I just want to be a quiet scholar

Chapter 706 Other research teams must not imitate
The 10 experimental mice in Hanmeng's group performed well in the T-maze, and Hanmeng will do further research on his little partner.

The five experimenters sorted out the raw data of their experimental mice and gave them to Shen Qi.

Shen Qi conducted an in-depth analysis of the original data through a combination of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.

After the SHANK3 gene was modified in the rats in the Du Yuan group, they all died of intracranial hemorrhage within a short period of time.

Why does Du Yuan's editing scheme cause intracranial hemorrhage in rats?

Regarding this point, Shen Qi didn't want to understand, and he needed to continue his research.

Cui Hualin and Tang Yaxing's editing plan made their experimental mice abnormally violent or autistic.

Regarding this, Shen Qi analyzed the general reasons.

According to the editing plan of Cui Hualin and Tang Yaxing, after the modification of the SHANK3 gene, a new mutation of the rat gene was induced in a very short time, resulting in irreversible damage to the rat nervous system.

The above three sets of experiments failed.

From the failure, Shen Qi concluded two words: password.

What is the password?where is it?How can it be controlled?
Stripped layer by layer from large to small, the nucleus contains chromosomes, which are composed of DNA and histones.

DNA was thought to be a protein molecule in the early days, but it was later confirmed that DNA is actually a deoxyribonucleic acid molecule.

A gene is a DNA sequence that contains genetic information, its encoding is the genetic information, and it produces proteins through transcription and translation to express the information it carries.

The growth of an organism is caused by successive cell divisions, during which the chromosomes are duplicated.

At the same time, the password is passed on, and it is also possible to generate a new password.

Shen Qi believes that the codebook is hidden in the fibril structure of the chromosome, and the code can be written and read, so the key question is, how does the cell select histones and which way to write and read the code?
In order to grasp the precise operation principle of biological code, Shen Qi first studied genes, followed by DNA and proteins, and then chromosomes and cells.

The difficulty of studying genes lies in genetic mutations. Shen Qi felt that pure biological methods could not solve this problem.

τ=Te^W/kT
Shen Qi wrote down this formula.

This is an unproven formula that academics call the "mutation probability formula".

Planck's discovery of quantum theory in 1900, the rediscovery of Mendel's papers in 1900 by de Vries, Collins, and Chuchemark, and de Vries' papers on mutation between 1901 and 1903, led to the It can be seen that quantum theory and modern genetics were produced almost simultaneously.

Is there a connection between quantum theory and genetics?
Shen Qi believes that these two disciplines will only be connected when they have developed to a higher level.

Today, quantum theory and genetics have developed to a higher level.

Thus a new school - quantum biology was born.

Quantum biologists try to explain mutations through quantum theory.

The τ in the mutation probability formula is the expected time of mutation of the threshold energy W.

The quantum biology school has not yet proved the universality of τ=Te^W/kT, so this formula is temporarily called "mutation possibility formula" instead of "mutation formula".

"The threshold is the order of magnitude needed to explain the persistence of biological heritability..."

Shen Qi frowned, and he continued to analyze the experimental data of the rats in the Han Meng group and Wu Junqiang group.

It didn't take long for Wu Junqiang to say with a frown, "Director Shen, there is bad news, the IQ of my lab mice has dropped, they can only walk out of the full right-handed maze, but in other respects, they have become just like stupid mice. madness."

Shen Qi didn't think so: "No, it's not bad news, it's good news."

Wu Junqiang did not understand: "Is it good news that the IQ of experimental mice is lowered through gene editing?"

Shen Qi expressed his point of view: "The regulation of IQ through genetic means, the so-called regulation, should be adjusted up or down, this is a complete set of operating procedures. Of course, we are more inclined to increase IQ, But there is no denying the academic value of lowering IQ. In some specific cases, lowering the IQ of the experimental target may be more practical."

Wu Junqiang shook his body: "Children attack?"

Shen Qi smiled slightly: "Xiaoqiang, how well do you know τ=Te^W/kT?"

"This is the mutation possibility formula proposed by the quantum biology school. I know something about it. My tutor abroad is obsessed with quantum biology. This is how I understand this formula..."

After some exchanges, Wu Junqiang suddenly became enlightened, and he began to draft the thesis.

The title of the paper is "Rat Study of Multiple SHANK3 Gene Editing Methods."

The summary is as follows: "Studies have shown that the IQ of rodents is affected by the SHANK3 gene to a certain extent. This research group selected Wistar rats as experimental subjects. Through mismatch editing, nucleotide excision editing, base excision editing, The SHANK3 gene editing in experimental rats has achieved preliminary research progress by methods such as source recombination editing and non-homologous end joining editing."

Four other experimenters also joined in writing the paper.

Han Meng wrote in the part of the thesis he was responsible for that through the mismatch editing method, the IQ of the experimental rats was significantly improved.And listed the main experimental data and analyzed the reasons.

Wu Junqiang wrote in the part of the thesis he was responsible for that the IQ of experimental rats was reduced by the base excision editing method.And listed the main experimental data and analyzed the reasons.

Cui Hualin, Tang Yaxing and Du Yuan also gave their experimental data and experimental results.

Cui Hualin, Tang Yaxing, and Du Yuan couldn't understand the real cause of intracranial hemorrhage, rage and autism in experimental mice.This part of the analysis of the failure lessons was written by Shen Qi.

With everyone's diligent efforts, the "Rat Study of Various SHANK3 Gene Editing Methods" was quickly completed.

It seems a bit rushed, but Shen Qi thinks it can be published first.

There are many types of animal experiments, such as the experiment of oral or injected drugs on animals, and the experimental cycle is the drug effect cycle and the animal's metabolic cycle.

For gene editing experiments on animals, the experimental cycle should be the normal life cycle of the animal, and even the life cycle of one or several generations of experimental animal offspring should be considered.

Normally, Wistar rats can live for several years.

Then the paper resulting from the gene-editing experiments on Wistar rats should not be completed until the Wistar rats die in a few years.

The authors of the paper even had to observe various indicators of the offspring of Wistar rats in order to finish the paper and draw genetic conclusions.

If you do this, it will take at least five or six years.

Shen Qi couldn't wait that long, nor could his five doctoral students.

Therefore, they wrote in the abstract and summary of the paper: "This experiment has achieved preliminary research results. In the next stage, we will continue to observe various indicators of experimental rats, and further study the operation principle of the SHANK3 gene."

It must be written this way, because the conclusions of the next stage of research may overturn the preliminary conclusions of this paper.

In the preliminary conclusion, Shen Qi's team gave their core views:
1. The SHANK3 gene does affect the IQ of rats to a certain extent;
2. Editing the SHANK3 gene by technical means can regulate the IQ of rats;
3. There is a risk in regulating IQ, and there is a high probability of triggering new mutations, but the mechanism of triggering new mutations has not been fully understood.Other research groups must not imitate until this team has reached a final conclusion.

(End of this chapter)