“Good. We’ll have everything put in writing and Linda will get it to you in a few days. Take the holidays to look it over, then let’s talk after the new year, sound good?” Lou started getting up, signaling to the rest that the meeting was over.
“Thanks all, I’ll wait to see the terms. Thank you for having confidence in me.” Sal was doing all he could to keep things positive and not step on anyone’s toes.
Lou opened the door to leave and yelled to Nicholas, “Can you show Sal out?”
Nicholas greeted Sal at the conference room door, then escorted him through the lobby and out the front door. “Buone Feste, Nicholas,” Sal said as he walked out.
“Same to you, Sal.”
Sal got the written terms the following week. He would have plenty of time to review the terms over the holidays since he was spending it alone in his apartment near the Pantheon. Christmas would be like his days at Columbia, looking to add women’s pictures to his phone, then crashing down to the reality of being alone. The hologram of his mother at his birthday party giving him only a little comfort from his loneliness.
Sal went through the terms, including the strict code-of-conduct policy. He saw clearly that he was on a tight leash. Any accusations of harassment, public disparagement of Lou and her partners, or insubordination were cause for termination and forfeiture of ownership. MD Biometrics may have existed because of his research and brilliance, but it wouldn’t be his company. He would be its CEO and chief scientist but would be under Lou’s thumb. While he hated the terms, he was getting the opportunity to create a cure for cancer. After he had an attorney review the terms, he signed the deal on January 3, 2042. MD Biometrics was born.
Jasmine at 20
2042
S al wasted no time getting MD up and running. Despite how he felt about the arrangement, he was driven to making MD a success. Two years of intense research followed, with over 320 preclinical experiments on rats. Lou agreed to fund a small team of bio- and nanoengineers, but they had to do it in a makeshift lab in rented office space. Not optimal scientific conditions, but that was all Lou was willing to do, so Sal went with it. The lab had one wall lined with cage after cage of rats, all in different stages of testing. Sal painstakingly reviewed each rat’s progress every day. Even back at Columbia, Sal had been very comfortable around rats, treating them as if they were his friends. Whenever a rat died, it felt like losing a loved one. He named each rat and memorized which trials went with each rat. Sal kept Gene, his rat from Columbia, in his cubicle, caring for it like a well-loved pet.
It was one particular rat—Jasmine--that provided the breakthrough Sal was looking for. Jasmine, or trial HM-260 as she was technically known, had a microfluidic chip surgically implanted into her right atrium. It was powered by the heart’s sinoatrial node, giving the chip a constant source of power that would only cease when the heart stopped beating. After the chip was in place, Jasmine was injected with a saline solution which contained dormant synthetic killer cells. The SK cells could be programmed to search and eradicate any number of diseases in the body. The saline solution with the dormant SK cells passed through the microfluidic chip, activating the dormant SK cells. The now-active SK cells were like natural killer cells but much more effective at finding and killing foreign bodies. Unlike natural killer cells, SK cells couldn’t be tricked by some cancers. They were able to recognize gene fragments that were found in every type of known cancer. Once a cancer cell was detected, SK cells went to work breaking down the cancer cells through chromosome fragmentation, where the SK cell disrupted the genetic mapping of the cancer chromosomes.
Jasmine was injected with melanoma cells from a human subject. The cancer cells began to grow, evidenced by a fingernail-sized tumor on her back. The tumor size was recorded at start of the trial and each morning at 6:00. On day 20 of the trial, a lesion measuring 20 millimeters formed on Jasmine’s spine. With the microfluidic chip already attached to her right atrium, Sal injected the saline containing the dormant SK cells. Days two and three after injection the lesion showed no changes in tumor size. On day four, Mario, one of Sal’s bioengineers, was recording morning MRI measurements.
“Sal, you gotta see this!” Mario called from the wall of lab rats to Sal in his cubicle. Sal bounced out of his chair and came to the wall. “Jasmine is at 14 millimeters.”
Sal knew the intimate details of each of the trials. He knew Jasmine was at 20 millimeters just yesterday. “Are you sure?” Sal asked.
“Check it out.” Mario showed Sal the MRI results.
