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Umbrella’s laboratory was not located inside the office building.
Even by electric cart, the trip took more than ten minutes.
The three of them entered the decontamination room first.
Only after a full sterilization process and a change into white protective suits did they step inside.
Following his instructions, Dr.
Hart quickly suspended every experiment that could be safely paused.
The previous research data was sealed and archived.
During that time, he walked through the laboratory and took a closer look around.
‘No wonder this place cost more than a billion to build.
It really is impressive.’
As he searched for what he needed, he found himself appreciating the setup.
Without funding and equipment, research was just talk.
The laboratory not only had a wide range of advanced instruments, but its virus library also contained most of the known viruses currently available for human research.
This facility was exactly why Umbrella had burned through so much money and ended up with two billion dollars in debt.
Evelyn looked as if she had stepped into another world.
The environment left her visibly stunned.
He placed the prepared materials on the laboratory bench.
The other researchers had finished wrapping up their previous projects.
Dr.
Hart frowned at the materials.
“Mr. Cross, what are you using Mimivirus for?”
Drug formulation usually relied on chemical raw materials, active compounds, or plant-derived ingredients.
Testing an HIV/AIDS drug would not normally require another virus.
“HIV/AIDS is caused by HIV infection,” Adrian said evenly.
“At its core, a virus is a form of life. If it is life, why can we not attack it from that angle?”
“You want to use Mimivirus to destroy HIV?”
Dr.
Hart’s expression shifted.
The idea was extremely bold.
So far, no one in medicine or biology had managed anything like it.
“Exactly. Use one virus to fight another. Use a virus harmless to humans to devour and eliminate HIV.”
He nodded.
The room fell into stunned silence.
The researchers stared at him one after another.
No one had ever proposed such an approach in front of them before.
HIV/AIDS remained one of biological science’s great unsolved problems.
Researchers around the world still had no perfect method, and no clean line of attack for defeating it.
Perhaps his unconventional approach really was the best path forward.
“I see,” Dr.
Hart said, his expression turning serious.
“You want to overcome HIV/AIDS by using one virus against another. But that requires a virus capable of devouring other viruses, then targeted cultivation so it only attacks HIV. Mimivirus does not appear to meet those requirements.”
The other researchers nodded in agreement.
Since its discovery in 2003, Mimivirus had been famous for its unusual size and structure.
“Correct. Mimivirus does not naturally have that function. But with directed cultivation, it can achieve the effect we need.”
It was like humanity shaping animals over thousands of years: chickens for eggs, cows for milk, and so on.
Nature contained countless viruses: Epstein-Barr virus, enteroviruses, hepatitis viruses, rabies virus, and many more.
It was a giant in the viral world, with a diameter of up to eight hundred nanometers.
Ordinary viruses were usually only ten to one hundred nanometers across.
At that point, the researchers understood his plan.
A big virus eating a small virus.
Busy hours passed quickly.
More than a dozen researchers watched him closely as he preserved each experimental sample.
Dr.
Hart stood beside him and recorded the procedure for every sample in detail.
The work was tedious, repetitive, and demanding.
Again and again, sample after sample.
“All right,” Adrian said at last with a laugh as he sealed the final sample.
“That should do it. Now we wait for the samples to develop. If nothing goes wrong, we should have results within two days. Dr. Hart, I’m leaving this to you.”
He understood Dr.
Hart’s temperament well.
The man was a true researcher, but not a rigid one.
He had the kind of practical wisdom that mattered in a laboratory.
He could trust him with the work here.
Umbrella needed to build a research team loyal to him if it was going to keep growing.
“Good, good. I’ll go home and bring my luggage over in a while. From now on, I’m living at the company. Nobody try to stop me.”
Dr.
Hart stared at the samples with bright, unblinking eyes.
He could see the possibility of success.
He wanted to see these little things truly devour HIV.
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