Surgery Godfather-Chapter 1406 - 1058: Taking the Blame_2

"Now that the safety of the K virus has been proven, I can openly recruit experimental volunteers. I think many osteosarcoma patients and their families would be willing to give it a try. Everyone is willing to try those unreliable and completely deceptive treatments for tumors, so why can’t our completely legitimate laboratory method directly recruit volunteers?" someone said.

"In psychology, that’s true. Patients in desperate situations all long to cling to a lifeline, even if they know it’s unreliable. They are willing to believe because of the human instinct to survive, which is why so-called medical quacks are everywhere. But from a scientific and ethical standpoint, this is definitely not acceptable. Skipping the proper procedures and directly recruiting volunteers for clinical trials is a huge taboo. Our laboratory must establish a gold-standard reputation in the world and cannot commit such a low-level mistake. We are not swindlers; we are researchers in a world-class laboratory," Tang Shun reminded everyone.

"If healthy volunteers are still needed, we could all sign up right now. But what we need are tumor patients, specifically osteosarcoma patients, which are not easy to find. Improper recruitment can easily lead to ethical disputes. If the treatment turns out to be effective, then there’s no issue. But if it’s ineffective and accidents, such as deaths, occur, it’s very likely to lead to disputes. If someone exploited these disputes, our laboratory might have to close down."

"Actually, this is nothing. Oncolytic virus therapy also uses viruses to treat tumors. Didn’t the founder of this method perform experiments on himself without any procedure?"

"That’s different. Experimenting on oneself is a personal act, but experimenting on others is a social act. Masturbating by yourself is one thing, but involving others is a crime."

"What if they agree?"

"Even if they agree and they are under 14 years old, it’s not okay. Regardless of consent, it’s rape."

Everyone is talking excitedly, one after another.

"How did a proper experiment turn into rape? We are curing the sick and saving lives, how can that compare to rape? Even when making analogies, there’s a need for appropriateness. What nonsense," Professor Zhang Zhiwei immediately criticized the two doctors under him who had just used the analogy of rape.

However, the analogy is quite fitting. Currently, recruiting tumor patients for clinical trials, regardless of their consent, is not in compliance with the rules.

"So, what should we do?"

"What should we do? Everyone, think of a solution."

Everyone is very anxious. The experiment has reached its most critical moment, and it feels like success is just around the corner. These are all risks that Professor Yang has taken.

"I have a good idea!" Zhang Lin coughed and said after pondering.

Everyone’s attention is focused on him, wondering what good plan this man has, especially those from Nandu Medical University who are not familiar with Zhang Lin. Seeing his mysterious appearance, they think he might have some exceptional solution.

"One of us should find a few reliable volunteers in our name. It would be best to use the old patients in our hospital because we know their background well. For the patients we recruit as volunteers, each person could be offered millions, free treatment, and money to take home. Anyway, late-stage patients can’t be cured, so who wouldn’t want to do it? If we run into someone petty causing disputes, the person we selected must take responsibility. Frankly, they’d be the scapegoat; but if the experiment is successful, that person must be guaranteed a top three authorship in the main publication."

"For the advancement of human science, I am willing to be that selected person. I, Zhang Lin, will take on everything if there are any issues and will not implicate everyone else. If there are no problems, my only request is a top three authorship in the publication."

Zhang Lin said slowly, fiddling with his thermos cup.

Damn, who wouldn’t want to take on this responsibility? Struggling in research for a lifetime might not land you a top three authorship in such high-level scientific research papers.

"I will, I will, I will," a bunch of young masters and doctors raised their hands high, afraid that others would snatch away this great opportunity. This plan seemed tailor-made for them; for these youngsters, what is reputation? None have any to speak of.

"What are you thinking, as if it’s your turn to take on this task? Can you handle it if something really happens? Always thinking of taking shortcuts. If we are to pick someone, it would be from among the directors. Only at the director level do you have the credentials to take the blame. Not everyone is qualified to shoulder this responsibility."

