Orphans of Apollo - S1 E7
January 2022
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Previously: Larsson made his way to Newcastle University Medical School for his clandestine meeting. But maybe it’s not what he was hoping for.
The lift doors opened onto a white and featureless but well lit corridor.
“Follow me, our lab is just down here,” said Isaac as they exited the lift.
If his sense of direction was correct, this corridor was deep inside the building. They approached a window. It looked into a laboratory rather than outside. The lab had the same plain white floor, ceiling, and walls as the corridor. The white roof panels had bright white lights and vents liberally interspersed throughout. There were four workbenches well spaced out, running perpendicular from the corridor to the far wall. Running down the middle of the workbenches were shelves which came to about eye level. Various equipment was spread throughout the lab, some like microscopes and centrifuges which Larsson recognised. Others he could only guess at.
At the end of the window was a door, which Isaac opened and motioned for Larsson to enter. Inside was a small office, which backed into the lab. A young Asian woman wearing a white lab coat looked up from a computer screen. She stood politely to greet them.
“This is my colleague Ling Xue,” said Isaac. “Ling, this is Charles Ainsley. Remember, we talked about how he would possibly like to help fund some of our research.”
“Yes, pleased to meet you.” She spoke with quite a heavy but easily understandable Chinese accent.
Larsson guessed she was a similar age to Issac, mid twenties. She was thin and elegant, about 170cm with glasses, her jet black hair tied back in a bun.
“Ling is the brains of the operation,” said Issac. She smiled politely and looked down. “We’d like to give you an overview of our work and a tour of the lab. Then we can talk about how we can work together.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
Isaac pulled out a chair from one of the desks and offered it to Larsson.
“Would you like a drink, tea, coffee?” asked Ling.
“Coffee please.”
“I’m afraid we only have instant here in the office.”
“That’s OK.”
Ling went over to the corner of the office and set about making some drinks, all the time glancing over to Issac and Larsson as they started talking.
“We are both doctoral students here at the medical school. As I’ve mentioned, we study human genetics, a field this university is well known for.”
“Yes, I learned recently the university was one of the first to receive authority to work with stem cells in human embryos.”
“That is correct. I’m sure you are aware there are very strict rules on the research which can be done in the field of human genetics.”
“I’m well aware of this. Sometimes the mere suggestion of anything other than curing the most terrible of hereditary diseases can get you into hot water. But science and civilisation must move on,” Larsson said emphatically.
Isaac shot and uncomfortable glance towards the door and said in a lowered voice. “Then I’m sure you must also be aware of He Jiankui?”
“The scientist who created Lulu and Nana, the first genetically edited human babies. Yes, I believe he was sent to jail.”
Ling handed a cup of coffee to Larsson. “Three years in jail and a large fine.” She sat down. “I think he was quite lucky, actually. But of course, he was only the front man. In China, there is a lot of undercover work going on in the field of genetic engineering. Some people in power hope to produce a super race.”
“I thought the Chinese Courts were the ones that sent him to jail though?” asked Larsson, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Mr Larsson, in my country one minute you can be working for the government and the next you are a pariah. This might be because you have outlived your usefulness or it suits a particular narrative the government wants to project overseas. Or maybe you wish notoriety a little too much.”
Isaac shuffled a little uncomfortably in his seat.
“Yes, well, let’s get down to business, shall we?” He cleared his throat. “What do you know about the ageing process?”
“I know it happens to all of us and right now there is nothing much we can do about it,” said Larsson flippantly.
Isaac laughed the polite laugh used when hearing a joke for the umpteenth time, but it would be impolite to say so.
Larsson continued, “Over time, the DNA in our cells can become damaged, and this can stop the replication mechanism from functioning correctly. Also, each time our cells divide, they make a copy of their DNA. Sometimes there will be an error and this produces mutations which can lead to diseases such as cancer.”
“In a nutshell, that’s essentially correct,” said Isaac.
“A very short but good overview, Mr Larsson,” said Ling with a slight smile.
“Please, call me Christian.”
“And have you heard of the Tardigrade?” asked Isaac.
“Yes, the Water Bear. They are quite incredible. I believe they have survived in the vacuum of space.”
“They are a fascinating creature. Have you ever seen one in real life?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Isaac rose from his seat. “We have some here in the lab. You should come and take a look. They are quite amazing to watch.”
He plucked a white lab coat from a hook behind the door and handed it to Larsson, then opened the door from the office into the laboratory. Larsson and Ling followed Isaac past several rows of desks where a couple of white-coated lab technicians were engrossed in their work. He lead them down one of the rows to a microscope.
“I thought you would be interested to see them, so I set this up before you arrived,” Isaac said proudly. He gestured to the microscope. “Take a look.”
Larsson put his eyes to the eyepiece.
“It should be pretty well in focus, but if you need to adjust it, it’s the little knob on your right.”
Larsson peered into the eyepiece. It was a little blurry. He gently twisted the knob between his thumb and forefinger, bringing the image into focus. There was a translucent cloud made up of countless small circular blobs, some clear and some green. It looked a bit like frog spawn, but Larsson assumed this must be a small piece of algae. Amongst it and around the edges, several small creatures could be seen thrashing around in what looked like a helpless fashion. Sometimes one of the arms would catch hold of part of the algae and the movement would become more purposeful. The creature would grab it with the rest of its arms and “walk” around. One of the Tardigrades seemed to be stranded off on its own. Its eight legs thrashed around helplessly. It reminded Larsson of a cartoon cat or dog trying to walk across a sheet of ice.
