Chapter 53: The Joy Of Immortality
Upon hearing Chen Chen’s suggestion, Samuel’s eyes widened slightly, following which a thoughtful look crossed his face.
The researcher who had given the explanation shot a bewildered look at Chen Chen.
“Hahaha, Mr. Chen, what did you work as before this? It looks like you’re well-acquainted with cell anti-aging,” the chairman chimed in to fill the awkward silence.
“I worked in software development,” Chen Chen answered truthfully.
“...”
The Preston chairman’s smile froze on his face. “Would that be a joke in the context of Mainland China?”
“That’s right, I’m actually a biology major.” Chen Chen nodded. “I dabbled a little in the field of stem cells.”
“I see...”
Chen Chen turned to the researcher and asked once more, “Other than that, what other research results has the inst.i.tute achieved?”
“Ah, we also have breast augmentation with autologous fat cells and baldness treatment with cell injection...”
The researcher hastened to reply, “In addition...”
Upon hearing this, Chen Chen instantly waved his hand and interrupted the researcher. “Tell me about the stem cell project. What sort of business and research does the company carry out in the field of stem cells?”
“Oh, that... Currently, the company is mostly involved in the stem cell anti-aging business... That’s PRP hematopoietic stem cell reinfusion.”
The researcher who was in charge of explaining was more careful now. “First, the customer’s blood is drawn and the hematopoietic stem cells are extracted and cultivated. After around a week of cultivation, they’re inserted into the customer’s face through all-around injections. This is further supplemented with an intravenous injection of mesenchymal stem cells.
“Apart from this, lately, we’ve been studying the process of extracting the vascular matrix tissue from fat, then injecting it along with adipose stem cells into the customer’s face to promote blood supply rebuilding through the transplanted fat. This alleviates the loss of facial collagen.
“This had the advantage of precise injections as with hyaluronic acid, to reconstruct facial contours.”
“How do you solve the problem of the ectopic survival of stem cells?”
Chen Chen suddenly asked, “Can the injected stem cells survive for more than a month?”
“That...”
The researcher was embarra.s.sed. “Because the technology is still underdeveloped, the survival rate still isn’t very optimistic.”
Chen Chen immediately shook his head wordlessly.
These projects would truly sound attractive to certain rich ladies, young or old. Nonetheless, Chen Chen knew that they were merely diversions that did not address the root of the aging problem.
To put it simply, these so-called “cell anti-aging” and “stem cell anti-aging” were new forms of stupidity tax.
Stem cells had regenerative abilities and they could indeed differentiate into various types of new cells, replacing aging, apoptotic cells in the body. However, this did not mean that the same effect could be achieved just by injecting stem cells into one’s body.
After all, the human body was in a comprehensive state of balance in terms of pH, energy circulation or body temperature.
Once this balance was disrupted, it often heralded the appearances of various diseases or even cancer.
It did not mean that just because stem cells had regenerative abilities, humans could regain their youth by undergoing stem cell therapy or otherwise being injected with stem cells.
This was merely a delusion.
Even to treat leukemia entailed that the body’s balance was destroyed to make a niche for stem cells before treatment could begin. How could ordinary injection methods have an effect so effortlessly?
Even if they were autologous stem cells that were reinfused into the body, most of them would die within a few weeks because they could not withstand the change in the environment.
The term “stem cell anti-aging” appeared lofty and scientific-based, but in truth, it was not even as effective as taking supplements.
Although many people might feel that their bodies became warmer and more energetic after being injected with stem cells, this was merely a short-term physiological reaction.
There was one way to cheat in compet.i.tive sports – drawing a certain volume of blood in advance, then reinfusing it back into the body before the compet.i.tion.
After doing so, the athlete’s physical fitness, body oxygen content, and endurance limit would be significantly enhanced for a short time.
This cheat was infamously known as “blood doping”.
These stem cell anti-aging treatments used the same principle as “blood doping”.
Therefore, these stem cell anti-aging treatments generally would have some effect at the time, but they would return to their original state after a short while.
Not only that but medical accidents such as disfigurement, tumor formation, and blindness, caused by stem cell healthcare, were even more common.
The human application of stem cells was only in its infancy at the present.
...
After his tour, Chen Chen felt nothing but slight disappointment.
To think that even the technical reserves of a Swiss technology company were nothing more than this.
Still, this was just a small company, after all. Although they were involved in stem cell research, it was on a superficial level. They certainly could not be compared to pharmaceutical giants like Roche and Novartis.
Nevertheless, Chen Chen had to acquire this company. Even though a purchase of this scale was a serious blow to his funds, it saved him a lot of time.
Chen Chen could also choose to build a Swiss company from scratch and establish a research inst.i.tute, but the timeline for that would be too long.
Chen Chen’s parents were no longer young. They had entered middle age.
A long time ago, when Chen Chen had just learned of the concept of “death” when he saw his grandfather pa.s.sed away with his own eyes. Suddenly, he was overcome with terror –
Why did humans end up dying? What was death, really?
At that time, his father told him that death was just like sleeping. One would know nothing and think of nothing.
However, it was different from sleeping. One would wake up from sleep and be greeted with the next sunny day.
On the other hand, death was a sleep in which one would never see a second day.
This childish, cultish explanation caused Chen Chen to pee his pants on the spot. This cast a shadow over his childhood years.
Due to this, when he heard about the possibility of immortality in Professor w.a.n.g Xi’s cla.s.s, he was completely floored.
Even more incredible was the fact that his own life was rewritten on that very same day.
‘Maybe I can use the USB drive to greatly extend the lifespan of the entire human race before my parents have fully aged?’
Chen Chen could not help pondering this.
After all, having possessed the USB drive, he was destined to live a long life. However, if he was alone, it would be too dull.
Chen Chen valued his relationship with his parents more than romantic love or friendship because the latter might turn sour but familial affection would not.
Of course, this only applied to the affection of parents.
Three days later, Chen Chen and Preston Company formally signed an agreement. Chen Chen purchased all the shares of Preston Company for three hundred and fifty million Swiss francs. This included the two-thousand-square-meter office building and a small research inst.i.tute.
At this point, Chen Chen finally had everything ready. He could commence the scheme he had been working on for a long time.
A plan focusing on research in the field of life sciences such as stem cell engineering, genetic engineering, human tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, all in an attempt to completely subvert the laws of life –
The “Humanity’s Lifespan Escape” plan.