PCJ – Chapter 688 Initial Signs of Efficacy

“Mom, don’t worry. Dad will be fine.” Xu Minglun comforted his mother, though he himself couldn’t help but worry. But now that Xu Gao had fallen ill, as the only man in the family, Xu Minglun had to step up and become the pillar of the household.

Guo Yulan looked at her son with heartfelt relief. She didn’t know when her little boy had grown up and started shouldering the burdens of the family.

Next to Guo Yulan and Xu Minglun sat another family—the parents and younger sister of Li Hao.

Li Jingwen couldn’t hold back her tears. “Dad, Mom… my brother will be okay, right?”

“He will. Your brother will definitely come back safe and sound,” said Li Jiangyan, trying his best to control his emotions. As the head of the household, he couldn’t afford to panic. If he lost composure, the whole family would fall apart.

Pang Jiahui clutched her head tightly in her hands. There were many things she didn’t dare to think about or face. If it weren’t for her husband holding her up, she would’ve collapsed long ago. Her son had always been such a well-behaved child. He never made his parents worry and was the pride of the family with his academic achievements, getting into the best university. They had thought he would have a brilliant future. Who would’ve thought that illness would suddenly strike him? To Pang Jiahui, it felt like the sky had collapsed. She could still vividly remember the family’s joyful celebration when her son got into college—it felt like it had just happened yesterday.

“Whose family member is inside?” Li Jiangyan asked Xu Minglun casually, grateful that the young man had made room for him to sit.

“My dad. He has liver cancer,” Xu Minglun replied.

“Don’t worry. I heard from the doctors that this new drug is very effective—it should work,” Li Jiangyan said.

Xu Minglun forced a smile. “Thank you. And your family?”

“My son. A freshman at Tsinghua University. Leukemia. He’s probably younger than you,” Li Jiangyan said, his lips twitching slightly. If he could cry, he would’ve burst into tears.

“Don’t worry. He’ll get better too. They all will.” Xu Minglun could see the sorrow in the father’s eyes. If they could, every parent would gladly suffer in place of their child.

“Yes… they all will,” said Li Jiangyan.

The two families began talking as if they’d known each other for a long time.

This scene was quietly observed by Zhang Jiaohua and Mei Qing.

“I suddenly feel like this clinical trial is truly meaningful,” Mei Qing said.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “If this trial succeeds, countless families will be grateful to you. You might as well be the living embodiment of the Great Merciful Avalokiteśvara.”

“Don’t say that. If anyone deserves the credit, it’s you. All my experiments are based on your earlier research,” said Mei Qing.

“But I never thought to apply the results in this way. Professor Mei, how long does it usually take for your drugs to take effect in prior trials?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Quite quickly—effects begin about three hours after administration. The genomes of the cancer cells begin to self-repair, and the cancer cells gradually revert to normal. But since we’re now dealing with the human body, we still need to observe whether it behaves the same way,” Mei Qing explained.

The results from the trial began to stream in. In the observation room, any patient’s real-time data could be accessed via the monitors.

“Patient’s vitals remain stable.”

One-hour data: “Edges of the diseased tissue begin to blur and shrink inward. It is suspected that the cancerous tissue is decreasing in size, indicating that the drug has begun to take effect.”

Two-hour data: “Tumor visibly reduced. DNA testing of the cancer cells shows minor changes. Oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes have undergone structural changes, moving toward normal.”

…

As time passed, more data flowed in. Mei Qing anxiously monitored every result, her expression growing increasingly tense—and excited. The data suggested they were just one step away from success.

“Don’t worry. Looks like there won’t be any major problems,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled.

Mei Qing shook her head. “Until the end, no one can guarantee the drug will definitely work.”

The results of the first phase of the trial were unexpectedly good. In fact, for some patients, this phase alone was enough to achieve recovery—if not for the need to be cautious.

Li Hao’s response to treatment was excellent. Being young and relatively recently diagnosed, his physical condition remained strong. As a result, the first phase of treatment brought about nearly complete recovery.

Xu Gao’s condition was also improving. Although the tumor hadn’t been completely eliminated in one go, his liver had recovered a significant portion of its function. There was no immediate risk of death. One or two more treatment cycles should bring full recovery.

Li Hao’s family huddled together, crying tears of joy. Pang Jiahui and Li Jingwen sobbed loudly and freely.

“My brother’s going to be okay! This is amazing!” Li Jingwen choked through her joyful cries.

Li Jiangyan clenched his fists tightly.

“Uncle Li, my dad’s response to treatment is also really promising. This is wonderful news!” Xu Minglun said excitedly.

“Yes, it’s wonderful!” Li Jiangyan shook hands with Xu Minglun.

To maintain the patients’ recovery and prevent any risk of complications, they still had to remain in the sterile clean rooms. Family members weren’t allowed any contact until the trial concluded.

Mei Qing’s research team also began celebrating.

“This is amazing! We did it!” Mei Qing high-fived every member of her team.

The results of Mei Qing’s clinical trial couldn’t be kept secret anyway—media had been following the story from the start. Besides, the team never intended to hide it. The drug was going to be publicly announced sooner or later.

Shortly after the first phase ended, the media began interviews.

“Dr. Mei, I’m Jiang Li from China Medical News. How did the results of your clinical trial turn out?”

Mei Qing cleared her throat. “This is only the first phase of the clinical trial, but based on the outcomes, we’ve basically achieved our goal—perhaps even exceeded it. This indicates our new drug has truly significant therapeutic effects.”

Jiang Li continued, “If the trial is ultimately successful, what kind of impact do you think it will have on medicine in our country?”

“It means many diseases can be treated with medication rather than surgery. For patients in our country, those foreign drugs that used to be out of reach—expensive or even unavailable—will no longer be necessary,” Mei Qing said.