He watched them intently for a minute or so. The images Larsson recalled of the Tardigrade must have been enhanced or computer generated. He didn’t recall them being translucent. He could easily pick out the form of the creature. Its barrel shaped body with four pairs of stubby legs, each with claws which looked like long thin fingers. If they were blown up to human scale, they would resemble a bear. Hence the colloquial name ‘Water Bear’.
“They have a remarkable propensity for survival,” said Ling. “They are found in almost all environments here on Earth. From the tops of mountains to deep in the ocean. They can survive exposure to extreme temperatures and pressure. They are also incredibly resistant to radiation exposure. As you mentioned, they have survived in space, exposed to hard vacuum and solar radiation?
“Yes, I’ve read about experiments where they were taken to the International Space Station.”
“Not all of them survived, but many did and they produced viable embryos,” Ling continued. “They have a unique protein, which we call Dsup. It’s short for damage suppressor. We don’t fully understand how it works, but it basically suppresses the occurrences of DNA breaks due to radiation exposure.”
“Ah, the humble Tardigrade,” came a voice from behind, startling Larsson and making him bang his nose on the microscope eyepiece. The three of them turned around.
“Charles, this is Professor Peter Burn, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Medical School,” said Isaac. “Professor, this is Charles Ainsley. He is interested in possibly funding some of our research.”
A wave of panic briefly washed over Larsson as he remembered he was visiting the university under an assumed identity. He hoped he would not make a slip up and arouse suspicion.
“Yes, you mentioned you had some possible financial backers coming to visit,” said Professor Burn. He was quite a large man, probably in his sixties, with a loud and commanding voice.
“Ling was just explaining the Dsup protein to Charles and how this reduces the occurrence of DNA breaks due to radiation exposure. We were just about to go through some of the possible ways this could be adapted to treat various conditions”
“This is very promising work with a great deal of potential. I can see why you are interested in it.” He drew closer to the three of them. “It’s very slow going though. I think if they had known what they were getting themselves into, these fine students might have curtailed the scope of their research somewhat.”
“We were possibly a little enthusiastic, but Charles is interested in helping us continue with what we have started,” said Isaac.
“Well, that’s great. Another person to pester you for progress reports. We might start getting somewhere.” He turned to Larsson. “So what’s your background, Charles?”
Larsson stumbled, “I…er…I have amassed some wealth from various investments, mainly in the technology sector.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “I’m now looking to diversify my portfolio, shall we say, and make some investment into medical research.” He glanced at Isaac, who remained impassive.
“I see. I don’t wish to discourage you, but I hope you realise that advances in medicine can often take a lot longer than in the tech industry. We also have a lot of regulations and ethical issues which must be navigated. Unlike your tech industry.”
“I realise this. For me, this is a fact-finding visit. To see if it is the sort of field I would like to invest in.”
“Good idea on your part. I don’t want to sound condescending, but I hope you understand we can’t make some sort of designer baby or superhuman type advancement which you can make a fortune from. This is about curing diseases. It’s probably not as exciting as you tech types might imagine. It’s important you understand this. I would hate for you to waste your time.”
Larsson paused for a second, a little unsure of what to say.
“Professor, I think Charles is well aware of this. He is prepared to play the long game,” said Isaac.
“I’m sure.” Professor Burn glanced at each of them in turn. “Sorry for interrupting your tour. When you have acquainted yourself with the research here and if you are serious about investing, I would very much like to talk to you in more depth.”
“Yes, certainly,” said Larsson, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“Ok, I won’t take up any more of your valuable time. Nice to meet you,” he turned and left them.
“Now where were we?” For the next twenty minutes or so Isaac and Ling explained the ways their research into the genetics of the Tardigrade could be used to treat diseases, mainly cancers and age-related conditions. They seemed to be talking past each other. Larsson tried several times to inquire about the possibility of somehow using this Dsup protein to engineer a human who was more resistant to radiation. He was sure that’s what Isaac had been eluding to. Every time though, Isaac or Ling would sidestep the question, Ling seemed quite adept at this. It reminded him of Chinese officials being interviewed by the Western media. Somehow, they always managed to turn the question around.
After a while Larsson sensed the tour was winding up, as the conversation drifted more towards small talk. They made their way back to the office. After chatting a little longer in the office, both parties sensed the other wanted to conclude, but was waiting for the other to do so.
Finally, Larsson wrapped up the meeting. “I should leave you two to your work. I’ve taken enough of your time.” They said their farewells, and Isaac escorted Larsson in silence down the corridor to the lift. Larsson sensed a tension neither seemed willing to break. The doors slid shut.
“The Head of Steam,” said Isaac.
“Sorry?”
“The Head of Steam. Five thirty tonight.”
Larsson acknowledged with a simple nod.
If you know someone you think would enjoy “Orphans of Apollo” or any of the other writing in “Explorations” please share this publication with them.
I hope you enjoyed the latest episode of “Orphans of Apollo”. Larsson is getting closer, isn’t he, but he still hasn’t quite got what he is after.
It’s been quite a busy week for me. I was away for a couple of days at a conference for my day job. One thing that always interests me about conferences is effort that goes into organising them and then having people attend from all over the country and overseas. With all the communications technology we have in our modern world, the whole thing could be done online, could it not?
Not really, there is nothing like being there in person. The little things you notice going on offstage. The body language that you cannot pickup on via video and, of course, the human interaction. That cannot be replicated. I remember the predictions that video conferencing technology would wipe out the need for business travel. This was of course, was compounded during COVID. It has its place, but nothing can replicate the in person human to human interaction. So I think business travel is safe for now, at least while we humans are still in the loop.
Thanks for reading,
Alex
This is getting interesting! Looking forward to the next episode!