Hold two natures and one work!She has also had two years of "failure" research

Author:Scientific network Time:2022.09.10

Text | "China Science News" trainee reporter Meng Lingxiao

In August this year, Wang Juqiong just published a paper in Nature as the first author.

The latest research results were completed by Song Baoliang Laboratory of Song Baoliang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Wuhan University. Wuhan University is the only author unit. The study first found a new strategy that promoted cholesterol to discharge bile and further discharge from the body through feces. Wang Juqiong made a post -doctoral post in Song Baoliang's laboratory. This was her second Nature thesis.

Wang Juqiong told the China Science Journal that he took his postgraduate entrance examination to Wuhan University. The first project of the graduate enrollment was "for two years and died"; after the research turned, the doctor extended 2 years of graduation; Nature's research has been grinded for 6 years.

Academician Song Baoliang instructs Wang Juqiong

Aiming at the target and found a new password for lipid -lowering

Wang Juqiong's WeChat name is Crestor, which is a "Batin" drug.

For patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the names of the "Batin" family are no stranger. Such drugs can inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver, and lipid -lowering is a necessary means to prevent and treat related diseases.

This study published in Nature is also the core issue of lipid -lowering.

According to Wang Juqiong, the existing lipid -lowering drugs mostly use "sparse" and "suppression" methods. Although they can reduce blood lipids to varying degrees, there are certain side effects and limitations. The most common "Batin" big family and PCSK9 inhibitors can "dredge" cholesterol in the blood into the liver, but increase the risk of the liver burden; while the drugs such as the folding can be suppressed limited.

Since human cells are difficult to degrade cholesterol molecules efficiently, it will be an ideal fat reduction strategy if it can be discharged directly into the human body. Prior to this, many international teams explored the strategy of cholesterol arranges along the same goal, but did not succeed.

In 2016, Wang Juqiong accidentally read a new study on ASGR1 protein. This discovery of salivary acid glycoprotein receptor in the 1970s was exactly related to hyphipalidity, but the mechanism of action was not clear. Wang Juqiong faintly feel that behind this gene is hidden a new path of lipid -lowering.

After 6 years of research, Wang Juqiong's team found that inhibiting ASGR1 can discharge cholesterol into bile and further leave the body through feces, which greatly reduces blood and liver lipid levels.

At the same time, the research team has also developed the neutral antibody of ASGR1. In mouse experiments, it can reduce the total serum cholesterol level by 50%and reduce the level of serum triglyceride by 22%. This antibody can also achieve the coordinated lipid -lowering effect of "1+1> 2" when using the "Big" big family and Yibaiba.

Of course, the development of a new drug is far away. But this study opened a door, laid an important foundation for the development of lipid -lowering drugs that promoted cholesterol.

Song Baoliang Lab published a paper in Nature, Wang Juqiong as the first author

Two years of research, "dead"

Today, Wang Juqiong is the first author of holding two Nature papers. She first appeared in the field of cholesterol metabolism, but she often remembered the starting point of scientific research 8 years ago.

In 2014, Wang Juqiong at the graduate interview teacher and student doubles, a young professor attracted her attention. The professor told a father to seek medicine for the sick daughter, and explored the story of scientific research, which impressed her.

The storytelling person is Wang Juqiong's later mentor Song Baoliang. In the year when Wang Juqiong enrolled, 39 -year -old Song Baoliang officially served as the dean of the School of Life Sciences of Wuhan University and became the youngest dean of the school.

"In the beginning, I wanted to make my own contribution in the field of life science, but in the end, I could do it, I had to go through and tried to know it." Holding this original intention, Wang Juqiong joined the Song Baoliang team and soon soon and soon soon Start the first study.

At that time, the cell molecular mechanism of cholesterol transport was a key project responsible for the instructor Song Baoliang. Its series of achievements were published in Cell magazine in 2015 and were also rated as the "Top Ten Progress in the Field of Life Sciences in China" in the year.

On this basis, Wang Juqiong wants to make a deeper excavation of the cholesterol transfer mechanism.

However, this follow -up study did not have the imagination. Wang Juqiong recalled, "For me at the time, this research was really too difficult, and she had exceeded the direction I knew." However, she still re -examined her interest while experimenting with his scalp. Two years later, Wang Juqiong had to face reality- "This research, and died."

More than 700 days and nights, just the east flow?

Under the encouragement of the mentor Song Baoliang, Wang Juqiong did not regard the projects of the past two years as a failure, but instead deemed it as an interesting exploration. She realized that scientific research could not be successful at one time, even if it reached the third phase of the clinical trial stage, there were uncertain factors. The basic work of continuous investment in the early stage provides at least the possibility of discovering potential targets.

Like the mentor, Wang Juqiong's scientific research goal is always to do "valuable and interesting research."

What is "valuable and interesting research"?

In terms of research direction, Song Baoliang's team has two "deliberately pursuing": "We deliberately pursue the most basic and critical scientific issues in the field, deliberately pursue scientific issues related to people and diseases. Try to do it. If it does not meet, we will not do it. "Wang Juqiong believes that scientific research is interesting, and we must not be distinguished by no articles, posts a large article, or small articles. "Sending a big article is indeed everyone's vision, but small articles also solve important issues in the scientific research community. As long as it breaks through the unknown of scientific research, it is interesting research."

Song Baoliang often told students that one or two very cutting -edge scientific issues should be contained in the brain of scientific research. When the conditions are mature in the future, or you can find a breakthrough point to overcome this difficulty.

To this day, Wang Juqiong finally turned the "spiritual light" 6 years ago into reality.

Academician Song Baoliang, Wuhan University, the fourth left is Wang Juqiong

Is it a big tree back? Is it left?

After posting two times Nature, Wang Juqiong said that her life has not changed much.

She rose into the laboratory as early as usual, and used the equipment with the same group of scientific researchers. Dressing every day, always those sets of back and forth, eliminating the trouble of choosing.

This "not much change" perception may be inherited from the mentor Song Baoliang.

In 2021, Song Baoliang was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and became the youngest academician elected. Not long ago, Academician Song Baoliang officially served as the vice president of Wuhan University and became the youngest vice president of Wuhan University. In the view of the new "Academician Disciples" and "Dean Disciple" Wang Juqiong, the mentor has not changed much.

Wang Juqiong (left) and mentor Song Baoliang at Wuhan University

As long as Song Baoliang is in school, he must be the earliest and the latest one in the laboratory. Even if they are not in Wuhan, Song Baoliang will adopt the form of a conference call and the student opening meeting and discuss topics. Those who just met Song Baoliang may feel that "this person is a bit shy and a little scared."

Instead, Song Baoliang's students became a little "trembling" when the mentor became an academician: Do I have to work harder to not shame the instructor?

In a blink of an eye, Wang Juqiong has been in the familiar Lujia Mountain, the familiar laboratory, and the familiar research field. She has become accustomed to doing scientific research under the guidance of the instructor Song Baoliang under the guidance of the team. She is accustomed to the current "simple and simple, but also very comfortable" campus life, and she is also used to the "not much change" mood.

But Wang Juqiong, who was out of the station next year, realized that new changes were waiting for her.

"If you go out and set up a team independently, what will I look like? Teacher Song taught me so much, what can I grow up?" These unknown, waiting for her to answer slowly.

Reference

https://www.nature.com/articleS/S41586-022-05006-3

http://news.whu.edu.cn/info/1002/67707.htm

editor |

Capture | Guo Gang