Wen Constance
July 1, 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. In the past 100 years, the journey of the Communist Party of China has been magnificent, and the original intention of the past century has lasted for a long time. Party members are an important "cell" and core force of the Communist Party of China and the vanguard fighters of the Chinese working class. At present, there are 90 million party members in China who are making unremitting efforts, among which young party members play an increasingly important role - they shoulder the responsibility of national development, take root in the great cause of national development, and show the world a new style of party members with ideals, responsibilities, vitality and innovative thinking. The feelings of home and country, the changes of the times, they are also a living example of constantly seeking happiness for the people.
The 21st century is known as the "century of biological sciences."
As early as the beginning of 2000, scientists and official institutions in various countries predicted that in the future, in the field of food, environment, energy, health and other fields closely related to human survival and development, biological research is promising, which is bound to play a key role in promoting social progress and development.
This tide of science made Yang Zhonglin, who had always loved and was good at biology, resolutely fill in the volunteer of the College of Life Sciences of Yunnan University - Life Sciences and Biotechnology Base Class, and his scientific research path of "long road and long road" was also paved.
Yang Zhonglin in life. / Courtesy of the interviewee
In an interview, Yang Zhonglin looked a little nervous and restrained. The practical and rigorous scientific habits keep him from talking too quickly or too fullly, and I seem to be able to hear him searching for keywords in his brain and typing the right words for "click-
However, Zhong Lin's enterprising qualities could not be hidden. He is like a big tree, giving people the impression of being calm, reliable, tenacious and strong.
Since high school, he has longed for the glorious status of "party member". His father was a party member, and his sister, who was both good in character and excellent learning, also joined the party in college— all of which inspired Zhong Lin, and later through study and reading, he gained a deeper understanding of the founding, development history and great achievements of the Communist Party of China, and felt that it was very honorable and proud to become a member of the Communist Party of China.
After hard work, Zhong Lin completed his studies with excellent grades in his senior year and officially joined the Communist Party of China.
Yang Zhonglin at work. /Courtesy of the interviewee
Every step of Zhong Lin's academic or career choices is with the development of the country and the needs of the national conditions, he perceives the changes in the society of the motherland, strives to put what he has learned and felt into the cause he loves, and also contributes to the progress of society.
At the beginning of 2020, Yang Zhonglin joined Zhuhai Shengmei Biological Diagnostic Technology Co., Ltd. and entered the scientific research track of "cancer liquid biopsy", hoping to "provide doctors and patients with comprehensive oncology disease course management services" and help humans overcome cancer.
Although about cancer, people do not have enough information. Entering this track is tantamount to sailing in the sea in the middle of the night - there is no established road, and there is no guidance from predecessors, and you can only grope with the team and try to move forward towards the difficulties.
As a party member, the charge is ahead
Go to the south and do practical things with what you have learned
Born in an ethnic minority family in Yunnan, Yang Zhonglin helped his mother farm in the countryside since he was a child, loved to play in nature and discover new things, and the rich natural environment also stimulated Zhonglin's curiosity and research interest in life and the environment.
Biology is an easy to get started, proficient in the difficult discipline, the truth and framework of all things in the world, before people have long used simple words to understand, but under these frameworks of the "pathway" or "mystery", so that the grown-up Zhong Lin continues to explore, adhere to deep ploughing, pioneering, discernment, innovation.
The beautiful natural and cultural scenery of Yunnan. / Screenshot of the movie "Home at One Point"
After graduating with a master's degree, Zhong Lin once walked out of the ivory tower and joined the Institute of Tropical Cash Crops, which corresponded to his profession.
However, the completely different pace of life and way of doing things from work and reading made Zhong Lin not very adaptable, "At that time, the work of the institute was to describe and promote the biological habits of introducing pepper", the work was very basic, "rarely involved in biological activity, functionality and other experiments." In addition, there are many administrative tasks, "and the expectation value gap is quite large."
Therefore, in 2013, Zhong Lin returned to the academic track and was admitted to the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to pursue a doctorate, with the research direction of pharmacology, mainly doing anti-aging research. The development of the project was once difficult, and it took him a total of 6 years to graduate.
The issue of employment is once again in front of him, and that is 2019.
Many institutions have thrown olive branches to Zhong Lin to provide teaching opportunities, and he can also choose to continue academic research within the system. But he recalled his previous work experience, "Maybe this life has seen the head, less challenging, much less joy and surprise."
The sudden outbreak of the epidemic in 2020 has determined the trajectory of Zhong Lin's life to some extent.
