In the exclusive laboratory at Harvard University that looked like a scene from a science fiction movie, Addison Bryce stood quietly in front of the laboratory table. The surrounding precision instruments flashed with a subtle and mysterious light, rendering the entire space like a secret base where a "mysterious agent" performs a confidential mission. The laboratory was filled with a faint, special smell of various chemical reagents. This smell might be pungent to others, but in Addison's sense of smell, it seemed like a unique medal in the journey of scientific exploration.
The HIV virus, this extremely tiny existence, has a diameter of only about 120 nanometers. Under normal circumstances, the naked eye cannot capture its traces at all. Only with the help of the "eyes" of the microscope that can see through the microscopic world can we get a glimpse of it. However, at this moment, with the empowerment of the magical "plug-in" of the genetic evolution system, Addison seemed to have a pair of "perspective eyes" that could penetrate the microscopic world, and "saw" the HIV virus clearly, as if they were equipped with the most accurate tracking device. In his perception, these viruses flickered with faint, strange lights, like mysterious plankton wandering in the dark deep sea, and every subtle movement of them could not escape Addison's "eyes".
Under his gaze that seemed to be able to see through everything, the HIV virus that entered his body was like a group of curious and extremely naughty little "bear children", rampaging in the intricate "big maze" of the human body. They shuttled around without any rules, and wherever they passed, the originally orderly metabolic rhythm of cells was completely disrupted. Until they met a special cell - T cell. T cells, as the well-deserved "ace guard" in the human immune system, have receptors on their surface like precision radars, always maintaining a high degree of vigilance, widening their eyes, and strictly guarding against any invasion of foreign invaders. The organelles inside T cells operate in an orderly manner, like a military fortress on standby at all times, with various defense mechanisms ready to go. However, in front of the cunning and powerful HIV, this seemingly indestructible defense line is as fragile as paper and is easily broken.
Addison stared intently, only to see the HIV virus swaggering into the "territory" of T cells without any scruples. Once inside, the HIV virus is like opening a crazy "breeding factory", replicating at an astonishing speed, one splits into two, two splits into four, and the offspring are endless. The genetic material inside the virus is transcribed and translated frantically, and the newly synthesized viral proteins are like parts that are continuously produced on the assembly line, quickly assembling into new virus individuals. When the replicated HIV virus surges out of the T cell and continues its endless "wandering adventure", the poor T cell has already "sacrificed" in this cruel battle and lost its vitality. The originally plump and vibrant T cell has now become shriveled and broken, with multiple damages to the cell membrane and the internal organelles are also fragmented, like a city completely destroyed by war.
"This AIDS virus is really terrible!" Addison couldn't help but blurt out, and his voice kept echoing in the silent laboratory. The human immune system is a super "shield" that protects the body. Whether it is foreign microorganisms, viruses, or mutated cancer cells and aging cells in the body, they are all within its strict "jurisdiction" and it is responsible for cleaning and resisting. The immune system is like a huge and complex military defense network. Each immune cell is like a well-trained soldier, sticking to its duties in its respective position. But the AIDS virus has accurately found the "vital point" of the immune system and directly "killed" the immune cells, which is like destroying the city's defense system, causing the entire immune system to instantly fall into a "freeze" state. In this way, when other viruses invade, they can wreak havoc without scruples. The whole body is like a fragile castle without protection, and can only allow foreign enemies to do whatever they want. Addison made a vivid analogy in his mind: the immune system is like the antivirus software in the computer. When a virus invades the computer, the antivirus software will immediately attack and eliminate the virus; but if the antivirus software crashes, and another virus attacks, the computer can only be "KO" by the virus without any chance of fighting back.
Next, Addison did not dare to relax for a moment and continued to observe the progress of the experiment with full concentration. His eyes were fixed on the jumping numbers and flashing images on the experimental instrument, as if he wanted to imprint every detail in his mind. Finally, the scene he had been looking forward to appeared like a dream - macrophages and HIV "met on a narrow road" in the microscopic world. Macrophages, also a "strong general" in the human immune system, are responsible for engulfing bacteria, viruses, cancer cells and other "bad guys", and occupy an indispensable and important position in the immune system. Macrophages are like a huge Transformer, with powerful engulfing and digestion capabilities. Its cell membrane can flexibly deform, wrap up the surrounding pathogens, and then send them into the "digestion workshop" inside the cell for decomposition. However, facing the extremely cunning and powerful HIV, macrophages also seem to be somewhat powerless and "unable to resist". Addison watched helplessly as HIV repeated its old tricks and drilled directly into the macrophages again, starting a new round of crazy replication. The defense mechanism inside the macrophages was quickly activated, and various lysosomes rushed towards the invading HIV like angry little soldiers, trying to decompose it. But HIV cleverly avoided the attack of lysosomes and continued to replicate itself crazily.