“Six-millimeter reduction, it was 20 yesterday, right?” Sal could hardly believe what he was seeing.
“Yup,” Mario responded.
“How are her vitals?”
“All normal. She looks perfectly healthy.”
“OK, watch her vitals, let me know if anything changes.” Sal went back to his cubicle, sat down, gave Gene a grape, and leaned back in his chair with his hands over his eyes. “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” he thought.
Each day thereafter was Jasmine-watch day. Sal came in at 6:00 each morning to evaluate Jasmine’s progress. On day five, Jasmine’s tumor was eleven millimeters. Day six: seven millimeters. Day seven: four millimeters. Day eight: no discernible tumor. Vitals all normal. Jasmine was eating, drinking, and responding to stimulus. On day nine, Sal decided to make an incision to inspect the tumor site. No trace of tumor, it was as if she never had one to start with. Realizing that a sample size of one hardly indicated success, Sal put ten more rats through the same procedures over the next two months, varying the size, location, and types of cancer. All ten yielded the same result--tumor gone, healthy rat. During the extended trial, though, Mario noticed abnormal behavior in Jasmine.
“Sal, Jasmine’s not doing well.” Mario said.
“Is the tumor back?”
“No, she is lethargic, not eating or drinking, vitals abnormal.”
Sal was perplexed by Jasmine’s sudden decline. “Let’s draw blood and get an SK count.”
Mario drew some blood from Jasmine and prepped it for the flow cytometer to detect SK activity. “Her SK count is at zero, but so is her natural killer cell count. Her natural immune system was destroyed by the SK cells.”
“Destroyed?” Sal asked.
“Yes, destroyed.”
“OK, let’s inject more SK saline and see what happens.” Could it be that SK cells kill not only cancer cells but natural killer cells too? If so, the body would become wholly dependent on the new SK cells, without them even a minor infection was deadly.
Mario injected SK saline into Jasmine. Within a day, her vitals were back to normal, she was eating and drinking. With continued SK saline treatments, Jasmine’s body could fight off cancer, without them she would most certainly die. Wanting to see if this was a trend, Sal observed the behavior of the additional ten rats. Four weeks after the initial SK saline injection, all ten displayed the same symptoms as Jasmine--lethargic, not eating or drinking, abnormal vitals. No SK or natural killer cells present. Five received an additional SK saline treatment, five didn’t. The five who did were back to normal by the next day, the five who didn’t were dead within a week. Sal did another 20 experiments, same result. Once SK cells die, no immune system, then death.
Excited but cautious, Sal gave an update to Lou and the rest of the board. He invited them to the makeshift lab so they could meet Jasmine and he could tell her story. The day before the meeting, Sal set up a folding table with six mismatched chairs around it, keeping with Lou’s frugal tone. The next morning Lou and board members Linda, Natasha, Uwe, and Carmine came to the lab, each taking a seat around the folding table after getting coffee at an espresso machine Sal purchased with Lou’s money.
Lou took a sip of coffee. “Mmm, this is really good coffee Sal, what kind is it?”
“Kopi luwak.” Sal said. “The beans are harvested from the feces of the civet cat.”
“Huh, kind of redefines crappy coffee.” Lou’s expressionless
response followed by silence was met with groans from the rest.
“So she does have a sense of humor,” Sal thought to himself. She’d lose it in a hurry if she knew how expensive kopi luwak was. And that she was paying for it.
“OK, on that note, let me get into the Jasmine trial. Mario, go get Jasmine.” Sal said.
“Thanks, Mario. Everyone, meet HM-260, or who I call Jasmine. She’s a healthy rat who just nine weeks ago had a 20-millimeter cancerous lesion on her back. We began treatment, then eight days later it was gone. Her vitals all remained in the normal range throughout the eight-day period; she ate, drank, and eliminated like a normal healthy rat. We then replicated the test on ten additional rats, all with the same results.”
Sal definitely got the attention of the board. Lou was the first to speak up.
“That’s incredible, Sal!” This is the first time Sal heard Lou express any type of excitement. “What’s the formula?”
