Chapter 227 - 193: Paper Approved: A Special Issue in *Cell*

Chapter 227: Chapter 193: Paper Approved: A Special Issue in *Cell*

Controversy was quick to follow.

In the court of public opinion, most people sided with Director You. The research topic of Wu Ting’s project was simply too unconvincing.

A master’s student’s thesis claiming to cure hepatitis B-related primary liver cancer? Who could possibly believe that?

The project’s budget was a single yuan, entirely self-funded. And yet, it offered such high compensation for part-time work to the students and faculty of Jinggang University Medical College and its Affiliated Hospital...

For a time, a negative narrative was stirred up against Jinggang University, much like the public opinion onslaughts that Xingke University and Shuimu University often faced...

This wave of public criticism actually caused some of the doctors who had been planning to apply as research assistants for the project to waver.

However, the main members of the research group and its expert consultants all remained calm and unconcerned, carrying on with their work as usual.

In an academic dispute, there was nothing to explain. Ultimately, all that mattered was producing results.

Director Fu, Director Shen, and the others even sent messages to Wu Ting, offering him their encouragement and support.

Wu Ting had never cared for such public denial and slander, but he was warmed by the support from these senior directors and expressed his gratitude to each of them.

Beyond just words, Director Fu, Director Shen, and the others also took action, setting their plans in motion.

The first-phase research assistants were quickly recruited. Within their departments, Director Fu and Director Shen began providing comprehensive support for the project across the board—from the outpatient clinic and inpatient wards to the operating rooms.

One by one, patients who met the inclusion criteria began participating in the experiments for the control and observation groups.

Line after line of data was recorded, and sheet after sheet of tables was compiled and sent to Dr. Yan Xi.

While the experimental data for Wu Ting’s first phase was being steadily perfected, on the far side of the ocean, the editorial department of *Cell* officially began reviewing his second-phase paper:

"A Study on the Immune Negative Regulatory Mechanism of Single Immunoglobulin Interleukin-1 Receptor-Related Protein in the Curative Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B-Related Primary Liver Cancer."

Lin Ning was one of the six editorial board members of Jin Country nationality at *Cell*.

His research focused on cancer studies and the field of cell signal transduction.

Upon seeing Wu Ting’s paper, he was stunned by the author’s line of thinking and groundbreaking ideas.

As a giant in the field of immunology, Lin Ning was not only a tenured professor at the University of Chicago’s Ben May Cancer Research Institute but also a researcher at the Jin Country Medical Science Academy Basic Hospital Research Institute and the Science Academy.

After carefully reading Wu Ting’s article, Lin Ning felt this would be a milestone event in the treatment of hepatitis B-related primary liver cancer and the field of immunology.

As an editorial board member, Lin Ning had the right to make a special recommendation. Of course, this could only be done for one paper a year. Using this privilege would elevate the relevant paper to the highest level of recommendation.

It could be brought before the board, and if approved, the editorial department could be required to have its board members drop all their current review work and form a priority task force to review and verify the paper.

Lin Ning looked at the paper’s author—a master’s student from the graduate department of Jinggang University Medical College at the Affiliated First Hospital.

He was utterly shocked. This was a young man in his twenties, yet he had produced a paper of such substance.

However, it was precisely because of Wu Ting’s humble status that Lin Ning worried whether his recommendation would receive support from the other editorial board members, and most importantly, from the editor-in-chief, Li Dangsheng.

The editor-in-chief had the final say.

Lin Ning began to ponder. After all, each editorial board member only had one such recommendation per year. Normally, it was used for top scientists, and when invoked, it would almost certainly receive the support of the other board members.

But Wu Ting was simply too obscure an author. If Lin Ning hadn’t been from Jin Country himself, with a tendency to pay extra attention to papers from his homeland, he might not have given it this much consideration.

If he used his recommendation and it was rejected, not only would he waste his one chance for the year, but the paper would also be pushed to the very back of the queue for review and verification.