Of course, Addison is not a bystander who "eats melons and watches the show" here. For him, this is an extremely rigorous scientific experiment, and every subtle change is as precious as a rare treasure. His eyes are focused like a high-precision radar that locks on the target, carefully observing every subtle change of the macrophages after being invaded by HIV, not letting go of any small details that may hide key information, and carefully collecting relevant data. The tablet in his hand was densely packed with various data, from the morphological changes of macrophages to the fluctuations of internal protein expression. Each data may be a key clue to solve the mystery of AIDS. In this process, he was completely immersed in the wonderful world of the experiment, as if he was completely isolated from the outside world, and even the passage of time was forgotten. Outside the laboratory, the sun shone on the ground through the window, and the light and shadow moved slowly with the passage of time, but Addison was unaware of this. His whole world was occupied by the experiment.
I don't know how long it took, "Ring, ring, ring", a crisp and pleasant but breaking the silence of the cell phone suddenly sounded, breaking the long silence of the laboratory. Addison woke up from his dream, came back to his senses, picked up the phone and saw that it was Qin Wei who called. He quickly answered the phone and asked with a slightly hoarse voice: "Senior, what's the matter?" His voice seemed a little dry because of his long-term focused observation and not speaking, just like the sound of a rusty iron door.
"I want to go to the movies. Can you come with me?" Qin Wei's voice trembled slightly on the other end of the phone. She sounded nervous and expectant. Qin Wei stood on the tree-lined avenue of the campus, holding the phone tightly in her hand, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her eyes revealed a hint of nervousness and expectation. Beside her, the breeze blew gently, and the leaves rustled, as if accompanying her nervousness.
"I'm really sorry, senior sister. I'm doing an extremely important experiment. I really can't get away today, and I guess I can't get away in the next few days. I will definitely accompany you after I'm done with this." Addison's mind was occupied by the experiment at the moment. The experiment was in a critical stage of attack, and he couldn't be distracted at all, so he directly declined the senior sister, with a hint of guilt in his tone that was hard to conceal. His eyes were cast on the experimental instruments again. The flashing lights and jumping data seemed to be calling out to him, urging him to continue to devote himself to the experiment.
"Okay, then you go ahead and do your thing." Qin Wei couldn't help feeling a little disappointed when she heard such an answer. She hung up the phone, looked at the Durex tightly held in her left hand, and an extremely embarrassed expression instantly appeared on her face, as if a big "囧" word was clearly written on her face. Her shoulders drooped slightly, and a trace of frustration was revealed in her eyes. The classmates around her walked by with laughter, but she seemed to be in another world.
"Wow, haha..." Zhou Emma, who was standing aside, couldn't help it anymore and burst into a loud pig-like laughter. It turned out that this was a "ghost idea" that Zhou Emma gave Qin Wei, asking Qin Wei to call Addison Blythe to go to the movies, and plan to go shopping after the movie. After shopping, they will go to eat barbecue when they are hungry. After eating barbecue, it will be more than 12 o'clock in the evening. The school dormitory has been closed for a long time, and then... Everything can go to the hotel to get a room, and the relationship between the two can be "natural". Zhou Emma laughed so hard that her tears were about to flow. She patted Qin Wei's shoulder and said, "Oh, Qin Wei, I didn't expect this guy to be so unromantic!" Qin Wei rolled her eyes at Zhou Emma and said helplessly, "You're still laughing. It's all your fault for coming up with such a bad idea!" The laughter of the two echoed in the campus, attracting the attention of many classmates.
In the next two weeks, Addison Bryce was completely immersed in the world of experiments, as if he had fallen into an "experimental black hole" isolated from the world and stagnant in time. Although he had been conducting this special and meaningful experiment in his own cells, in order to avoid being discovered by others, during this period of time, he was like being glued to the laboratory with super glue and never left. In these two weeks, Addison was like a tireless and courageous explorer, observing in detail the entire process of HIV invading immune cells such as macrophages and T cells tens of thousands of times. Every observation is like interpreting a super mysterious and complex book of life full of unknowns and mysteries. He is determined to find the key code to conquer the HIV virus and open the door of hope for curing AIDS.
In the laboratory, various instruments and equipment are humming, as if playing an exciting movement for Addison's exploration journey. Addison sometimes stares at the microscope intently, and sometimes quickly records data on the computer. His face is full of fatigue, but his eyes always flash with determination. On his laboratory table, there are various culture dishes and reagent bottles, each of which carries his hopes and expectations.
Then, he resolutely began to boldly work on the genes of macrophages. If the macrophages with modified genes still cannot resist the attack of HIV, he will continue to modify them without hesitation. For him, every modification is like carefully groping forward in the dark. Although this step may face failure, he has an advantage that can be called against the sky-each experiment fails, only one cell is lost. Moreover, he can control cell division with his own powerful ability, and can quickly replenish no matter how many cells are lost. As for the substances and energy needed to replenish cells, they can be easily obtained by simply eating a few meals. In general, he can be like an invisible observer, seeing every move of the AIDS virus in the body clearly, and like a super powerful genetic engineer, skillfully and easily editing the genes of macrophages, and at the same time, he has the precious opportunity of unlimited trial and error... These three unique conditions are what countless other scientists dream of but can never reach, but Addison is lucky to have them all, as if the god of fate specially tailored it for him and opened a special door for him to conquer AIDS.
