The DNA synthesizer used to produce oligonucleotides was delivered from the port of Tianjin within a few days.

Yang Rui also confirmed the arrival of these basic equipment before starting the official PCR project.

Unlike the happy Muris, Yang Rui is not white in the first place, not an American in the second, not a member of a well-known research institution in a developed country in the third, a well-known educational background in a well-known college in Europe and the United States in the fourth, a background in a large company or institution in the fifth, and a young age in the sixth.

Under such circumstances, if Yang Rui wants to win the Nobel Prize, he must first have excellent results.

The results of PCR are naturally very strong, but for the Nobel Prize, there is no strongest, only stronger.

Secondly, Yang Rui has to be cautious and take every step of the way.

The careful step-by-step approach to scientific research is not a multi-party verification of the results. Multi-party verification, naturally there are other scholars to do these things for you, and the reason why you can publish papers is because repeated experiments have a certain value.

The scientific research is cautious step by step, and it is necessary to publish papers in stages.

Historically, Morris and his company have published about three papers on PCR, and they are large American companies, and publishing one paper at a big stage can prove their work.

For Yang Rui, it is not so easy to do.

He still has a cell-level paper, which is rare in China, but in the world, this is the foundation of the stepping stone, and the effect is a little better than a PhD (doctorate) with no background.

On this basis, Yang Rui is ready to publish a paper with a double-digit goal.

His reference object is the research group of synthetic bovine insulin in China. Over the course of several years, the research team has published more than 20 papers in top journals, proving the ownership of the results with a very clear research chain, and at the same time gradually promoting the topic.

In the 60s, although the Chinese scientific research group was at the national level, it faced many problems to prove itself. Yang Rui now has the endorsement of Peking University for his identity, and he has a cell-level paper, and the difficulty coefficient is about the same as that of the research group of synthetic bovine insulin back then.

However, in order to form a clear scientific research chain, it is not necessary to write everything out, nor does it have to publish papers in chronological order.

For example, heat-resistant polymerase, Yang Rui is going to put it at the end before publishing.

The reason is simple, there is a heat-resistant polymerase, which can greatly reduce the experimental time.

PCR is essentially a DNA multiplication technique.

It can quickly double and double and double the DNA...... Theoretically, you can double as many times as you want.

It's like the story of the famous standard-bearer and the king.

Put 2 grains of wheat in the first square, 4 grains of wheat in the second square, 8 grains in the third square, and 16 grains in the fourth square, and so on, how many grains are there in the 30th square?

-- In the thirtieth grid there will be a billion seven thousand three hundred seventy-one thousand eight hundred and twenty-four grains of wheat.

PCR has also played a role in countless fields because of this super multiplication.

For example, DNA residues at crime scenes, before the PCR era, there were too few reagent residues to be detected, but after the 90s, police stations with PCR could ignore the number of residues. Theoretically, as long as there is an intact DNA remaining, it can be multiplied to a detectable state.

The reason why it is said that the police department only had PCR in the 90s is because of the heat-resistant polymerase.

The raw material of PCR is polymerase, which can also be used by ordinary polymerase, but every time it is doubled, the polymerase that is not heat-resistant will be inactivated in a water bath of more than 90 degrees, and when it is doubled for the second time, the polymerase must be added again.

Polymerase is not cheap, not to mention, this process also needs to be done by professionals, which is complex and error-prone.

In the course of the study, it is also not easy to add polymerase thirty times in a row.

Of course, the development of heat-resistant polymerases is no less challenging.

Therefore, the historical Muris and others, first committed to solving the problem of doubling, and did not give priority to the problem of heat-resistant polymerase.

After all, simplifying the method is only necessary until the doubling problem is solved and the method is proven to be feasible.

Otherwise, just having a heat-resistant polymerase without the technology to use it is useless.

However, Yang Rui is different from the likes of Murice.

He knew with no doubt that PCR was a good technique.

Therefore, he is the first to make research that can improve efficiency, and when it is time to release the paper in stages, even if others are inspired, they will not be able to catch up with him.

In fact, Yang Rui still hopes that someone can chase after his ass.

If a Chinese simply made a smart and simple achievement that affects the world, it is estimated that half of the evaluation he gets is "**** luck".

But if a Chinese makes achievements that affect the world in a smart and simple way in the scientific research competition that you are catching up with, he must be evaluated very differently.

Of course, there are risks associated with doing so. But Yang Rui thought about it and decided to publish the paper in stages.

The reason is very simple, a simple PCR paper will not necessarily send Yang Rui to the altar of the Nobel Prize.

Without the Nobel Prize, the value of the PCR project would have been greatly reduced, and although it may still be worth $3 billion, for Yang Rui, the value of the Nobel Prize would be more than $3 billion.

In line with this line of thinking, on the fourth day of the delivery of the DNA synthesizer, Yang Rui began to draft the first paper - "The Improvement Idea of the DNA Synthesizer".

It is still a pre-order paper, and it can even only be said to be a pre-order pre-order, but the so-called scientific research chain is linked together in this way.

