the same experiment with six normal bonobos, divided into two groups, and there was no effect on their health. We also found that the mitochondria in their brains that were used in the treatment were all dead and expelled.

No That is How

The evaluators were speechless.

Please give me approval for the clinical trial, Young-Joon said.

1. Bonobono is a character, a blue otter, from a Japanese manga.