Dark Star Rising Second Edition (Pebbles in The Sky)

by Bagley, Jeffery

  “They have developed a very rapid process using gel electrophoresis and restriction enzymes to break down a source of RNA or DNA from a viral or plasmid source, analyze the makeup and bonding patterns, and then store the entire molecular map into a computer database. What used to take months or years to do, they can now accomplish in weeks. The real limiting factor is the amount of processing power that is available in their lab computer. Right now, they are using a small lab server to do the processing and sorting that is required to completely analyze and make a digital copy of the RNA or DNA molecule in question.”

  Alec was interrupted at this point by the fourth member of the meeting whom he was not familiar with. “Excuse me,” the gentleman said. “I do not have a background in either biology or genetics so your explanation, although easily understood by your colleagues here, is still a little above my head. Could you please explain about the mapping and digital copy procedure?”

  “I am sorry sir. I really do not know you, so I had assumed that you were a researcher here at Merck. May I inquire as to your name and what your role is here?”

  The unnamed man in the Armani suit shook his head. “It is not really important who I am, nor what my role is. The fact that I am here with permission of the company CEO should suffice as to my need to have this information. Please expound on your explanation a little more.”

  Alec was a little taken aback by the refusal of the man to introduce himself, but Larry Niles motioned it was ok, and to continue.

  “Well,” said Alec, “I will be a little more basic. DNA is a nucleic acid, which is the part of the cell that contains molecules that store information. DNA is made of a pattern of four different nucleotides, which are bound on one end to a phosphate group and on the other to a nitrogenous base. The nitrogenous base can be one of four types: adenine, cytosine, guanine or thymine. The nucleotides are joined in long strings to make up DNA and these two strands twist together to create DNA’s characteristic double helix. DNA stores the information that determines how an organism is basically what it is. It has all the information that allows that organism to eat, reproduce, and grow teeth, eyes or cilia depending on how complex it is.”

  “RNA is a little different. DNA is defined as a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms. RNA molecules are involved in protein synthesis and sometimes in the transmission of genetic information. The main job of RNA is to transfer the genetic code needed for the creation of proteins from the nucleus to the ribosome. This process prevents the DNA from having to leave the nucleus. This keeps the DNA and genetic code protected from damage. Without RNA, proteins could never be made. A virus is made of either RNA or DNA. It is basically just a RNA molecule with a protein shell around it. It injects itself into a host cell, makes that host reproduce hundreds of copies of itself and thus just keeps on keeping on. The act of reproducing the new viruses usually kills the host cell. A lot of people really do not consider a virus as a living thing. It just sits around doing nothing but preying on other cells and making them produce new copies of the virus.”

  The man in the suit just grunted and said, “Your basic explanation is still gibberish to me, but your explanation of a virus would describe about half the population in the world. They just sit around living off others efforts and making little copies of them-selves that will grow up and do the same exact thing. They contribute noting to society and just use up valuable resources. I think I understand that you are saying that your researchers have come up with a faster way to figure out what these DNA and RNA molecules are made of.”

  Alec just grimaced and said, “I think that may be a little extreme of a comparison. People are a little more complicated than a virus.”

  Mr. Suit, as Alec was starting to think of him, spoke again. “So these two researchers have developed a process that is much more efficient at doing what was already being done. They are just basically storing a blueprint of the molecule in question in a computer, correct?” He looked at John Knowles and Larry Niles and said, “What is the problem with that? I fail to see how this will cause a problem with Merck’s stock price. Arrange to get the patent on the process and consider the grant a good investment.”

  “Actually, there is a lot more to it than that,” said Alec. “After they developed this process, they reverse engineered it so that they could actually reproduce the original RNA or DNA molecule in vitro so to speak. In other words, from the stored blueprint, the original RNA or DNA code residing in the computers database, they can reproduce the virus at any time they want. In the process, they can also manipulate certain aspects of the virus. In the particular issue we are discussing, they can render the virus incapable of invading its target host. This altered virus can be injected as a vaccine into an animal or human. The immune system sees it as an invader, develops antibodies that will guide the bodies killer white blood cells to destroy the virus.” The recipient of the vaccine develops immunity to the disease caused by that virus. Essentially they have developed the process for making the perfect vaccine.”

  Mr. Suit sat up straight and thoughtfully exclaimed, “Why this process could be worth a fortune! Do we have rights to patent their research since we gave them their grant?”

  “Not exactly,” Larry Niles said. “We do have rights to use the process, but since it was a grant in conjunction with the National Institute of Health, we do not own it. After the vaccine process has been proven in clinical trials, we can use the process to produce and sell the vaccines as well as any other pharmaceutical company.”

  “Even so,” said Mr. Suit, “the profit potential is very good.”