Huang Mao and the others were very happy, they had just signed a thick legal document written by a number of lawyers from Hong Kong, and almost all the rights were given to Sinovel Company, leaving only one right of authorship.

The Chinese in the 80s never made money through patents or similar means, and Huang Mao and others did not care about this, what they cared about was more fame.

Fame naturally requires a pile of papers.

According to the DNA synthesizer commonly used in later generations, Yang Rui casually copied some and used it on the newly purchased DNA synthesis.

The newly recruited Niu Zhang Xuetong is from an engineering background, and with the two teachers from the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering invited by Yang Rui, most of the modifications of the DNA synthesizer were simply realized. The domestic environment is like this, modifying old instruments, synthesizing broken instruments is the mainstream, there are many scientific researchers who do not understand English, and there is little hands-on ability.

A local tyrant like Yang Rui, that is, a domestic academician-level laboratory, can only be seen.

280,000 US dollars, but it is almost as good as the assets of the laboratory that Tang has been operating for many years, that is, an academician-level laboratory is worthy of it.

However, Yang Rui's ideas in the new paper require not only hands-on ability, but also considerable materials and parts.

In this regard, Yang Rui has a very good way, and at the same time as sending the paper to the journal company, another copy is sent to the production company of the DNA synthesizer "Biological Research".

Zhang Xuetong was a little uneasy about this, and asked: "Will this biological research company steal our technology?"

"Generally speaking, no, they don't know what evidence we have left, for example, the photos I just took belong to our evidence, if they plagiarize, we can not only sue them, but also scold them in the circle......" Yang Rui said and smiled, and said: "It's not easy to be a biological company, and we are kind enough to help them make technical improvements, and they don't need to plagiarize this level of transformation." ”

"We have done international Lei Feng. Zhang Xuetong looks a little ugly, but after his own modification, the DNA synthesizer with more complete functions is quite a sense of achievement.

Yang Rui bowed slightly, but said: "It's true that we are good people, but Lei Feng may not be alive." ”

Zhang Xuetong's brows furrowed like a plus, and said: "What we have done is not good enough, and the international standards for living Lei Feng are too strict!"

Huang Mao, who had been to the United States, couldn't help laughing, he was already familiar with Yang Rui, so he said: "I guess Yang Rui means that he doesn't want to give away other people's technology for nothing." ”

Zhang Xuetong was puzzled: "The technology is improved on other people's machines, what if we don't send it, we improve it ourselves?"

"Where do we have time to sell. Huang Mao glanced at Yang Rui, saw that he didn't speak, he knew that he had guessed correctly, and said happily: "Lao Mei's current technology companies are very accustomed to this kind of technical improvement, especially the first generation of instruments, you see that it is so expensive, it is expensive in research and development costs, if users participate in research and development, they will get some compensation." ”

"Have money to give?" Zhang Xuetong instantly simplified Huang Mao's words.

Huang Mao nodded and said: "If the improvement is very important, people will discuss with us to purchase technology, or technology licensing. ”

"Booklets?"

"The accessories booklet is like the booklet we got. Huang Mao said and took the manual in front of the machine, turned out a black-and-white printed booklet from it, and said: "You see, these are all accessories, called the selection, if you want to buy, just give money, they will make it for you, the price is not cheap, often hundreds of thousands of dollars, our improvement, I guess it will also be on the accessories booklet." ”

Zhang Xuetong nodded as if he didn't understand, and said: "But we still have some technologies that have not been realized, can we just give an improvement idea?"

"If we have a complete mind, that's fine. Huang Mao said firmly: "When I was at Columbia University, several professors liked to do this kind of thing, and if they modified it slightly, the technology company would give them a lot of money. ”

"Didn't the technology company lose money?"

Yang Rui couldn't help laughing: "Columbia University is an Ivy League university, a professor at Columbia University, the general technology company can't move at all, people can see his instrument and help him improve, if he still refuses to give money, the reputation of the industry will be rotten, besides, they don't rely on the first batch of equipment to make money, what can really sell a lot and make money back should be the second or even the third type of improved instruments." ”

"I see, no wonder you're in a hurry to make improvements to your DNA synthesizer. Zhang Xuetong completely deviated from the direction.

Yang Rui didn't care, and said with a smile: "It's good if you can get back a little book, and the signature of the second author of this paper will be given to Zhang Xuetong." You also continue to work hard to stabilize oligonucleotide synthesis. ”

Without a stable supply of oligonucleotides, PCR is impossible to do.

This is also a manifestation of China's backwardness in the 80s, and now China is similar to the Middle East countries in the 21st century, with a serious bias in science and technology industry, and things like oligonucleotides cannot be bought. It is also unrealistic to ship from the United States, not to mention the large amount of demand, and the continuous transportation itself is easy to cause unpredictable changes in raw materials.

At that time, as long as you have money, a phone call will be made, and countless biological companies will rush to send all kinds of materials, and one of them may be opened by a teacher at this school......

……