Professor Zhang Zhiwei slowly raised his hand with a heroic look, "You young people have unlimited potential. It’s not appropriate for you to take the blame. Let me do it. I am the most suitable. If something goes wrong, I’ll admit it’s my fault and take all the responsibility."

Of course, if the laboratory is successful, you’d have to reserve a top three spot for me, Zhang Zhiwei left unsaid. There’s no dispute about Professor Yang taking the first spot, but there were two more slots in the top three. Several people were qualified, including Tang Shun, the head of Nandu Medical University’s Surgical Research Institute, Lu Xiaolu, the head of the Oncology Research Laboratory, and both Song Zimo and Xu Zhiliang who were his right-hand men and involved in the entire experiment. To be honest, if we were to evaluate individual contributions, Zhang Zhiwei wouldn’t make the top three; making the top five would already be considered quite good.

Doesn’t everyone have their own agenda? Throughout history, some renowned scientists in textbooks have fought over academic results so fiercely that it’s astonishing. Considering I’m staking my reputation on this gamble, it’s already incredibly commendable.

Lu Xiaolu is a straightforward person: "This is not just any hot potato; it might even mean backing a Nobel Prize candidate. We’re not necessarily after any award, I’m just talking about the significance of this project. This project could arguably yield several Nobel Prizes."

Implicit is that everyone would be willing to take on this hot potato, as the proposal is ludicrous.

Tang Shun couldn’t stand it anymore, this discussion was getting out of hand: "These matters are beyond our technical expertise. How can we discuss them clearly? Let’s stick to the technical details. Let’s leave these issues to Dean Xia to handle. That old fox—oh, I mean, with Dean Xia’s rich experience in administrative circles, it’s better for him to take the lead in such matters."

"Tang Shun is right. Let’s focus on the technical details instead of wasting time on this," agreed Yang Ping.

---

In Dean Xia’s office.

After Yang Ping laid out his thoughts, Dean Xia considered them and said, "So what you mean is you want me to take the heat for your project, is that it?"

"You can see it that way," Yang Ping nodded.

Dean Xia’s eyes shifted, "I can take the heat, but I have a condition."

Who would have thought Dean Xia also had a bit of a craving for fame and fortune? Understandable, human nature after all.

Dean Xia took a sip of tea: "I’ll take the heat for you, but it won’t come cheap. I have a condition: the tea you recently received as a gift in your cupboard, send half of it to me, and we have a deal."

Damn, that’s harsh!

"What? Don’t agree? Then there’s nothing to discuss. I’ve been Dean for many years, my good reputation is known far and wide. If the experiment fails and faces ethical controversy, I’d have to step in with my reputation on the line. How could I not ask for a high price?"

"But your condition is indeed a bit steep, half is a lot. Couldn’t it be less?"

"Less? The door is right there, please turn to your right."

Dean Xia immediately stood up to show Yang Ping out.

"Alright," Yang Ping relented.

"That’s more like it. Rest assured, as long as the tea is delivered, I will arrange everything clearly, no matter the outcome of the experiment, I guarantee it won’t affect any of the research team members."

Ah, Old Xia, I never thought you couldn’t escape corruption.

"Is one enough, or should we find a few more? Now that you’ve even tested that K virus yourself and the safety is so high, it’s no problem for me to arrange a few more, same price."

"It would definitely be better to get a few more."

"In the future, don’t just lock yourself up trying to figure things out. What could you scholars come up with? Matters like this are no longer just technical issues. From now on, for anything beyond technology, come to me, I guarantee everything will be arranged crystal clear."

With the matter settled, Yang Ping took his leave, but just as he reached the door, he heard Dean Xia’s voice again.

"Hey, Professor, I must remind you, doing experiments on yourself, you absolutely, absolutely must not do that! Do you know how terrified we were when we found out about it, we’ve been chilled to the core and still haven’t recovered. This isn’t just about you, your body now belongs to the nation, understand? If anything goes wrong, that’s a hot potato I cannot take on. Everything else is negotiable, but please!"