Chapter 55: A Next-Generation General Hospital (2)
What was a hospital? It was where diseases were treated with treatment methods that were based on humanity’s knowledge of the human body. Hospitals in ancient times were basically a place for sorcery. Their idea of treatment was to light a fire and pray; it wasn’t really much of a hospital.
Ancient Greece created the first medical profession that was separated from the clergy. It was a prototype of the modern hospital system. The naturalist view of disease was first established, but most of the treatment was still sorcery-like. For example, they believed that one could relax their mind and have their disease cured by drinking spring water, bathing cleanly, and going through a quiet tunnel leading to the healing room. It was shocking, but back then, this method and extracting blood was considered to be a treatment method.
In Rome, a treatment center was created. It was the point where it began to be systemized and more scientific in many different ways. Significantly improved hospitals began appearing In the Islamic world during the Middle Ages; they even had a separate psychiatric department, taught professional doctors, and created a code of ethics, although their level of knowledge was quite low. It was funny in that most of the treatment was free and they gave discharged patients money for living expenses, but there were some parts that were better than now.
But for the rest of the world, treatment was still focused on taking care of patients and nursing them. It was only after the modern scientific revolution that the concept of hospitals that was familiar to modern society appeared. The rapid development of medical science, the discovery of penicillin, the discovery of variolation, the development of anesthesia, the invention of the stethoscope, and the establishment of X-ray examination: hospitals grew rapidly as major breakthroughs came out one by one.
Hospitals, which were basically charity organizations and nursing homes before, wiped their slate clean, and the scientific approach and research to find out what diseases were and deal with them began. Their progress was extremely fast, and they became significantly better quickly.
Modern hospitals treat patients while geared up with the latest knowledge and technology in medicine and cutting-edge equipment like MRIs and surgical robots.
But they still had a limitation.
‘Modern hospitals fail to differentiate each patient’s individual characteristics.’
Of course, they did basic levels, such as differentiating between children and adults, or pregnant women. But if two adults around the same age went to the hospital for the same disease, they would be prescribed the same medicine.
What was the problem in prescribing them the same medicine if they had the same disease?
It was a problem.
“It’s because the level of efficacy of the medicine can be different,” Young-Joon said near the end of the question-and-answer session. “Right now, early-stage cancer patients get first-line drugs when they go to the hospital. Things like Imatinib or Erlotinib. But will they work well on those patients? Some may see effects, but there are patients who don’t.”
The reporters took photos of Young-Joon without rest. They had come to report on the success of the Alzheimer’s clinical trial, but much more shocking news was happening live, right in front of them.
“For example, Vemurafenib is a powerful anticancer drug that catches and kills mutations that occur in a gene called BRAF. It is effective for that type of cancer cell. But what if that cancer cell has a mutation in the MEK gene? Then, those cancer cells carry resistance to Vemurafenib,” Young-Joon said.
“But in modern medicine, we do not investigate the molecular characteristics of the patient’s tissues when treating them. We just use drugs like Vemurafenib and Imatinib, then switch to another one if it doesn’t work. If we use it for one month and it doesn’t work, we switch to another one. If that one doesn’t, we switch to another one after using it for a month.”
What Young-Joon was saying could be taken as a little provocative, but the doctors just nodded. It was because they knew that Young-Joon was not criticizing them.
“It is not the doctor’s fault. It’s a limitation of the system and science. There have been attempts to analyze the genetic sequence and treat patients more precisely, but it hasn’t been commercialized yet. Most hospitals feel limitations in human and material resources. So, we are just trying everything until we find one that works,” Young-Joon said. “But it is also true that this is killing patients. While we are lost, trying to look for the right drug, patients are losing precious time. So, if we make an organoid based on the stem cells I made, we can solve this problem.”
“What is an organoid?” a reporter raised their hand and asked.
“Organoids are small tissues that mimic organs. Imagine, for example, taking the liver tissue out of a patient and growing about one hundred tiny liver tumors, then treating it with one hundred different anticancer drugs.”
The reporters, who understood what he was saying, looked at Young-Joon in shock.
“It will be much easier if we use the anticancer drug that destroys the most cells among the cultivated liver tumors. It combines ultra-precise diagnosis and treatment. We can dramatically reduce the trial and error for each patient, and even if we don’t develop additional treatments, we can save a lot of patients who do not have much time by dramatically increasing the efficiency of the drugs that exist today.”
Young-Joon added, “I gave an example of cancer patients to help you understand, but simultaneous diagnostic treatments using organoids can be applied to almost any disease.”
Click! Click!
Cameras flashed continuously.
“Can organoids be made right now?” A reporter asked.
“A lot of scientists have attempted, and there has been a lot of progress, but we still have a long way to go. But A-Bio can achieve that quickly. It is because we have stem cell technology,” Young-Joon said. “We will make organoid technology that can mimic all types of organs. And we will research technology to regenerate the spine, bone marrow, cartilage, bones, fat tissue, skin, and organs. And we will use it to regenerate badly damaged structures in the body.”
Alice felt like her legs were going to give out.
‘Is that really possible? Hospitals are going to examine and treat people like that?’
“The hospital that A-Bio wants to create will be the first hospital to simultaneously perform regenerative medicine with stem cells and ultra-precise diagnosis using organoids. It will be a type of hospital that has never existed before. Just as we have moved from medieval medicine, which was just nursing homes, to science-based modern medicine, it also must be prepared to advance,” Young-Joon said.
* * *
An expert interview on Young-Joon’s presentation was on the radio. It was Professor Shin Jung-Ju from Yeonyee University Hospital.
