A breakthrough development in research may have pinpointed a cause of heart disease, the third-most lethal killer in Taiwan.

Vascular calcification is a major culprit in the development of heart disease. An overabundance of calcium deposits on vascular walls causes hardened arteries and vascular stenosis, which can easily lead to acute myocardial infarction – a frequently fatal affliction more commonly known as heart attack.

The cover story of the April 8th edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) discusses this new direction of research into the cause of vascular calcification, which in turn may lead to a new path in the fight to prevent heart attacks.

Surprisingly, this major breakthrough was the work of just two people – Chang Gung University chairman John D. Young, and his fellow researcher, first-year master's program student Jan Martel. Using only local Taiwanese instruments, they were able to make the cover of PNAS, and shine a light on Taiwan in the international arena.

A century-old weekly publication, PNAS is among the most quoted scientific journals in the world, alongside such publications as Science and Nature, covering a wide array of subject matter, from biology to the social sciences to anatomy and physiology.

A New Understanding of Nanobacteria

Young and Martel have discovered that nanobacteria – believed to be the world's smallest lifeform – may actually not be alive at all, but may instead be nanoparticles composed of inorganic compounds such as calcium carbonate, which form in combination with protein.

While these results may seem unremarkable, and nanobacteria has never been a hot topic in bacteriology, most research done on calcification has assumed a relationship to the division and replication of nanobacteria. Being able to explain the mechanism of nanobacteria formation would mean that science is on its way to solving the calcification problem and, in turn, preventing heart attacks.

"This provides us with a new direction in research," says Professor San-San Tsay of National Taiwan University's Life Science Department. While this research cannot entirely overturn the idea of nanobacteria as organic material, it has provided a new angle of observation.

Upon its discovery 15 years ago, nanobacteria were thought to be the world's smallest self-replicating lifeform. Later research, then widely covered by the New York Times and Time Magazine, would discover that these particles reside in the human body in large quantities and are related to the development of many diseases.

Many research teams have questioned the existence of nanobacteria, but it took subjective, mad imagination and objective, motivated execution on the part of Young's team to discover the thread that may lead to the right conclusion.

Young is the son-in-law of Formosa Plastics Group founder Wang Yung-ching, and is currently the chairman of not only Chang Gung Biotechnology Corporation, but also Chang Gung University, Mingchi University of Technology, and Chang Gung Institute of Technology. He was among the first researchers to discover how leukocytes killed cancer cells, but has turned to nontraditional medical science in recent years. Chang Gung Biotechnology is operated under his ideal of "Primordia Medicine."

An admirer of Young's research into nontraditional medical sciences, Martel left Canada to work with him in 2006, after two years of correspondence by letter and phone. Both fond of questioning traditional medical sciences, they often discuss such "crazy" questions as "do we really need DNA?" and "can a cell continue to grow and develop without the presence of DNA?"

Young is persistent in his belief that elements such as carbon and calcium are important catalysts for life, and has approached his nanobacteria research from this perspective.

"A person needs a certain subjectivity. You can't just shut your eyes and search blindly," says Young. "Without subjectivity, you're just wasting time."

Martel set out to subjectively verify Young's breakthrough ideas.

Martel is the chief executor of this plan. Although Martel came from far away, possessed only a bachelor's degree, and spoke no Chinese when he first arrived in Taiwan, Young observed in him the drive and motivation rarely present in Taiwanese students. He thinks, formulates his own ideas, and will debate Young.

As Young resides mostly in Taipei, Martel often sits alone, conducting basic biochemistry experiments in the lab. For this, he needs to integrate a large variety of instruments, which he has often borrowed from various professors.

"This is the most important training for a scientist," says Young. "Having a large collection of instruments doesn't always help. But borrow what equipment you don't have, and you can do anything."

Visibility for Private Universitites

The breakthrough achievement of making the cover of PNAS affords a glimpse at Young's unique strategy for enhancing the visibility of private universities, which he has been implementing since taking the reins of the three academic institutions in the Wang family empire.

"We can't do everything, so we need to focus on major, core subjects," says Young. Private universities don't have the funding of public universities, so they must concentrate their efforts and be single-minded in their pursuit of excellence in order to achieve breakthroughs.

"You have to know what you want to achieve, go inter-organizational, inter-departmental, and pool your funds. Then you'll succeed," says Young.

Translated from the Chinese by Ellen Wieman

Chinese Version: 發掘心肌梗塞研究新方向