Reporting by XinZhiyuan
Edit: Peach time sleepy
A few days ago, a 57-year-old man in the United States successfully underwent a transplant of a genetically modified pig heart. The breakthrough of this technology is inseparable from the contribution of a 36-year-old Chinese female scientist. Known as the "Genetic Scissor Hand", she graduated from Peking University-Harvard.
A few days ago, the University of Maryland Medical Center in the United States completed the first transgenic pig heart transplant in human history.
However, this is not an ordinary pig heart, but rather the elimination of the biggest risk of organ transplant surgery through genetically modified technology - rejection.
Do you know? The breakthrough of this technology is inseparable from the contribution of a Chinese female scientist.
She is Yang Luhan, known as the "gene scissor hand", graduated from Peking University-Harvard.
CRISPR "cuts out" piglets' disease-causing genes
You know, pigs are one of the best animals for human organ transplant donors.
There have always been two major risks in transplanting pig organs into humans:
On the one hand, pigs' genes themselves carry endogenous retroviruses (PERVs), and on the other hand, pig organs produce rejection reactions in the human body.
Five years ago, Yang Luhan led the team to successfully use CRISPR-Cas9 "gene scissors" technology to inactivate disease-causing genes in pig cells.
The study, Actualivation of porcine endogenous retrovirus in pigs using CRISPR-Cas9, was published in the journal Science on August 10, 2017.
Thesis link: https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.aan4187
In previous research, most genetic modifications were modified at a genetic level. The scientific challenge facing Yang's team is how to modify 62 genes, or endogenous retroviruses (PERVs), in a single cell of pigs.
More importantly, it is also necessary to ensure the integrity of the genome.
Yang Luhan used crispr-Cas9 gene editing tools to overcome this problem, which not only greatly improved the efficiency of gene editing, but also shortened the time to breed genetically modified pigs.
It can be seen that at the mRNA benchmark level, all pigs have basically achieved 100% clearance of endogenous retroviruses.
Note: Brown is a piglet that is 1 day old; Blue is a piglet that is 5-7 days old; Green is a piglet that is 15-19 days old
In the study, the scientists also searched for PERVs present within the genome of porcine fibroblasts and found a total of 25 species. They also used CRISPR technology to inactivate the 25 PERV gene loci.
This is a born PERV inactivated piglet named LaiKa, and the photo was taken the day after birth.
It is the contribution of Yang Luhan's team CRISPR-Cas9, a gene knockout technology, that fundamentally solves the risk that pig organ transplantation into the human body may lead to viral infection.
But the goddess scientist's research doesn't stop there. Just as the "graphene driver" Cao Yuan, who is familiar with it, is a Nature demon, Yang Luhan can be called a science and Nature demon.
2 weeks old PERV inactivated piglets
In fact, as early as 2013, Yang Luhan successfully applied the CRISPR system to human cell gene editing, which was also published in the international journal Science.
Thesis link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1232033
In 2015, Yang published a paper on CRISPR-Cas9's work on modifying genes within cells in Science as a tie for first author.
Thesis link: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aad1191
In September 2020, an Expressive germline genome engineering in pigs paper was published in Nature, which successfully developed the first generation of prototype "Pig 3.0" for clinical heterogeneous organ transplantation.
In December last year, published in the core journal of "Organ Transplantation" in China, Yang Luhan's name can also be seen, and the author is Hangzhou Qihan Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
The study explores the application prospects of gene-edited pigs in xenotransplantation. The researchers knocked out 1 pig endogenous retrovirus (PERV), combined with knockout of 3 major xeno antigen genes, and 9 humanized genes that inhibit complement activation, regulate coagulation disorders, and anti-inflammatory and anti-phagocytosis into pigs (PERV-KO/3-KO/9-TG) as donors, obtained their hearts, livers and kidneys, and transplanted them to 3 rhesus monkey receptors respectively, establishing a preclinical research model of porcine-monkey xenotransplantation.
The results of the study show that gene-edited pigs (PERV-KO/3-KO/9-TG) have certain advantages in overcoming ultra-acute rejection, alleviating humoral rejection and coagulation disorders, but whether they can be used as potential donors for clinical xenotransplantation needs to be further evaluated.
A bully in the eyes of others
Yang Luhan after the 80s is a native Sichuan girl.
In 1986, she was born in the small county town of Bashu in Shanshui Lingxiu, where her father was a civil servant and her mother was an accountant.
Since childhood, Lu Han has often been what our parents often say about "other people's children", and self-discipline and hard work are her labels.
"If there is any genius, it is just one more effort than others." There are also no shortcuts to Yang Luhan's success.