Sal had his elevator pitch ready. “We implanted a microfluidic chip into her right atrium powered by the sinoatrial node, then injected her with a saline solution with dormant synthetic killer cells that were more potent and efficient than the body’s natural killer cells. After three days we saw no change in tumor size, but then on day four there was a six-millimeter reduction. By day eight the tumor was gone.”
“And no side effects during treatment?” Carmine asked.
“None during treatment. Vitals and bodily functions all in normal range.”
“Can we see the other ten rats?” Natasha asked.
“You can only see five.” This is where Sal explained the experiment’s downside.
“Why five?” Natasha asked, her disposition instantly changed from near-giddy to completely serious.
“We discovered an after-treatment side effect that we are still working on. The SK cells kill off natural killer cells. The saline solution treatment only lasts about 18 days, then the SK cells die off. The problem is that the natural killer cells are permanently gone too, leaving the body with no immune system.”
They all knew what that meant. No immune system meant death within weeks if not days. The room mood changed from elation to cautious optimism. The cancer-killing SK cells were a success, but the immune system issue still needed work.
“The word revolutionary doesn’t do this justice.” Lou was direct and not one to put up with nonsense, but she was fair. “It’s to be expected there are some things to work out. What are your next steps?”
Sal had his punch list ready. “Number one is figuring out the immune system issue. Next is how to non-invasively insert the chip, how to identify it to the wearer so we can track who has what chip, and how to extend the life of SK cells beyond 18 days. After 18 days, the SK cells lose their ability to be activated by the charge supplied by the chip. Just like a rechargeable battery stops charging over time. That’s what happens to the SK cells. I expect to take another nine to 12 months to get this locked down, hopefully sooner.”
“OK, Sal, keep pushing forward. Do you need anything from us?”
Sal didn’t hesitate. “Can you get us into a real lab and out of this hell hole?”
“Let me see what I can do.” Lou saw the upside in his research and wanted them to be productive. She was willing to invest in a more suitable lab if it meant better and faster results. “Send me a note with what you want in a lab.”
Sal’s Turn
2044
S al put together his lab wish list, padding it with everything he could think of, expecting Lou to push back. He couldn’t believe it when she gave him all he asked for. A mere one month later Sal and his team were in his dream lab. They immediately started figuring out the immune system issue and taking on the other issues as time permitted. Sal met with the board at three, six, nine, and 12-month checkpoints. After 12 months and 300 more trials, they made progress on chip insertion, wearer identification, and SK cell life. Sal briefed the board at its 12-month checkpoint in his new lab. The board sat at a permanent conference table with matched, comfortable chairs, much different from the folding table and mismatched chairs at their old lab.
“We’ve been able to extend SK cell life to six months, a far cry from the 18 days we were at during Jasmine’s trial.” Sal started listing the issues identified 12 months ago, and noted the progress made. “We can uniquely pair the chip with the subject’s unique genetic markers. When inserted, the chip records the markers of the subject and acts like a lock on the chip. As long as the markers paired on the chip match the markers of the subject, the chip functions. If there’s no marker match, the chip won’t work.” Two issues down, two to go. “Regarding chip insertion, we’re able to do it through a magnetic tip catheter which contains the chip. We insert the catheter into the subject’s groin and navigate the catheter using magnets into the right atrium, where the chip adheres to the atrium wall.” Three down, now the tough issue. “On the immune system, we’re not able to revert an immune system back to its original state once SK cells have been introduced. Once the subject has SK cells, they’re dependent on them for life. Until we’re able to find a solution, they will need to continue getting saline SK solution treatments.”
Lou’s initial reservations about Sal had dissipated since their first meeting. She believed he was doing his best and acting in their collective best interests. “OK, so what’s the next step?” Lou asked.
“Human trial.”
He looked around the room, amused at seeing the board members cringe. A human trial meant that the subject would be forever dependent on saline SK until a better solution was found.
“Who in their right mind would volunteer for that?” Uwe asked the question the rest were already thinking.
“Me.” Sal didn’t hesitate in his response. He believed in his research, understood its risks, and needed to prove it was viable. Lou understood Sal’s passion and commitment.
“Are you sure about this?” Lou asked.
“100 percent.”
“How and when?”
