I used Hextech Grinding to become a top student

Chapter 82: Chatting in the Lab and Participating in the Development of Eye Drops

Since Zhang Weiji can't produce any magic bullets anyway, he might as well unleash some negative emotions.

Chen Mu's moves are often incredibly flashy, yet also quite detailed.

This is probably due to the player's awareness and positioning skills.

With perfect positioning, Chen Mu collected all the orbs and followed several professors to the legendary top-tier laboratory.

It's obvious at a glance that they're different; there are a lot of high-end machines, some of which I can't even name.

Chen Mu's knowledge is not boundless.

No matter how strong your memory is, you still need to see it before you know what it is, so learning takes time.

Once you get to this place, you can't pretend anymore; you can only humbly ask for advice.

This place has produced a lot of serious scientific research results. I was able to come here mainly because I was lucky. You would need to study for at least half a year before you are qualified to come here for serious research.

The professors had a clear division of labor; some went to check various data on the new strain number ten.

Professor Jiang took some time to spend with another associate professor, Gong.

He inquired about Chen Mu's well-being before getting to the main topic.

"Could you tell us how you made the bacteria evolve?" Professor Jiang asked.

This is the time to talk nonsense with a straight face.

I started citing various academic papers related to bacteria.

What kind of cells, naturally occurring ones, they listed them one by one.

Chen Mu's exceptional memory allowed him to quickly retrieve relevant information about this bacterial culture project. Based on theory, he would then explain his bold experimentation when he encountered something not covered in theory.

The goal is to create stronger individuals through forced evolution in a harsh, high-pressure environment that, while not leading to extinction, allows the bacteria to survive.

This aligns with Darwin's theory of evolution: natural selection and survival of the fittest.

The paper contained detailed information, specific sources, and a recommendation from student Xiao Li, plus the rumored possible score of 700.

After multiple cross-verifications, Professor Jiang had no more doubts.

"What a genius! At such a young age, you've read so many top-tier journal articles. But reading articles isn't the most important thing. After reading them, you can boldly apply the methods and even add your own ingenuity, and you actually succeeded. You're so lucky! You're simply a genius in biology. So, are you interested in applying to Changnan University? I guarantee you can go straight to your PhD program." Associate Professor Gong was also trying to recruit talent for his school.

"Forget it, you already know he's a genius. What can Changnan University do to keep him here? He should go to the top universities in the country. They have the most resources and the most geniuses, so he'll grow faster!" Professor Jiang said, pretending to be very magnanimous.

This is mainly because they know the other party is a strong candidate with a score of 700. A score of 600 might still have a slight chance of choosing Changnan University, but even if the admissions office of Changnan University were to kneel down until their knees were broken, a score of 700 would not attract them.

If the admissions offices of Tsinghua and Peking Universities knew about this, they would probably already be on their way on horseback.

Therefore, Professor Jiang could only try to seize the opportunity to extract some value while others were still around.

"Of course, you can still learn something at Changnan University before you go to university. Your research could easily be published as a paper. When you go to university, with this resume, your supervisor will look at you more favorably." Professor Jiang Wenxu began to paint a rosy picture.

"Then I'll have to trouble the professors. This thesis needs the guidance of all the professors; I definitely can't handle it by myself." Chen Mu began to use his emotional intelligence. Writing a thesis by himself wouldn't be difficult, but if others didn't benefit from it, how could they be on your side?

When everyone is of one mind, many things are easier to discuss.

Does the lab belong to someone else? Do you need their help with odd jobs? Do you need them to do all sorts of sequencing for you?

The professor wasn't interested in taking the first authorship from a high school student; having a corresponding author or second author was enough. He believed that such a talent would surely become an outstanding individual and achieve great things in the future.

Unexpectedly, the other party also had high emotional intelligence, making the professors feel very comfortable.

This research finding is actually quite remarkable.

Professor Jiang only knew one paper, a research result from Northwest University, which took nearly thirty years to successfully evolve a type of E. coli. Although it sounds a bit laid-back, that's scientific research, often measured in years.

This illustrates the difficulty of natural evolution of engineered bacteria, and Chen Mu actually managed to evolve a type of bacteria in just two days. How could this not alarm the professor?

It's astonishing to hear that a high school graduate is publishing a paper, starting with a sub-journal of one of the top three journals.

How many top-tier journal articles has Changnan University published?

There are four articles in total. As the only 211 university in the province, it has only published four articles in all these years.

Moreover, it has absolutely no connection with the School of Biology.

The School of Chemical Engineering is particularly strong; they have a paper on laser annealing technology for perovskite solar cells that was published in the top journal Science!

The School of Biological Sciences only has results from major journals.

If Chen Mu could come to Changnan University, the School of Biological Sciences might be able to achieve a breakthrough.

After talking with the professors, Chen Mu immediately took his seat in the top-tier laboratory.

The professors got down to business: "Chen Mu, are you aware of the project our lab is working on?"

"I don't know," Chen Mu shook his head.

"It's related to your No. 10 bacteria. We want to use engineered bacteria to develop a cell growth factor eye drop that can repair the cornea and relieve symptoms such as dry eye, stinging, and strong foreign body sensation," Professor Jiang said.

"Isn't this already available on the market?" Chen Mu asked.

"Yes, that's why we're working on an enhanced version—one with better treatment results and excellent recovery, so that after using it, the user's eyes feel like they've seen less screen time in three years, allowing them to work for long periods as before, and naturally produce tears without dryness," Professor Jiang said.

"That's true, it's a good thing. Nowadays, people use their eyes excessively, often for eight or ten hours a day. There are endless videos, news, and trending topics online, and you can watch them from morning till night without seeing anything the same."

"If it's just playing, you can stop and rest if you feel uncomfortable, but many people work in front of screens, so dry eye syndrome is much more serious for them." Chen Mu nodded.

"Yes, traditional eye drops. Do you know how they're made?" Professor Jiang asked.

Traditional eye drops contain chemical ingredients, plant extracts, and animal tissue extracts.

For example, the therapeutic effects of antibiotics, hormones, menthol, borneol, and saline solution are mainly anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-allergic, lubricating, and lowering intraocular pressure.

"Most of it is chemical reaction." Chen Mu spoke eloquently, once again surprising the professors.

"You know that? Then tell me, what about the eye drops made with engineered bacteria?" Associate Professor Gong asked.

"Engineering bacteria eye drops should repair cells, promote healing, fight viruses, and regulate immunity."

It has a bioactive effect and is a substance that is closer to the human body itself. Its structure is almost identical to human proteins, making it highly targeted, gentler, less likely to cause rejection, and suitable for repairing the ocular surface.

"The process for making engineered bacteria eye drops should involve first introducing the target gene into engineered E. coli bacteria, then fermenting and expressing it, followed by purification, and finally producing the eye drops," Chen Mu said.

"Excellent! I knew you had extensive knowledge of biology, but I didn't expect it to be this extensive. You're far superior to my graduate students!" Professor Jiang was overjoyed. It was incredible that a high school senior had joined the research team and become such a great help!