A sense of respect and hope filled the hall before the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting’s keynote lecture by Dr. Xiaoliang Sunney Xie. Respect, because of his impact in the single-cell, single-molecule field. And hope, as we hoped the internet connection would hold up.
As we found out, Dr. Xie was still in Peking, China. The recent Wuhan coronavirus outbreak caused governments to slow and eventually stop travel between the two countries. If Dr. Xie had somehow come to San Diego for his lecture, there would be a chance he could not return.
The organizers made the bold decision to still hold Dr. Xie’s talk – through a video call. This meant the few thousand-person audience was depending on the already questionable convention center internet to see Dr. Xie’s talk.
We collectively held our breath as Dr. Xie was video called. Then, his face materialized onto the screen. He asked us, “Can you hear me?” And we all breathed a sigh of relief.
From single cells to single molecules, Dr. Xie’s work revolutionized the field. He has had a knack for not only bringing groundbreaking technology to life, but also giving it translational impact to human health. For instance, Dr. Xie’s group developed the technique MALBAC for single-cell genome sequencing. Then, they used MALBAC to non-invasively screen embryos for a couple going through invitro fertilization. The couple had a debilitating genetic disease – thanks to MALBAC, their baby did not. “She was a perfect baby,” Dr. Xie told us, “when I met her, she didn’t even cry.”
The audience leaned in when Dr. Xie addressed the elephant in the room: the recent coronavirus outbreak in China. As a leader in his field, Dr. Xie stepped up to help his country fight this disease. He is studying immune cells from patients who survived the coronavirus. Their bodies naturally built immunity. He is using his single-cell transcriptome sequencing technology to search for the agents of immunity within their B cells. If he can identify the sequences that made the lucky survivors immune, he can share it as a vaccine with other patients. He encouraged the international community to unite to solve problems like this, telling us, “Diseases have no boarders. Neither should research.”
I was sitting between Dr. Tim Stasevich , my advisor, and Dr. Yang Liu, a postdoc. Both of these early-career scientists have had incredibly bright, successful careers. Before and after – and some whispers during – Dr. Xie’s lecture, they told me excitedly about his accomplishments. It was a transcending feeling, to be in the [virtual] presence of the role model of my role models.
After Dr. Xie’s conclusion, we broke into applause. “I’m as relieved as you are that the video call worked,” the host admitted. I realize it was a risk to organize a virtual keynote lecture. But after such an impactful, powerful message from a renowned and respected scientist, we are all so glad they did.