Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 257 - 256 Divine Blood and Genetic Engineering
Chapter 257: Chapter 256: Divine Blood and Genetic Engineering
Chapter 257 -256: Divine Blood and Genetic Engineering
Richard quickly learned about Gutas’s method of suicide, which was… starvation.
Gutas was confident in this approach, but Richard was unconcerned.
Then…
On the first day of starvation, Gutas was bouncing around energetically.
On the second day of starvation, everything seemed normal for Gutas.
On the third day of starvation, there was no change in Gutas.
On the fourth day of starvation.
In the research facility, within the main laboratory.
Gutas was securely tied to a chair, and Richard drew a certain amount of blood from his arm into a test tube.
Turning around, he inserted a specially made needle into Gutas’s vein, connected to a tube and a strange device, which in turn was connected to a glass bottle containing a prepared solution of 0.9% physiological saline and 5% glucose solution.
Gutas, unable to move at all, watched Richard’s actions, eyes filled with hatred.
Richard, however, was calm, even carrying a hint of a smile, “Honestly, you should have started starving two days earlier. After all, compared to eating, you only need 600ml of physiological saline mixed with 120ml of glucose to meet the body’s daily needs through infusion.
Physiological saline can be easily made up, just needing salt and water. Glucose might be a bit of a hassle, but it can be obtained from the hydrolysis of acid liquid with starch. All things considered, it’s less trouble than feeding you food. Of course, this is somewhat inhumane, and I originally had no intention of doing this, but since you’ve chosen this method yourself, I can’t help it, can I?
Still, this method of sustaining life shouldn’t be used for too long, as it could result in malnutrition. But that’s okay, after a while, I can feed you liquid meals through nasogastric intubation to supplement the nutrients you can’t get from the infusions. At that time, inserting a feeding tube will be quite painful, so you should mentally prepare yourself in advance. After all, this is the choice you made, right?”
Gutas’s heart was now filled with despair, fully understanding one thing: in Richard’s hands, death was not even an option!
This… was completely denying him any way out, whether alive or dead!
Shameless!
…
Many days passed in Gutas’s despair.
In the research facility, main laboratory.
Bathed in candlelight, Richard was quickly writing in the handbook with a quill.
“Rustle rustle rustle…”
“… The experiment is going well, results in line with expectations…”
“… The theories obtained deviate slightly from before, but the direction is correct…”
“… The extracted Limit Amplification Hormone, once injected back into the subject, induced an amplification close to the previous experiment’s third peak, while the second and first peaks were weakened. This indicates a negative feedback mechanism.
That is, the drug induces the body to secrete ‘Limit Amplification Hormone’, ‘Limit Amplification Hormone’ stimulates the Bloodline Gland to secrete ‘Limit Amplification Hormone’. While ‘Limit Amplification Hormone’ exerts its effect, it inhibits ‘Limit Amplification Hormone’ and the continued efficacy of the drug…”
“… In summary, regarding the secret of the Bloodline Seed and the action mechanism of the Spartan Heroic Potion, it is organized as follows.
”
When ordinary people use the potion: Potion → regulates the human body, enhances effects, and releases “Limit Amplification Hormone” → ends.
When the Bloodline Seed activates power: Bloodline Gland → secretes “Ordinary Amplification Hormone” → regulates the human body, enhances effects → ends.
When the Bloodline Seed activates power and uses the potion: Potion → regulates the human body, enhances effects, and releases “Limit Amplification Hormone” → stimulates the Bloodline Gland → secretes “Limit Amplification Hormone” → regulates the human body, produces a third peak amplification effect, and unleashes abilities beyond human limits → ends.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
…
Richard paused, his gaze turning serious. He continued to write on the Papyrus Scroll serving as his experimental Handbook:
“Based on the above, the most valuable part of this theory is undoubtedly the use of the Limit Amplification Hormone. Its exact mechanism of action on the human body remains unclear, but its effects are beyond imagination. Only a minute amount is needed to transform an ordinary individual into a ‘Superman,’ and calling it ‘Divine Blood’ is not an overstatement.
However, the utilization presents a great challenge.
First is the difficulty in extraction, involving numerous steps to overcome, with low success rates, extremely low yield, unstable processes, and high costs.
Furthermore, its sources are scarce; only those with the Bloodline Seed can provide it, making large-scale production impossible. In fact, we can’t even achieve small-scale production. Currently, it can only satisfy very limited lab testing, with no practical use.”
“Whew—”
Richard exhaled, put down his Quill, and pondered.
The current research on the Spartan Heroic Potion and the Bloodline Seed had hit a bottleneck. The most substantial finding—’Divine Blood’—had been proven, but it was unusable.
It was like finally figuring out the winning lottery numbers but being unable to buy the ticket due to lacking two dollars.
So how to solve this?
Richard rubbed his temples vigorously.
How were hormones like this ‘Divine Blood’ dealt with on modern Earth, and how was mass production achieved?
On Earth, the most representative case should be… Insulin.
Yes, Insulin.
Insulin, a protein hormone secreted by pancreatic beta cells, is the only hormone that lowers blood sugar and is the primary medication used to treat diabetes.
Thus, after its discovery in 1921, Insulin was clinically used in 1922 to treat diabetes—before its discovery, diabetes was a fatal disease akin to cancer.
With the development of time, urbanization’s acceleration, and the extension of human life expectancy, the number of people with diabetes has been rising—in a modern urban environment, for every 10-year increase in age, the prevalence of diabetes increases by 68%—therefore, the demand for Insulin skyrocketed.
Initially, Insulin was extracted from the bodies of animals such as cattle, sheep, and pigs. These mammals’ Insulin molecules have certain differences in amino acid sequence and structure, among which Pig Insulin is closest to human’s. Thus, people obtained Insulin from pigs’ bodies to treat diabetes—this is the first generation of Insulin.
However, the first generation, Pig Insulin, differs from Human Insulin by 1 to 4 amino acids, and it is prone to immune reactions, fat atrophy or hypertrophy at the injection site, and Insulin allergic reactions. Its high immunogenicity also causes repeated episodes of high and low blood sugar, leading to Insulin resistance. Most importantly, production was limited by the number of living pig pancreases.
So, after decades of research, the second generation Insulin was developed.
The second generation Insulin made use of Genetic Engineering (Recombinant DNA) with yeast (Beer Yeast, Pichia yeast, or Hanxun Yeast), Recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells (CHO), et cetera, to express high-purity synthetic Human Insulin. Its structure matches the Insulin secreted by the human body, eliminating several deficiencies of the first generation Insulin. Moreover, this version could be produced on a large scale using microbial tissue culture or transgenic animals and was broadly used to treat patients.
Next came the third generation of Insulin, developed from the second. Genetic Engineering tech was used to alter certain structures on the Insulin peptide chain, creating analogs more attuned to human physiological needs that can be used at mealtime, known as Mealtime Insulin or Rapid-acting Insulin.
Overall, in summary, the modern Earth solution to this issue is… Genetic Engineering.
“Genetic Engineering,” Richard articulated thoughtfully, gathering his thoughts.
