Pig

I would be lying if I said that I knew, one year ago, the meaning of a caption "This pig could save your life" in the National Geographic magazine this May. Now we know. And more so after the headline from the scientific journal Nature yesterday, announcing the news "Amazing feat: US man still alive six months after pig kidney transplant." And surprise, surprise, there have also been stories of pig heart transplantation in human body.

The scientific breakthrough of genetically modified pig kidney is unparalleled. No one can argue with the enthusiasm. And yet, the impact is still beyond our imagination. Anything can go south. Any time.

For a start, there is never a guarantee that xenotransplantation will halt the global donor shortage overnight. This brings me to the idea of researcher Roy Amara. Amara's law, which I learned recently, stated that as a society we often overestimate how technology will change the world in the short run and undersell its effect in the long run.

So, in all likelihood, pigs will more often appear on our dining table than in hospitals for the time being. And finally, dialysis will either disappear or simply serve as a bridging therapy, when pig kidneys are powered by major revolutions ten years later.

Vaccine

500 million US dollars. That's how many research grant contracts in mRNA vaccine development are being cancelled and scaled down in the United States recently.

It's a drastic and unprecedented cut. When I heard about this news, I knew it would not be a good idea to bring a book about Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci during my conference trip to the United States. They are the husband-and-wife team behind the discovery of BioNTech. I waited and read their inspiring story on my flight to Kuala Lumpur this week.  

An interesting trait of this German couple from Turkish immigrant families is the strict discipline. Whenever they fly, Uğur would insist on paying extra to check in an additional suitcase bursting with electronics, including a laptop and two large monitors, without which he found it impossible to map his thoughts. The family would also bring their own coffee machine and grinder along. Doing so can ensure a consistent quality for their early morning work. 

Oh, that's too much. I could tell I'm far less hardworking. I didn't even have checked-in luggage for my conference trip to Kuala Lumpur. A laptop, yes. Two computer monitors, hey, definitely not. I didn't have to bring my coffee machine even I usually wake up shortly after six in the morning. I wore a pair of shoes that look reasonably formal for conference and yet sturdy enough for running. A chance to run would be more refreshing for me.