Chinese Man Invents Drug To Cure Terminally Ill Son At Home - Reports

Chinese man set up home laboratory to create a cure for his terminally ill son and developed a drug that specialists believe could help those suffering from the rare genetic Menkes disease, Chinese media reported on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2021) Chinese man set up home laboratory to create a cure for his terminally ill son and developed a drug that specialists believe could help those suffering from the rare genetic Menkes disease, Chinese media reported on Friday.

Xu Wei from Kunming City in the southern Chinese province of Yunnan owned a small online retail business. When his one-year-old son was diagnosed with a rare Menkes disease, which affects the cellular transport of copper, Xu, who previously had no college degree, enrolled in public courses at several universities to study pharmacology, the news said.

"I did not go to university, but it doesn't mean I can't learn. My son needs me to survive and I will study and try all possible avenues to save him," Xu was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.

Life expectancy of those diagnosed with Menkes disease usually does not exceed three years.

Xu reportedly took up chemistry after his son's experimental treatment at the local clinic failed and all other resources were unavailable. He set up a chemical laboratory in his apartment, which cost him $3,100, and began working on the drug on his own, the news said.

Xu first tested the copper histidine he developed on rabbits and on himself to ensure its safety before injecting his son, according to media reports. He then brought him to the hospital to conduct tests and check for possible complications. Next, Xu developed another drug, elesklomol, that, according to some professional studies, helps with Menkes disease.

Xu hopes genetic research will help heal his son and is currently preparing to enter university, where he will study genetic engineering, the news said.