  Larry Niles leaned forward onto his elbows. “Yes, we could make a good profit initially, but then that will end. Just think, using this process we can vaccinate every man, woman and child against every virus known to us that causes disease. No more Influenza, HIV, Ebola, Small Pox, and all the others. Although they have not attempted it, we think that the process can also be applied to replicating the DNA in Plasmids or Bacteria according to Dr. Souse. Just think, we could develop a vaccine for every known organism that is harmful to humans, or our livestock or pets. At that point, there would no longer be a need for drugs for cold symptoms, or skin creams for fungal infections, or antibiotics for ear infections. We could be immune to all of the diseases.”

  “Amazing,” said Mr. Suit. “Somehow, a world with no disease, no suffering, and no pharmaceutical companies is not going to appeal to a lot of our stockholders. Ok, so we know that this works in monkeys, but what about humans?”

  Alec then described the rather un-orthodox human trial that Brett Driskall had performed on himself.

  “Hmm,” said Mr. Suit, “what is the possibility that this breakthrough can be covered up or that we can purchase the rights to it and we can just put it on the shelf for a while? Or maybe we could give the doctors Driskall a brand new lab to research something else in return for their silence?”

  John Knowles joined the conversation at that point. “Not only would that be totally unethical, but they would never agree to it. In addition, Dr. Berkshire will already have shared this information with others at the National Institute of Public Health. The cat is out of the bag, as the expression goes. I am sure he is already arranging for fast track human trials of the vaccines as we speak. We still have two weeks before the research is published, so I suggest we get our ducks in a row and see what we can do to get moving on this before our competitors can. We need to make what profit we can now and then I guess we will all be looking for a new job.”

  “I came here under the assumption that you had made a breakthrough that could make profits for this corporation. I did not know that you were going to tell me the breakthrough is so amazing that all my stock is going to become next to worthless. You have definitely ruined my day,” said Mr. Suit. He stood up to leave. “Doctor Knowles, please inform me of any changes in the status of the trials or any new information that come
s to light regarding this process. Also, keep your ears open as to what our competitors are going to do with this information. Larry, I think you need to call an unscheduled meeting of the board for later this week. In the meantime, I have some people to talk too.” He and Larry Niles got up and walked out of the meeting room together.

  “That was fun,” said Alec. “Who was the guy in the fancy suit?”

  John Niles just looked over at him. “You know, you really need to get out of the lab a little more often Alec. That was Benjamin Greco, probably the seventh or eighth richest man in the world and the majority stock holder in our company.”

  Alec let out a low whistle…”I loved his suit.”

  …

  In Bethesda, Maryland, a similar discussion was being held in an office at the Headquarters of the National Institute of Health. Harold Berkshire had just finished discussing the miraculous breakthrough that Doctors Brett and Jessica Driskall had achieved to his boss, Dr. Simi Basjani.

  “Who says the government does nothing but throw away money?” exclaimed Dr. Basjani. “How much was this grant for?”

  “Seven million dollars,” said Harold Berkshire.

  “Only seven million dollars? With nothing but pocket change, these two are going to turn the fields of genetic research and molecular biology upside down. The world as we know it is going to be changing very rapidly. The implications are immense and far reaching. If these techniques work in humans as well as they did in their primate trials…” he just shook his head.

  Dr. Harold Berkshire added in, “Can you imagine a world without disease? We may all be involved in making history. Imagine the end of tens of thousands of years of human suffering due to sickness and disease; we may see it in our life time.”

  “We might see the end of disease, but we may just bring in a new age of suffering,” Dr. Basjani stated.

  Harold looked at his boss, “I don’t think I understand.”

  “Think,” said Dr. Basjani. “All the millions that are suffering and dying from disease in both the civilized countries and the multitudes in the third world countries are suddenly made well. All those millions are going to be healthy enough to have children, and the children are not going to die from some childhood disease. If we think that starvation and poverty is a problem now, what is going to happen with the population explosion that is going to occur? There is already a shortage of food in the world. Even if the research can be used to produce disease free crops, the mounting population pressure on the planet will reach a tipping point in just a couple of generations. Wars over food supplies, resources, and land to live on are going to break out.”

  “I think that the amount of human suffering is going to be exponentially much worse than it is even today with diseases. I fear that your two young researchers have opened Pandora’s Box. I also fear that those of evil intent can use this new process to tailor design biological weapons that make such deadly diseases such as Ebola and Marburg look pale in comparison.”

  “What can we do then?” asked Dr. Berkshire.

  “Well, we do what we are paid to do,” said Dr. Basjani. “We will approve fast track clinical trials, we will give your young researchers access to a fast mainframe computer so that they can catalogue their specimens faster, and hope for the best. You may also want to gently nudge them into trying this process on cataloguing bacterial DNA. There is a good chance that they could reproduce a plasmid DNA molecule as easily as a viral RNA/DNA molecule, and if so, that opens up an entirely new area of opportunity.”