—In late Choseon, there was a hospital called Jejung Hall, the first-ever Western-style national hospital.
Shin Jung-Ju said.
—The director who ran the hospital was a doctor and missionary named Avison, and apparently, he had a very hard time because the facilities there were lacking. They could only treat about two hundred sixty patients a day.
—Two hundred sixty patients? In a day?
The host accepted the lecture.
—Yes. So in 1990 at a medical missionary meeting at Carnegie Hall in New York, Professor Avison appealed to the audience to support the Korean medical industry. And do you know what happened?
—What happened?
—One of the famous oil kings in the U.S. who built an oil company with John D. Rockefeller at the time donated ten thousand dollars. It’s billions of dollars in today’s market.
—Billions? Just from one appeal? This is amazing, too. So, did Jejung Hall become bigger?
—The person who donated that money was Louis Henry Severance. And the hospital that was built with that donation was Severance Hospital. No one can deny that Severance Hospital has taken care of the health of a lot of people.
—Of course.
—I want to compare what Doctor Ryu did in the U.S. to Avison’s appeal. Now, it’s time for the Severances to step forward. But I don’t think it is just to build a modern hospital in Korea, but it’s a great experiment to advance hospitals for all of humanity.
‘I know he’s my friend, but is he crazy?’
Park Joo-Hyuk muttered in his head as he listened to Young-Joon’s lecture after hearing the radio show at A-Bio.
People were grouped up and watched a video of Young-Joon’s lecture from the International Integrative Brain Disorder Conference on the computer. They had checked it in the morning, which was about twelve hours later due to the time difference, but the world had been turned upside down in one night.
Young-Joon’s name was trending, and so was the International Integrative Brain Disorder Conference and the next-generation hospital. Those three were trending for eight hours straight.
“Our CEO is so cool. He’s going to do that in one year,” Jung Hae-Rim said.
“Why are you acting like this is the first time you’re hearing about this? He talked about this during our last team meeting. He said he’s going to do all kinds of things with stem cells, make a next-generation hospital, let’s do it in a year, all that stuff,” Cheon Ji-Myung said.
“No, but I didn’t think he would promise the whole world that right then and there. All eyes are going to be on him once he gets the funding.”
Park Dong-Hyun scratched his head as if felt like he was going to faint just from thinking about it.
“But what is an organoid?” One of the scientists asked.
“It’s like a small organ. To be honest, there were some attempts to use them medically, but it was nothing but a fantasy because it’s so difficult,” Park Joo-Hyuk, who was listening to their conversation, replied.
“If our CEO did something like that, should we assume that we won’t be going home for a year? Just thinking of that makes me excited.” Cheon Ji-Myung chuckled.
“But we have a lot of new people joining us. Carpentier is coming, too,” Jung Hae-Rim said.
“Most of them are coming in the second half of the year. They all worked important jobs all around the world, so they have to get things sorted and get someone to take over their work. Carpentier included.”
“I guess that’s true. We don’t have to go home, right? That’s alright, isn’t it, Dong-Hyun sunbae?” Jung Hae-Rim glanced at Park Dong-Hyun.
“Oh, but I have to go see my kid. You know I’m whipped by my wife.”
“I think it will be possible within a year if the CEO sets up all the basic schemes like before,” Jung Hae-Rim said.
“Hey, even if our CEO is a genius, we should be suspicious that he’s an alien wearing a skin suit if he can do that alone. We have to call Mulder and Scully, seriously.”
“As you may remember, I have consistently insisted on the theory of reincarnation for a long time,” Koh Soon-Yeol interrupted as he adjusted his glasses.
“...”
“Now, I feel like we should really investigate him out of reasonable doubt.”
“But he hasn’t failed at anything that he said he would do, right?” Park Dong-Hyun pointed out. “Let’s trust him.”
On one side of the lab, scientists from the Science journal who joined A-Bio earlier were sharing shocking comments.
“I want to quit all of a sudden.” Jacob had a frown all of a sudden.
“To be honest, no other company would be able to do that if it wasn’t A-Bio. And our staff aren’t just focused on stem cells, right? Professor Carpentier hasn’t arrived yet, either. Are you joining us on stem cells, Doctor Felicida?” Jacob asked.
“I had a meeting with the CEO before he left for America, but he told me to just focus on probiotics.”
“He’s going to do probiotics while doing a business that big?”
“I think he’s also going to do something with pancreatic cancer as well.”
‘Seriously?’
Jacob doubted what he was hearing.
Felicida said, “And I heard what those probiotics were about and it’s a lot more important than Jacob thinks.”
“Can we do that at such a small company like this unless he knows the answer key?”
“Don’t worry about it too much. He probably has a plan. He made iPSCs and cured glaucoma and Alzheimer’s in a few months with a small number of people, right? Now, he has thirty scientists working here. Being as genius as Doctor Ryu, he will be able to get it done if he has more hands working. I trust him.”
On the other hand, the phones at the A-Bio’s administrative headquarters were blowing up so much that the employees couldn’t bring themselves to answer it. It was the same situation at A-Gen as well. As A-Bio’s phone lines were burning up with calls and continued to be busy, people got impatient and called A-Gen.
They were reporters, investors, businesses, employees from government departments, or hospital staff. They asked what stage the research was in or asked if they could please invest. Some wanted to donate even though they hadn’t made a foundation yet. In the case of hospital staff, they were asking if A-Bio could use their hospital instead of building a new one, or they were asking about working at A-Bio’s hospital when it was built.
The success of the Alzheimer’s clinical trial and the next-generation hospital.
It blew up.
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