"At that time, medical staff went to Wuhan to fight the epidemic, and people from all walks of life were supporting the fight against the epidemic in their own way. As party members, we should charge ahead. Seeing the news that grass-roots party organizations at all levels and the majority of party members across the country actively participate in epidemic prevention and control, and seeing countless party members leading the way, "where the most dangerous, where the most arduous, where the most needed, there are party members fighting hard."
As a party member, Zhong Lin is eager to contribute to the country and society.
Medical workers working in protective clothing during the Wuhan epidemic. / Documentary "Wuhan: A Life in Lockdown"
Zhong Lin regrets that he is not a medical professional, otherwise he can directly participate in the anti-epidemic work, and his daily theoretical study only stops at publishing journal articles, and does not solve the ultimate goal of "how to improve the quality of human life". "Since then, I have been particularly clear about choosing a job that serves society and has a more practical impact and role on humanity." He hopes to put the knowledge and skills he has learned into the actual scenes of life and use what he has learned to do practical things.
It was too comfortable to continue to stay in his hometown of Yunnan, and Zhong Lin wanted to get out of his comfort zone and break outside.
At the beginning of 2019, the state issued the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which clearly proposed to develop a world-class bay area and a world-class city cluster with vitality, outstanding innovation ability, industrial structure optimization, smooth flow of factors and beautiful ecological environment.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is here. Zhong Lin decided: Leave your hometown and go to the south!
Staying in his hometown of Yunnan is too comfortable, and Zhong Lin wants to get out of his comfort zone and break outside. /pexels
"Climbing Mount Everest" work routine
The American documentary literature "Blood Plague" describes veterinary pathologist Nancy M. Jakes studies the specific processes of the Ebola virus, from which the average reader can perceive the daily life of a biological researcher.
Nancy drove to work at the U.S. Army's Infectious Diseases Institute and began a thrilling day with a biosafety level 4 lab:
The whole body is sterilized and put on a surgical gown to make sure every hair is tucked into the hat; on the door to the level 2 area, a dark blue beam of light — that is, ultraviolet light , destroys the genetic material of the virus, making it impossible to replicate.
Entering the Level 3 area, Nancy added protection, put on latex gloves, and then used tape to secure the gloves and sleeves, socks and trousers, completely sealing. Then she carefully put on her sealed protective suit, the most important protective barrier between her and the virus.
Fully armed and in full force, every step is thrilling. / Screenshot of Blood Plague
Only in such an operation can we complete the "full armament". Zone 4 – The biohazard signs and warning text on the door seem to be the last warning of death to Nancy.
If you happen to have watched the TV series of the same name, actress Juliana Margaret's walking on thin ice demeanor conveys a sense of fear and oppression more than words. In the face of the virus, she must get along with it, first cultivate and then feed, and then talk about research and treatment.
Yang Zhonglin's daily work in the laboratory is also related to the laboratory doors, and also involves the layers of experimental rules and operating authority to ensure that the experimental materials are not polluted and improve the accuracy of the research.
Entering Yang Zhonglin's company, the neatly arranged laboratories and some kind of clean smell similar to disinfectant water reminded me of the picture in "Blood Plague". /Screenshot of Blood Plague
Although not as thrilling as "Blood Plague", it is also full of unknowns. Zhong Lin, who is the head of research and development in the company, focuses on the field of "tumor fluid biopsy", focusing on peripheral blood circulation tumor cells (CTC) - behind which is actually a huge cancer treatment market full of unknowns and challenges.
All kinds of data show that malignant tumors have become one of the biggest threats to the health of people around the world.
"But cancer is generally not acute, and the primary lesion of the tumor often does not directly lead to death, and the disease caused by tumor metastasis is the main cause of patient death." According to statistics, more than 90% of tumor patients die from tumor metastasis and recurrence.
Yang Zhonglin told the New Weekly reporter: "Chinese is too good at patient with pain, and will go to test when (physically) is very uncomfortable, and when cancer is detected, it is already in the middle and advanced stages." If it can be detected and treated early and even in the precancerous lesion period, the 'five-year survival rate' of cancer patients can be greatly improved. ”
Early screening of cancer technology has become extremely critical.
Traditional early screening techniques include medical imaging, tumor marker detection, tissue biopsy, etc. With the change of times and the advancement of technology, "liquid biopsy" that analyzes tumor information by drawing a small amount of blood has gradually emerged. The advantage of liquid biopsy is that it is convenient, fast, non-invasive, and not only suitable for screening in large populations, but also alleviating the patient's pain.
CTC — tumor cells that enter the peripheral blood circulation from primary or metastatic lesions spontaneously or by external factors — is one of the common indicators of fluid biopsy.
But no different from all emerging technologies, although the ideal lighthouse is clearly visible, but the path and method of arrival need to be explored and verified. There are only sporadic publications of relevant papers in academia, lack of ready-made paths and unified standards, and the entire industry is still in the cutting-edge scientific research stage.