In the laboratory, Addison casually stuffed a few pieces of chocolate into his mouth to quickly replenish energy and sugar. He couldn't even remember how many times he had relied on this method to maintain his physical strength today. After a short replenishment, he immediately devoted himself to the intense experiment. His fingers tapped quickly on the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the gene editing program on the computer screen, as if racing against time.
"Gene editing No. 29357... failed!" His voice was as calm as ice in the cold night, and he was not discouraged by this failure. In his heart, every failure is just a "stepping stone" to success. He took a deep breath and carefully analyzed the experimental data, trying to find the reason for the failure. There was a trace of thought in his eyes, as if he was looking for a faint light in the darkness.
"Gene editing No. 33572... failed!" The instruments on the experimental table flashed cold and ruthless light, as if coldly announcing the arrival of another failure, but Addison's eyes became more and more determined, as if he was fighting a fierce "single challenge" with this endless failure, and he did not flinch. He clenched his fists and swore secretly: "I will succeed and will never be defeated by these failures!" He carefully checked the experimental steps again to ensure that every link was not missed.
"Gene editing No. 47221... Haha! Success! This gene-edited macrophage can defeat the HIV virus and make it run wild. Once it encounters the HIV virus, it will swallow it without hesitation and break it down. However, this is far from enough. I must remember the genetic code of this macrophage and then improve it on this basis so that it can accurately identify cells infected by the HIV virus. Once identified, it will also swallow and destroy those cells." Addison's face finally bloomed with a long-lost bright smile, which was an extreme joy of finally seeing the dawn in the long dark exploration. His eyes flashed with excitement and excitement, as if he had seen the flag of victory flying high not far away, waving to him. He paced back and forth in the laboratory excitedly, and kept muttering: "Finally a step was successful, great!"
"Gene editing No. 53321... Failure!" This failure made Addison's smile freeze instantly. He frowned and re-examined the experimental data. He realized that in the process of improving the gene coding, new problems might be introduced. He fell into deep thought again, thinking about how to adjust the experimental plan.
"The 65324th gene editing... succeeded! Finally succeeded! This gene-edited macrophage can not only identify and eliminate HIV, but also accurately identify and eliminate cells infected by HIV." Addison could no longer suppress his excitement, and couldn't help but shouting excitedly. At this moment, the whole laboratory seemed to be "infected" by his strong joy, and the air was filled with the sweet taste of victory. He picked up the experimental report, checked the data over and over again, and after confirming that it was correct, he excitedly picked up the phone and wanted to share this good news with the world. But at the moment of pressing the dial button, he hesitated again. He knew that this was only a preliminary success and more experimental verification was needed.
He firmly remembered the gene coding of this macrophage, just like holding tightly the precious key to open the door to cure AIDS. Next, he only needs to use this set of gene codes as a standard, use single-base gene editing technology in the laboratory, edit genes for other macrophages, and then continue related experiments. If the experiment goes well, he can officially and solemnly announce to the world that he has successfully conquered AIDS, a medical problem that has plagued mankind for a long time!
At this moment, Addison was so excited that he could hardly control himself. That is AIDS, a terrible disease that has been raging around the world for decades. The number of infected people is close to 40 million. Humans once seemed so small and fragile in front of it. Countless scientific researchers have come forward and made arduous efforts, but have never been able to find an effective way to conquer it. However, today, in this seemingly ordinary and inconspicuous laboratory, he, Addison Bryce, actually succeeded! A strong sense of accomplishment surged in his heart, as if he had become a hero who saved the world.
After a long while, Addison's mood gradually calmed down. He subconsciously picked up the screen of his mobile phone as a mirror, carefully looked at his face, and said to himself with a hint of sarcasm: "Let me see, who is this handsome guy? He is so handsome!" After saying that, he couldn't help laughing at himself. This was just a self-mockery in his extremely excited state. In fact, because he had been fully engaged in the experiment for two consecutive weeks and had not taken care of his hair and beard, his original handsome image had been greatly reduced, and his charm value had also decreased a little. His hair was messy and stuck to his scalp, his beard was a little messy, and his face was still a little tired.
"It's time to go back to the dormitory. First, shave my beard and get a haircut to get my appearance back to its peak." Addison smiled, turned around and slowly left the laboratory. However, the moment he stepped out of the laboratory, he suddenly remembered something. For the past two weeks, he had allowed the HIV virus to rage wildly in his body without any intervention. Now the number of HIV viruses in his body has reached an extremely terrifying level. If it were an ordinary person, with so many HIV viruses in his body, he would probably have been scared to death and fell into fear all day long.
However, for Addison Bryce, who has powerful abilities, all this is just a piece of cake and not worth mentioning at all. The HIV virus, in front of his amazingly powerful ability, is like a small witch meeting a big witch, insignificant. Addison's mind moved slightly, as if a mysterious and powerful force in his body suddenly erupted. Those HIV viruses that were once arrogant and domineering in his body were like ice and snow in spring encountering a blazing fire, and were quickly decomposed into atoms and disappeared without a trace... He walked out of the laboratory with a brisk pace, and the sun shone on him, as if cheering for his success. He knew that his research results would change the world, save countless lives, and he would become a legend in medical history.