Gene Fantasy Editor's Note In 2001, topics related to genes and transgenics were hot all over the world. We are honored to have Dr. Xiaoshi Qi, a famous American cardiothoracic surgeon who is at the forefront of genetic experimental research, write this article for us. With his beautiful and smooth writing, he expressed his understanding and imagination about genes in a simple and easy-to-understand way, allowing us to see the wonderful world through his eyes... I won a new award: the medal and certificate are engraved with the words "You can be naive" pig head. I often imagine this from time to time, while driving home. Although this day is still unpredictable, it is certain that it is not far away - the winner is not me alone, but many elites, but that pig is not this pig, it is a new species just bred in the United States carrying human heart genes. Of course, its appearance is very similar to that of today's captives, but its heart, due to the genes transcribed and expressed, is exactly the same as that of humans. Due to scientific experiments, I was at the University of Paris in France from 1989 to 1991 and at Northwestern University in the United States from 1997 to 1998. I had frequent sex with pigs several times a month. My job was to perform a variety of hitherto unperformed surgical procedures on pig hearts and aortas. Different from the pigs that ordinary people see, the various pigs in our animal center are so cute. They were raised collectively in a huge room, and the spacious space seemed to allow them to experience the old feeling of living in a farmhouse again, jumping and playing around. And it’s even better than a farmhouse: constant temperature, constant humidity, ultraviolet lights, and 1-2 inches of crushed sawdust covering the ground. The little creatures have to take a bath every day, so the fine hair on their bodies, whether black or white, is very smooth, and they even have fixed corners for urination and defecation. People's concept of dirty pigs is really unfair to them. What is heart-warming is that pigs are very affectionate and do not want to be alone. If the technician puts them into their own small cages or the number of pigs in the herd decreases sharply, the pigs will be listless, depressed, and even depressed every day. end. And when a long day passes, the pigs who have just undergone surgery return to the dormitory. Far away from the door, you can hear the cheerful "tuk-tuk" sound inside. The small metal ID card is like a neck ornament and is looped behind the ear, with codes such as name, biological characteristics, and genetic type written on it. We are all happy when they survive the surgery and gorge themselves with vigor. Pigs are also very considerate, nestling at your feet, gentle and respectful, and never irritable. This is a good partner of our doctors and a good friend of mankind. When you are in it, you will feel that the biological world including human beings is so vast. As the spirit of all things, human beings are closely related to them everywhere. Regarding the above-mentioned medical and biological experiments, let us start from the beginning. The United States is the most advanced country in human organ transplantation, but the most worrying thing in the past and in the future is the disproportionately small number of people supplying organs. For example, nearly 40,000 to 50,000 people in the United States are waiting for heart transplants every year, but at most only one can be transplanted every year. It can allow 2,200 people to enjoy the blessing of heart-changing. Because there is no source of heart, as many as 20,000 people each year are unable to realize their dream of life while waiting, and die with regrets. Wise sages have thought of animals for a long time. In 1960, Hardy used a chimpanzee heart to transplant an endangered patient, pioneering heart transplantation from different biological species. Bailey then transplanted the baboon's heart into babies with congenital heart disease, temporarily extending their lives. However, the question lies before experts: How can the organs of different biological species overcome mutual rejection and survive for a long time? After nearly two decades of exploration, scientists have successfully transcribed human heart genes into pigs to create pig body and human heart. This is another startling work by the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, after the successful cloning of sheep. It can be called the most brilliant and forward-looking initiative of the 20th century. Looking at the loyal and pious new pigs behind the railings, tears filled my eyes more than once. However, since August 2000, the plan has been suspended, and human trials have been greatly delayed: the reason is that certain pig viruses can infect humans. Since then, all walks of life around the world have been involved in an unprecedented war of words. I myself have always been an unequivocal supporter of this trial. Like any previous innovation in medical biology, the pig virus will definitely be effectively controlled in the near future, and the pig's body and mind will surely benefit all mankind. On December 26, 2000, I sat in front of the "Gene Lenovo" camera crew (Tianjin TV) and told the world in front of the screen that in a few years, cardiac surgeons will be like engineers and technicians who repair cars and bicycles. Replace patients with advanced or congenital heart disease with new biological parts - pig body and human heart. This isn't science fiction at all. Moreover, the surgery is simple, the charges are reasonable, and this service is available in all major cities.
