Autoimmune diseases that afflict the human race include Crohn's Disease, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scleroderma, and more than seventy others. These conditions cause great suffering, use a vast array of medical resources, and cost millions of dollars in research and therapy.
Patient with Multiple Sclerosis
Drugs called monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used to treat autoimmune illnesses and some cancers, with specific types for each disease. The 'Holy Grail' would be a mAb effective against ALL autoimmune conditions, and Dr. David Tran - the main character in this book - has invented one. It only needs to pass human trials to be worth billions.
David, whose given name is Dung (pronounced Yoong) Tran, is a Vietnamese-Australian who was spirited to the island continent with his mother Mai and sister Natalie after the Vietnam War. The trio escaped to Hong Kong, then traveled to Australia.
The little family struggled financially until David was taken under the wing of a wealthy, do-gooder Australian family named the Southcotts, whose son Miles was little David's contemporary. The Southcotts raised Miles and David in their home like brothers, and helped support Mai and Natalie, who lived in a rented house.
As young men Miles and David both studied medicine, and Miles is now a hospital administrator while David - who's brilliant and ambitious - does biomedical research.
David's miraculous mAb, nicknamed EIGHT, is "a master switch for the immune system." EIGHT is being manufactured by a company called SuperMab, whose boss is a n'er do well called Charlie Cunningham. Charlie's successful businessman father CC gave Charlie the job, hoping to make an entrepreneur out of his dilettante gambler playboy son.....and good luck with that!!
As the story opens Charlie and David are being interviewed for a TV segment announcing the upcoming human trials of EIGHT, and Charlie brags about how profitable the medicine will be. This presentation makes several people uncomfortable, including David and other researchers, who know that human trials can fail miserably. In any case, David dies tragically before the trials begin.
The story is told by a rotating array of characters, who talk about Dave's demise from their individual points of view. The narrators include:
Rosa: an Italian-Australian graduate student who works in David's lab and hopes to get a doctorate. Rosa, who also studies mAbs, is anxious about the human trials of EIGHT because of possible reactions to the drug. Rosa was raised by an aunt and uncle who adhere strongly to their Italian culture, and she wants to make them proud.
Ly (Natalie): David's sister, who runs a nail salon with her mother, Mai. Ly tries to make sure her mother never 'feels shame', which is important in Vietnamese culture - but not that easy in their overall circumstances. This causes some of the story's drama. Ly and Mai often speak Vietnamese, which makes a fun addition to the novel.
Miles: David's 'brother from another mother.' Miles was wary when David first became part of the Southcott household, but soon accepted the smart little boy in his midst. In fact Miles - who was a professional tennis player in his youth - would have flunked out of school if not for David's tutoring and academic assistance.
Foxy: A public relations honcho who's been CC's 'fixer' for decades. When CC's son Charlie - the Superlab supervisor - messes up, it's Foxy's job to rush in and engineer a rescue. Foxy will cajole, bribe, pay off, blackmail, etc. - whatever it takes - to put things right.
Abigail: David's beautiful blonde Australian girlfriend who's a vegan and a committed animal activist. Abigail studied chimpanzees in Rwanda and is averse to using animals for medical experiments. Having a boyfriend who's a medical researcher is problematical for Abigail.
As the storytellers slowly dribble out their tales, it feels like the layers of an onion are being removed one by one, revealing the truth about David and his wonder drug. All this leads to a spectacular ending that I certainly didn't predict.
The author, Susan Hurley, has worked in medical research and the pharmaceutical industry for more than thirty years. In the author's note, Hurley writes that the drug EIGHT was inspired by a real monoclonal antibody called TGN1412 and the consequences of it's human trials.
Among other things I studied microbiology in graduate school, and I enjoyed the explanation of the medical research. The biomedical lingo isn't too complicated though, and - since it's smoothly incorporated into the story and sufficiently explained - should be comprehensible to most readers.
I also liked the novel's plot, which melds very well with the science. I'd strongly recommend the book to fans of medical thrillers and mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Susan Hurley) and the publisher (Affirm Press) for a copy of the book.
Rating: 4 stars
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