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“Professor Mayland have read my article?” Li Yun asked.

When Professor Mayland came across the article, Yunli was described as a new type of NSAID, but it didn’t interest him much. However, the results from Yunli were astonishing. Yunli was able to inhibit certain functions of the COX-2 enzymes rather than inhibiting them completely, allowing the enzyme to retain its function, hence reducing the side effects typically associated with NSAID.

NSAID were useful to suppress pain, but inhibiting COX-2 also disrupted the natural order of the human body. Somehow, Yunli had managed to suppress the pain while allowing the body to regulate itself.

“Why haven’t you created a guideline for treatment for other inflammatory diseases like Alzheimer’s?” asked Professor Mayland in a stern tone.

Li Yun wondered why it sounded like he was being scolded. “I was only focused on pain management,” Li Yun didn’t have the time to gather volunteers with specific diseases or illnesses during clinical trials. He could only find healthy people with chronic aches. Even if Yunli could treat other illnesses, it was due to its overall regulatory effect. It wasn’t meant to be a targeted treatment and the likelihood for recurrence was possible. It wasn’t a complete cure-all. “I believe Huifu has a better effect.”

“But there are too many variables and compounds. If you can create a single compound as potent as Huifu, do you know how many illnesses you can potentially cure?”

Li Yun wanted to, but one single compound to cure all forms of inflammation sounded like science fiction. Inflammatory illnesses ranged from diabetes, fatty liver disease, and many heart diseases. Many anti-inflammatory medicines only alleviated the symptoms, but not the root cause. There were too many root causes and each targeted different parts and tissues of the body.

Professor Chen and the rest of the researchers were lost during the exchange between Professor Mayland and Li Yun.. 

“There’s an BMJ about the new drugs I have developed,” Li Yun commented as he sensed their confusion. “It was only published this week.”

“Ah, I see,” Professor Chen figured it was likely the reason why Li Yun was invited, but it wasn’t surprising. In the science field, there were geniuses and prodigies everywhere, especially at WIT.

Some of the researchers pulled up on their phones the published information on the web. Just scanning through the data, they were impressed by the amount of data already released.

The varying amount of compounds in Huifu and known toxicity was enough to cause some criticism, but Yunli was generally praised for its unique chemical structure.

According to the article, Yunli was currently in phase II clinical trial with 500 applicants.

“It stated that you have used Huifu to treat thoracic aortic aneurysm?” asked Professor Mayland. “A higher dosage of Yunli can’t achieve the same effect?”

“Yunli is designed to be ineffective at a higher dosage,” Li Yun replied. “The body cannot absorb more than necessary. And even at a high dosage, it can only alleviate the symptoms. To effectively treat it, Huifu is recommended.”

“Why?”

There was a general distrust for TCM outside the eastern hemisphere. The process was acceptable in China as the ingredients used at the time adhered to TCM guidelines. As there were thousands of years of records, many formulas were approved following basic protocol. However, the same approval method wasn’t acceptable in the western hemisphere, not even for medieval remedies from European countries. “Huifu has a better regulating effect on the body and enhances the body's ability to restore itself,” said Li Yun.

“Have you thought about the potential of your medicine being used to prevent Alzheimer's?” asked Dr. Mayland.

Li Yun was surprised that Dr. Mayland had thought that far ahead and answered truthfully, “theoretically, it could be used to prevent Alzheimer’s and other age-related illnesses, but that will require further investigation to study its long-term potential.”

Alzheimer’s was a neuroinflammatory disease caused by beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles. In some studies, NSAID was observed to reduce the beta-amyloid in the brain. However, the increased risk of vascular and gastrointestinal events offset the potential benefit if NSAID could be used to prevent inflammatory disease.

The scientists in the room whispered excitedly about the finding, eventually leading into an open discussion.

“New drugs work on mice, but many of them do not work on people,” Professor Chen warned. That was the problem with many drugs that have positive early and pre-clinical data during animal testing. Unfortunately, once it entered phase III, many drugs failed to reproduce the desired outcome.

A believable treatment for Alzheimer’s was discovered in 2003, but had yet to be approved by the FDA, still in the phase II clinical trial. In contrast, it was rumored that a new drug will be approved in China.

“How many weeks are left in the clinical trial?” asked Dr. Mayland.

“Huifu has another 10 weeks to complete phase III and Yunli is scheduled for a 36-weeks phase III trial in the upcoming weeks,” said Li Yun.

“Did Baker Biolab contact you?” Professor Mayland wondered.

“No, why?”

“Their drug, a NGF inhibitor, has been shown to alleviate arthritis, however, even with a successful clinical three trial, the committee are considering voting against it,” said Professor Mayland.

Li Yun understood the nature of nerve growth factor inhibitors was already questionable. Although it can relieve pain, it also worsened the condition.

Professor Chen wondered if Dr. Mayland was interested in the study, or whether he wanted to study the formula. The researcher was always interested in the latest studies, but rarely had he shown any interest in a particular medicine.

Professor Chen's interest was in medicinal herbs, so Huifu did interest him a bit. The other researchers were also interested in Li Yun’s research.

“Dr. Li, are you interested in a collaborative research project with Blackhead Institute?” asked Professor Mayland.

“In what way?” Li Yun was interested in an international collaboration to understand genetics.

“Blackhead has access to funds and grants,” Professor Mayland explained. “If there is one thing we are short of, it’s time and people.”

Li Yun understood Professor Mayland’s proposal. He was agreeing to allow Li Yun additional resources in exchange for research data not available to the public. It was a tempting proposal. It opened up the potential for leaks, but the advantage outweigh the risks. Nothing could be kept a secret forever, so might as well use it to squeeze out any benefits.

In China, the vast majority of university funding came from revenues, but in the States, the funding came from donations and endowments. Alumni in the States understood that if their schools maintained prestige, it could inherently pass onto them. The ideology was becoming more apparent in top Chinese universities, but not to the extent seen in the States.

Professor Mayland connected the WIT administration to draft up a memorandum of understanding between the two parties. The process typically takes several weeks, but if Professor Mayland oversaw the process, they could complete the paperwork in two weeks.

“There’s also an invite-only forum for researchers all over the world to share knowledge,” said Professor Mayland after they exchanged the initial contact. “I’ll send you an email.”

People in the States didn’t use the same app, they agreed upon email as the main form of communication.