Gu Fangzhou: A candy pill protects the health of hundreds of millions of children
(Hundred Years of Struggle and Set Sail on a New Journey·Winner of the National Honorary Title of "People's Scientist")
On October 29th, the unveiling ceremony of Gu Fangzhou's statue was held in Peking Union Medical College. Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Peking Union Medical College Dean Wang Chen and Gu Fangzhou's daughter Gu Xiaoman jointly unveiled the statue.
A scientist called "Sugar Pill Grandpa" "returned" to Concord in this special way.
On September 29, 2019, the awarding ceremony of the National Medal and National Honorary Title of the People's Republic of China was grandly held in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Gu Fangzhou was awarded the national honorary title of "People's Scientist", and his wife Li Yiwan received the medal and certificate for him.
Gu Fangzhou (pictured above, profile photo. Xinhua News Agency), former dean of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, a well-known medical scientist, virologist, and medical educator.
He isolated poliovirus for the first time in China and successfully developed the first batch of live polio vaccines and polio sugar pill vaccines. He has made great contributions to the eradication of polio in my country and is known as the "father of polio vaccines in China." ".
On January 2, 2019, Gu Fangzhou passed away peacefully at the age of 92.
Take the technical route of live vaccines
Poliomyelitis, also known as polio, is an acute infectious disease that seriously threatens children's health.
In the 1950s, polio was prevalent in many places in our country.
In 1957, 31-year-old Gu Fangzhou was in danger and led a research team to investigate fecal specimens of polio patients in some areas, after which poliovirus was isolated and successfully finalized.
This is the first time that a virus has been isolated in my country using monkey kidney tissue culture technology. Etiology and serological methods have proved the predominantly type I polio epidemic, providing epidemiological data for controlling the spread of polio.
In 1959, when Gu Fangzhou went to the Soviet Union to investigate the polio vaccine situation, he found that the two factions of the "dead" and "live" vaccines had their own opinions and were in dispute.
Dead vaccines are safe, inefficient and expensive; live vaccines are cheap and efficient, but safety needs to be studied.
No one can answer which technical route China chooses.
Gu Fangzhou fully considered the national conditions and strength, and made a decisive suggestion: my country should take the route of live vaccines.
Approved by the former Ministry of Health in December 1959, my country established a live polio vaccine research collaboration group, with Gu Fangzhou as the team leader to conduct research on polio vaccines.
As early as 1958, my country decided to establish an ape experimental station in the suburbs of Kunming, Yunnan.
In January 1959, the ape experimental station under construction was renamed the Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, as a production base for polio vaccine in my country.
In 1964, Gu Fangzhou and his family moved to Kunming.
He made up his mind to go down in Kunming and work his life for this cause.
Gu Fangzhou once recalled: "At that time, we didn't have a house or a place to live. It was really hard, but at that time everyone did tighten their belts and gritted their teeth."
Try the vaccine yourself
Gu Fangzhou formulated a two-step research plan: animal experiments and clinical trials.
After the animal test passed, it entered a more critical clinical trial stage.
However, who will be the first to conduct human trials?
Gu Fangzhou decided to try the vaccine first.
At the risk of possible paralysis, he drank a vial of vaccine solution.
After a week, the vital signs were stable and there was no abnormality.
However, Gu Fangzhou faces a bigger problem: most adults themselves are immune to poliovirus, and it is necessary to prove that the vaccine is also safe for children.
So, where to find preschoolers?
Who wants to experiment with his own children?
"I am the team leader, I will take the lead." Gu Fangzhou brought his only child at the time.
"Our Xiaodong is less than 1 year old, so it counts as one who meets the requirements. Who else is willing to participate?" Later, five or six children of laboratory colleagues participated in the experiment, and the number of people was quickly assembled.
After a long month, the children's vital signs were normal, and the Phase I clinical trial passed smoothly.
In 1960, 2000 vaccines were released in Beijing.
Phase II clinical trial results show that the vaccine is safe and effective.
Subsequently, Gu Fangzhou expanded the tested population from 2,000 to 4.5 million, and launched Phase III clinical trials in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, Shenyang and other large cities, and were successful.
In December 1960, the first batch of 5 million vaccines was promoted in 11 cities across the country, quickly curbing the spread of the disease.
In cities where vaccines were introduced, the peak of the epidemic has been reduced.
From liquid vaccines to sugar pills
In the face of the gradual improvement of the epidemic, Gu Fangzhou did not relax at all.
At that time, liquid attenuated live vaccines needed cryogenic storage and transportation, which was not conducive to large-scale promotion.
When taking it, the child is still reluctant to eat.
How can we make a vaccine that is convenient for transportation and that children love to eat?
Gu Fangzhou had a sudden inspiration: Why can't the vaccine be made into solid sugar pills?
After more than a year of research and testing, Gu Fangzhou finally successfully developed a sugar pill vaccine.
The sugar pill vaccine is an upgraded version of the liquid vaccine: on the premise of preserving the effectiveness of the live vaccine, the shelf life is greatly extended.
With the mass production of sugar pill vaccines, my country has entered the historical stage of comprehensive control of the polio epidemic.
In 1975, Gu Fangzhou's team began to develop a trivalent mixed sugar pill vaccine.
In 1985, the best matching scheme was finally explored, and the trivalent sugar pill vaccine was successfully developed.
In 1986, the trivalent sugar pill vaccine was promoted nationwide, providing a powerful weapon for the complete eradication of polio.
In 1990, the national polio eradication program was implemented, and the number of cases has been rapidly declining year by year in the following years.
In 2000, the "Signing Ceremony of China's Poliomyelitis Eradication Confirmation Report" was held in the former Ministry of Health. Gu Fangzhou, 74, solemnly signed as a representative, marking that my country has become a polio-free country.
Gu Fangzhou traveled hard and never took credit for it.
At the farewell ceremony of Gu Fangzhou's remains, a pair of elegiac couplets hung at the door: "Come to do a great thing for a great thing, and do a great thing for the children and grandchildren."
This is the portrayal of Gu Fangzhou's life.
A small sugar pill protects the health of hundreds of millions of children.
Gu Fangzhou’s life-long effort has brought a successful conclusion to the eradication of polio in our country, and has also established an eternal monument in the history of our country’s public health.
Our reporter Bai Jianfeng