Yang Luhan once said,
When I was a child, my parents were very busy, my mother was not in good health, and I didn't want to worry about them since I was a child, so I worked very hard. I don't always study very well, if you ask my classmates, they may say that Lu Han is very hard! In fact, like most people, it is very difficult.
At the age of 15, she was admitted to Chengdu No. 7 Middle School with the first place in the Emeishan City Secondary School Examination.
From her sophomore year of high school, she joined the biology competition team and spent a year studying all the undergraduate and graduate courses in the biology department, and she basically relied on self-study.
At that time, Yang Luhan often ran to Sichuan University to observe, and she said that she could hardly understand it.
"Read it two or three times and you'll understand." This kind of self-study is a test of self-discipline and self-learning ability for a high school student.
Kung Fu paid off, And Lu Han overcame many difficulties with talent and hard work to successfully participate in the International Biology Olympiad.
In 2004, LuHan represented China in the 15th International Bio Olympiad and won the gold medal.
Naturally, she was recruited to continue her studies at the School of Life Sciences at Peking University.
In 2008, after receiving a double bachelor's degree in life sciences and psychology, Lu Han went to Harvard University for further studies, where she continued her master's and doctoral degrees and conducted postdoctoral research.
Since then, this young female scientist has embarked on a scientific research path that is inseparable from genes.
He is the "father of synthetic biology" George Church
As the saying goes, a famous teacher makes a high apprentice, and Yang Luhan's progress in genetic research is inseparable from the correct guidance of the tutor.
Her supervisor, Dr. George Church, is a professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School known as the "father of synthetic biology" and a member of both the American Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering.
His research interests include genome sequencing and data analysis, synthetic biology, genome engineering, and personal genomics.
Professor George Church was predicted to win the Nobel Prize after frankly winning Franklin Ball's scientific achievements, and in 2017, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine.
Back in 1984, George Church published the first direct genome sequencing method as the first author and second author by Walter Gilbert.
In a 2017 interview about what the next big breakthrough in genetic science would be, Professor George Church argued that DNA was "writing" rather than "editing" IT.
Professor George Church believes that "writing DNA" involves adding genes, deleting genes (or reducing gene expression), and editing them precisely, so that you can eventually write the genes you want wherever you want.
When a gene is added, it can be inserted into any part of the chromosome. When deleting or lowering a gene, either a interfering molecule is introduced, or the gene is directly attacked and made a mess, and there is little that can be done to completely remove a gene.
Almost didn't graduate from Harvard
As early as 2015, Yang Luhan began her entrepreneurial journey and co-founded a biotechnology company called eGenesis with mentor George Church.
It is a company dedicated to advancing the clinical application of xenotransplantation, and she is also the chief scientific executive of eGenesis.
Returning to China in 2017, Yang Luhan officially became the CEO of Hangzhou Qihan Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
In the same year, Yang was named the 2017 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos. In September 2020, he was selected into Fortune's 2020 "Global 40 Under 40 Business Elite" list.
People see the success and aura of Yang Luhan, but people may not know that she almost did not graduate from Harvard University.
In April 2018, in Vancouver, Canada, Yang Luhan rehearsed in the background of TED2018
When she was in high school, Yang Luhan was busy with the Biology Olympiad and delayed her English learning, resulting in her English grades not being strong.
Studying in a foreign country, because of the language difficulties, it was difficult for her to conduct in-depth professional studies, and even the Harvard University qualification examination seemed inadequate.
As a result, she was asked to attend a one-year language class to remain at Harvard.
She couldn't "waste" a minute or a second in the lab until her English improved.
Fortunately, Professor George Church said he could understand what Yang was trying to say.
As a mentor, Professor George Church doesn't let his students waste their time on language.
Throughout the graduate school stage, almost every week, Yang Luhan will have academic discussions with her supervisors, and will also exchange various topics of science, culture and society.
"It was Professor George Church who rebuilt my faith!" Looking back on the past, Yang Luhan deeply sighed.
Professor George Church taught her much more than academics, but how to be a truly great leader.
Finally, attached is a video of Yang Luhan's 2018 speech at TED.
Resources:
http://www.takungpao.com/news/232111/2022/0112/676355.html
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%9D%A8%E7%92%90%E8%8F%A1/18717352
https://wenhui.whb.cn/third/yidian/202011/04/378048.html
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/luhan-yang-sn-10-scientists-to-watch
https://kns.cnki.net/kcms/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2021&filename=QGYZ202101008&uniplatform=NZKPT&v=LWy3PuhixRUfFA1ym2FoLxJWUqvZhuTW8t-djhaTAiwQOTt11HXjMzV2eKNxkgNv
https://www.sohu.com/a/169340019_282570