Cancer cells under the microscope. / unsplash.com
In the words of industry insiders, Dr. Yang's scientific research work in capturing and cultivating CTC is "as difficult as climbing Mount Everest."
First of all, the content of CTC in the human circulatory system is extremely low. Tumor patients may have only a few CTCs per milliliter of whole blood (only 10-20 microns in diameter), while in the same case, red blood cells and white blood cells are in the hundreds of millions and millions, and the proportion is abnormally different. Therefore, capturing CTC with high purity, high sensitivity (no CTC loss), fast, and high cell activity is a difficult point in practical applications.
Second, it is also not easy to "feed" the captured CTC. "It is impossible to study it in small quantities, and after leaving the original living environment, there is no universal standard for the cultivation formula." There are still too many unknowns about cancer. ”
Nine to nine is Dr. Yang's daily work, and if he encounters a rush to catch up, he occasionally has to work overtime until zero. Every day "soaking" in the laboratory, lunch is solved in the unit canteen, the project and the other three small partners cooperate and promote together, this simple life of three points and one line has never bored Zhong Lin, on the contrary, he feels full, efficient and meaningful.
Now, in the context of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Zhong Lin is responsible for promoting a precision medicine research project on breast cancer jointly submitted with the University of Macau and the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. In addition, the company has also signed a contract with the University of Macau and the University of Hong Kong to carry out industry-university-research cooperation and jointly establish the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Liquid Biopsy Joint Research Center".
Researchers conducting cancer research. / unsplash.com
"In fact, I am often confused, there is no particularly good way to solve, when I am depressed when I read, I will sing, but now I just go to a meal (adjust my mood). That kind of mood, like when you go to the exam with confidence, the result is not ideal. But I will also comfort or encourage myself, and I can find something to improve in every failure. ”
Dr. Yang said that although this research is long and difficult, it is super happy to achieve a small goal every time, such as overcoming pollution and optimizing the formula." ”
"Disenchantment" for cancer
Try to move forward in the groping
Zhong Lin has a shy personality, not a lively personality that comes from a familiarity, but in the depths of his heart there is actually a huge universe, where it is imaginative, unrestrained, enthusiastic and romantic, and when he is studying, his hobby is cycling, open and interesting. "It's not until you slowly get acquainted that your friends will suddenly find out, how come your personality change is a little big?"
Zhong Lin joked that this was due to his Sagittarius "love freedom" nature, but this relaxed atmosphere was fleeting, and he quickly became serious again, as if to ensure the rigor of the words, and added: "Strangers are not easy to communicate with common topics, but after getting familiar with it, it will be much easier, and I will also take the initiative to express myself a little." ”
When Zhong Lin was a student, he liked to ride alone and go on adventures. /pexels
Zhong Lin also hoped that he would be more gregarious, more talkative, more cheerful, and "become a cheerful person who is more in line with social expectations", but he said that he did not learn in the end.
At the end of 2019, during his doctoral studies, because of the epidemic, there were no students on campus who came back, and Zhong Lin had almost no social interaction during the two months, and "didn't say much."
Later, he loosened his ties to himself: "This is also very good, groping scientific research work, very suitable for me." ”
After coming to Zhuhai to work, his hobby of cycling came to an end, "Now the leisure and entertainment is to read the literature... You must continue to refresh and broaden your understanding of tumors. ”
There are many film and television dramas about cancer. / Japanese drama "Alive Cancer Specialist Case Book"
In fact, although the society's understanding of cancer has been updated, it still cannot change the situation that people "smell cancer".
Susan · Sontag's Metaphor for Disease describes how cancer transforms from "merely a disease of the body" into a moral judgment or other metaphor.
"Cancer becomes the disease that sneaks into the body without a single word, acting as the kind of disease that is considered a cold, secret invader... Dealing with someone who suffers from a disease that is considered mysterious feels like a fault; or worse, an offense to taboos. ”
More than 40 years later, the vast majority of ordinary people are still secretive about cancer, and even simply and rudely continue the concept of "cancer = death" in the 1920s.
Susan Sontag, who had suffered from cancer twice, found that her relatives, friends, and even herself were more or less disgusted and even ashamed of her illness.
The road to cancer is still very long, and the lighthouse in the distance is shining with shimmering light, making people reluctant to go day and night.
"When I was in school, I used to joke that there are goals, but there are no paths – I'm used to this state, the goal is there, groping for something new in the known framework, looking down at the real thing, solid, step by step." 」
"Besides, the process of groping is where my greatest sense of fun and accomplishment lies!" Zhong Lin told the New Weekly reporter.