“Mario and I can start tomorrow. We have Burkitt Lymphoma cells ready to go. It’s the fastest-growing cancer, doubling in size every 14 hours. After a week, we’ll insert the chip and inject the Saline SK fluid.”
Linda couldn’t contain herself. “Let me get this straight. You’re going to infect yourself with the fastest-growing cancer known, then hope the chip and solution kill it? If it doesn’t work, you could be dead in months.”
“It’ll work, I’m willing to bet my life on it.”
This was well beyond making money and hitting deadlines. Sal was literally putting his life on the line to prove the viability of his creation. Lou kept the discussion grounded.
“Sal, you know the risks and I trust you. If you think it’s ready for human trial, then we go with your assessment. You understand we need to have releases of liability for the board in place in the event the trial goes awry, right?”
“Feckless board,” Sal thought. He’s signing in blood and they’re concerned about liability. It was either that or do it without the board’s consent, which could get him fired.
“I understand.” Sal said.
“OK then. Before you start, get with Linda to make sure we’ve got the right protections in place to hold the board harmless for injury. Only after we’ve got the liability release does the trial start, got it?”
“Yes.” Sal said.
The room was silent. Never before had any of them been in a situation where a person was willing to risk his life as part of a business venture. No one said a word as they got up from their new conference room chairs. Sal went to the door leading out of the lab to say his goodbyes to each board member. Lou was first to leave.
“Let me know if you need anything, Sal.”
“Will do.”
Natasha and Uwe followed, wishing him good luck. As Linda was leaving, Sal asked about the liability paperwork. “When can we sign?”
“I’ll come by tomorrow.”
“So, we can
start the trial right after I sign?”
“Yes. See you tomorrow.”
Carmine was the last to leave. He fist-bumped Sal, “You got balls, man.”
“Hopefully I’ll get to keep them for a good long time.” Sal smirked at Carmine, reminded of when the cameraman at Columbia said the same thing.
Scan Me!
2045
L inda came by the next morning with the liability release paperwork. Sal gave it a cursory look, then signed. He just wanted to get on with the trial. Whatever the board needed to authorize Sal to move forward, so be it. Linda wished him well and underscored Lou’s offer to speak up about anything he needed. “What I need is to get the stupid document signed then get the board out of my way,” Sal thought to himself. Instead he just said “thank you” to Linda as she left. Sal and Mario already planned to do the Burkitt Lymphoma injection that afternoon. Good to go.
Mario prepared a tray of alcohol wipes, cotton balls, bandages, a tourniquet, and a syringe containing the Burkitt Lymphoma cells. He moved two stools next to a counter, put the tray on the counter between the two stools, and sat down on one.
“OK, we’re ready,” Mario called to Sal. Sal was sitting in his cubicle with his feet on the desk, Gene and Jasmine eating grapes on Sal’s reclined chest. Sal gently put the rats back in their cages, giving each a kiss on the head before closing the cage doors. Sal came over and sat on a stool, facing Mario. Sal saw the anxiety in Mario’s eyes, Mario saw the resolve in Sal’s. Mario broke his gaze and looked down at the tray, grabbing a rubber tourniquet and tying it around Sal’s bicep, deliberately working slowly in the event Sal had second thoughts about the trial. With Sal’s swimmer’s physique and low body fat he already presented Mario with prominent veins. Mario grabbed an alcohol wipe and slowly rubbed Sal’s skin where the target vein was waiting. He gently picked up the syringe and pushed on the plunger flange until a stream of solution dripped from the needle. He looked at Sal, wanting to confirm he was ready for what was about to happen. Sal didn’t say a word, that same determined look in his eyes, ready for the injection. Mario steadied his hand, placed the needle on Sal’s skin encasing the waiting vein, and lightly pushed the needle into the vein. Once the needle was in, he pushed the top of the syringe, emptying its contents into Sal’s arm. Sal closed his eyes as the plunger made its way down the barrel. When the syringe was empty, Mario pulled the needle from the vein, removed the tourniquet, placed a cotton ball over the vein where a slight drop of blood made its way to the surface, and placed a bandage over the cotton ball. He lifted Sal’s hand toward his shoulder, putting pressure on the injection site to stop the bleeding.
The Lawless One and the End of Time Page 11