Lin Ning looked at the paper again and decided to take the gamble.

Besides being an editorial board member for *Cell*, Lin Ning was also a researcher at the HHMI Research Institute.

As a worst-case scenario, if it didn’t pass muster at *Cell*, he would go to the HHMI Research Institute and personally organize a team to verify the paper’s findings.

Having decided on his strategy, Lin Ning reported the matter to Editor-in-Chief Li Dangsheng and used his recommendation.

Li Dangsheng was clearly surprised that Lin Ning would recommend a paper from an author with absolutely no international reputation.

Nevertheless, the editor-in-chief respected Lin Ning’s decision and convened a meeting of the entire editorial team.

Within the editorial department, most of the board members were foreign nationals who held no particular fondness for scientists from Jin Country.

This was especially true for the author of this paper, who had zero international recognition and was merely a graduate student at a Jin Country university.

Several of the editorial board members raised objections.

"Lin Ning, have you lost your mind? You want us to halt all our current review work just to verify a paper from some unknown student author?"

A foreign board member voiced his direct opposition.

Afterward, several other board members also expressed their dissent for the same reason. They didn’t believe a paper from such a minor author was worth prioritizing for verification.

"Lin Ning, we think this can absolutely be reviewed and verified through the regular process. There’s no need to stop our work for a single student. The costs outweigh the benefits."

The so-called "regular process" was, in theory, to review and verify submissions one by one in the order they were received. But the unwritten rule was that these board members would give priority to people they knew, or to those who were famous, based on their research institution and the prestige of the corresponding author...

With Wu Ting’s academic background, this review process would be incredibly complex and tedious, requiring at least three rounds of review. It could take forever.

Lin Ning couldn’t wait that long. This groundbreaking negative immune regulatory mechanism needed to be published as soon as possible. The theory could serve as a foundation to drive a massive leap forward in the treatment of hepatitis B-related primary liver cancer.

Therefore, Lin Ning stood his ground, his attitude firm.

Editor-in-Chief Li Dangsheng also hadn’t expected Lin Ning to be so supportive of this minor author.

Li Dangsheng himself had a very good relationship with Lin Ning. Notably, Li Dangsheng was also the director of the HHMI Research Institute.

Looking at the situation in the conference room, he saw some who were supportive, some who were clearly opposed, and some who remained neutral.

Li Dangsheng looked at Lin Ning.

"Lin Ning, give me a reason to convince me."

Without much thought, Lin Ning said softly:

"I’m recommending this paper irrespective of its author, and it involves no personal interests or connections. It is solely because the findings in this paper can advance medical research within the scope of human knowledge and can effectively benefit humanity."

"I believe it is worthy of us halting all our current work to review and verify it with the highest priority."

After hearing Lin Ning’s reason, Editor-in-Chief Li Dangsheng smiled. "I understand, Lin."

Li Dangsheng looked around at the other editorial board members.

"I am using my editor-in-chief’s deciding vote."

"From this moment on, all board members will halt their current review work, form a task force, and begin the fastest possible review and verification of this paper from the young doctor in Jin Country: ’A Study on the Immune Negative Regulatory Mechanism of Single Immunoglobulin Interleukin-1 Receptor-Related Protein in the Curative Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B-Related Primary Liver Cancer’!"

For the *Cell* editorial team to go all-out in reviewing a single paper was a terrifying prospect.

They were a team of top-tier scientists. Wu Ting’s negative immune regulatory mechanism required not only a theoretical review but also laboratory replication and verification.

It was indeed a massive undertaking. Finally, after half a month, the immune negative regulatory mechanism described in the paper was officially verified.

Wu Ting’s paper passed the review for *Cell* magazine.

Moreover, after the mechanism was verified, the top authorities in immunology, led by Lin Ning, fully recognized the paper’s value and significance.

At Lin Ning’s suggestion, a special issue was published dedicated solely to Wu Ting’s paper.