What’s even more interesting is that medical experts can tailor clothes for patients better than the most magical designers in the world: based on each person’s genetic ID card, doctors can predict when and how someone will have a heart attack , the patient will be replaced with a super-three-dimensional genetically designed heart in a timely manner, and the patient will be intact as before in a short time. What's more, a considerable number of elderly patients awaiting heart transplants are over 80 or 100 years old, because the diagnosis and treatment of apoptosis-control genes that delay terminal heart disease have extended human lifespan. When a patient is discharged from the hospital after a heart transplant, doctors will greet their "customers" as kindly as reputable merchants: "Good luck, don't worry, our products are guaranteed to last 40 years." The description of tomorrow is not far away. On February 16 this year, Sichuan child Long Wei became the country's first genetic ID card carrier. Not long ago, Chinese zoologists successfully mapped the genome of the giant panda. A few years later, if you watch the "Animal World" on TV, you will definitely see more colorful pictures and more stunning shocks. The original meaning of this show in English (AnimalSplendid) is "amazing, spectacular animals". Beautiful, genetic engineering! However, beauty and unbeauty are always like two parallel railroad tracks, originating from the same source. Just as the six-nation international genome project is approaching its final sprint, the private American company Celera is also mapping genes based on its commercial strategy, huge sums of money and powerful people, and is constantly showing off its results to academic and public opinion circles. The fierce battle is just around the corner: Celera breaks its promise and publishes the genetic framework map in Science magazine two days before the Six Nations genome. Looking back over the past 2-3 years, the company has repeatedly hoped to obtain genetic data patents and control information and resources in the two major markets of finance and talent. Any organization or individual can predict that the current monopoly will bring huge profits in the next 5 to 10 years with the rapid development of high technology. In January 2001, the Italian gynecologist Antinori and the American reproductive scientist Zavos publicly announced that they were trying to clone human beings, which immediately led to a decisive battle with many applicants, many supporters, and many opponents. Please see the latest showdown on CBS's "60 Minutes" program on March 11, 2001: They claimed to have screened out 10 more couples, and they will be held in a certain country in the Mediterranean in October this year. As of this writing, at least 23 countries have explicitly banned reproductive cloning. Former President Clinton asked Congress to pass strict prohibition regulations four years ago. However, Israel has opened its eyes and is very likely to take the lead. Moreover, the legislative bodies of some major countries are still half-hidden, and private foundations in the United States have repeatedly rewarded brave men. The pioneers in science and technology and business must win. Said it was the first consideration. With the development of genetic medicine and analysis of genes, the corresponding bioinformatics industry will surely advance exponentially in the next few years. "Brother, hurry up and order a Pentium 8 for us. The Pentium 7 that was just installed last year is too slow. And the chip needs to be the latest 10 Gigabit class. The capacity of our current chip is too small." The 4-dimensional space of biological information in a few years Big explosion, I think this is how I eagerly proposed to the computer vendor to replace the terminal in our department. At that time, the bioinformatics industry will keep pace with the information information industry and become a dominant player in the pillar industries of the economy. One morning, when the market opens, Microsoft stock will be really weak, and Bill Gates will no longer be the richest man. Reader friends, if your IQ is high enough, don’t let go of the first bioinformatics stock to be listed in the future, you will definitely make a fortune! With paper, it is better than stone carvings and bamboo slips; with the Internet, the north, south, east and west of the earth are like close neighbors; with genes? New organisms, perhaps including humans, will be copied like watches. There are long-lasting legal battles in the United States every year, which makes the press happy and the public unhappy. For example, the Simpson murder case, the Monica Lowinsky case, the difficult ballot case in the presidential election... You don't know, but if genes are involved, it will be a top-level planetary litigation battle, and you don't know how many experienced big names in genetic biology will be hired. Lawyers. From the International Court of Justice in The Hague to small civil courts everywhere, countries are fighting against each other, companies are fighting against companies, and people are suing each other. Moreover, the ink on the newly enacted provisions has not yet dried, and new cases that precede this provision are constantly emerging. Moreover, it is not only a legal issue but also an ethical issue. New organisms, including some humans, may never have had parents because of asexual reproduction, and their ancestors were in the laboratory. Maybe you are passionately in love with your boyfriend, but you never thought that there is another person in the next door place who looks, behaves, and pronounces exactly the same as him. Who are you having dinner with? There are so many new jokes that are both hilarious and hilarious! Moreover, it is not only ethics, but also society.
Today's social structure must be reorganized, but this is by no means the reconstruction of the world as Huntington suggested. His and Toffler's predictions about the future have no new listeners. What's more, what's more... a new humanistic ecology and new civilizational worries. Let's go back to the story at the beginning. I and a large number of elites each won the pig's head prize; then, we stepped off the altar. Looking back at the forum, the debate between science and humanities among the new generation has entered a new round. There are many ups and downs on projection TV. If someone wants to continue "Cambridge Winds" at that time, they will need to have considerable courage and professional knowledge. March 11, 2001. Changed to the United States (The author is an American cardiothoracic surgeon and a doctor of clinical medicine) "Guangming Daily" March 21, 2001