  “You are talking about playing God,” whispered Dr. Berkshire.

  “Not exactly,” replied Dr. Basjani, “God if he exists, did not have to use computers, and petri dishes. Help them arrange the clinical trials. I would like to see them started as soon as possible and try and set some of the trials up here in Bethesda where I can watch them closely. In the meantime, I think that I need to arrange a meeting with the President’s science advisor. I am sure that the President is going to be very interested in this breakthrough.”

  Chapter 10

  March 16th, 2016

  Boston,Massachusetts

  Brett and Jessica Driskall were up early and in the lab by seven o’clock Wednesday morning. Even though it was normal for them to try and get in early and beat the morning rush hour, today was different. They were in a rush to finish collating their work for publication. If they could get it assembled and ready to go they could possibly get it published in next month’s Journal of Immunology. They had agreed to wait two weeks to send their study for publishing but both of them knew that the agreement had merely been a bargaining tool to get some help to get the clinical trials of their new vaccine process started. Instead of having to publish their work, apply for approval to do the trials, and then waiting for a year or two, they may actually be able to get the process moved up to start in two to three months.

  Jessica was very worried that when word of Brett’s experimentation on himself got out, that they were going to catch some major flak from the other researchers that would be reviewing their work. She had no doubt that there were going to be some very jealous people out there. “Brett,” she said. “Why did you have to go and try the vaccines on yourself? That is really going to complicate things. In all actuality they could shut us down for that. They could say that we were performing un-authorized human trials and stuff like that.”

  Brett shrugged. “Are you kidding? We have the biggest medical breakthrough since Penicillin here. They are not going to throw us under the rug. I bet we may even be put in for a Nobel Prize.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself Dr. Driskall. We have to prove that it will work on humans also.”

  “But I already showed that it works on at least one human,” Brett countered.

  Jessica threw her pen at him. “No you haven’t you idiot. As stupid as your stunt was, they will just say that was another primate trial…it ranks right up there with the lab monkeys in intelligent things to do. I even bet the monkeys would be throwing monkey poo at you instead of pens if they could understand what you did.”

  “Ok, we need to start finalizing the last of the primate trial statistics and tidy up that spreadsheet.” She looked at her to do list. “If you can get that done in the next two days then I can probably get it typed up by the weekend. You need to start working up a list of equipment, space, and patient requirements that we will need for the human trials. I think if we start with Varicella, then we can get permission to use a live virus inoculation to show immunity from that vaccine. The HIV vaccine will probably require at least two to three years for it to show clinical success on high risk patients. That process will be the longest. I do not think that they will allow us to inoculate healthy test subjects with a live HIV virus to show immunity, even if you have already done it on yourself.”

  Brett’s face dropped. “You mean it may be four to five years before we get a Nobel Prize for curing HIV and AIDS? That is a really long time. But, hey, we’re young and we have all the time in the world. It is not like the world is going to end in a few years.

  …

  Four hundred miles away in Washington, Dr. Simi Basjani was having a hell of a time getting in touch with Donald Masterfield, the Presidents Science Advisor. He was definitely not feeling young or like he had all the time in the world. He was catching all sorts of criticism because this past year’s influenza vaccine had not been very effective for thwarting the flu in the elderly. Present statistics were showing only about nine percent effectiveness against the most virulent strain of influenza A for this flu season. The CDC, as well as the NIH, was taking most of the blame. People just did not realize that every year it was an educated crap shoot to develop an effective vaccine for what was thought to be the prevalent viral strains for that coming flu season. Sometimes the dice fell your way, sometimes they did not. The only problem was that when they did not, lots of people’s grandmothers and grandfathers died. Some of those elder
ly people had influential children that could make your life miserable.

  The 2015-2016 flu season had been a bad one and the number of complaints from concerned people proved it. This new process for making vaccines could change all that though. Unfortunately, he reminded himself, it could also open up an even greater set of problems. He finally got through to Donald Masterfield after about twenty attempts and messages. He was in luck. It seemed the President had already wanted to see him on next Thursday at the monthly science briefing in regards to the uproar over the flu vaccine. Well, maybe the dismal performance of the present process would be exactly what they needed to get some serious resources looking at the new process that the Driskall research team had developed. Yes, he thought, this might just roll their way after all. As a matter of fact, knowing the President liked to be a people person and shake people’s hands, he believed that he could take advantage of that and grease the wheel so to speak.

  …

  Wednesday afternoon found Jessica hunched over her computer updating spreadsheets while Brett had gone over to the isolation lab to gather some additional data on the primate trials that were now all but wrapped up. She paused for a moment to wonder about those monkeys. They may be in the same fix as some other researchers soon she thought. They were all now immune to HIV and would be of no use for further drug testing for AIDS. She was hoping that maybe they would be able to go to a primate rescue center when the phone rang.