William G. Kaelin was the most distinctive one at the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, where the other Nobel laureates sat in pairs, and he was the only one who always kept to himself.

01. Missing computer science and finding true passion in molecular biology

William G. Kaelin, born in New York, was selected for a nationwide award in mathematics and computing technology when he graduated from high school. With the award, he could have gone to MIT to study mathematics and computer science. However, his father, graduated from Duke University Law School, “convinced” Kaelin to switch to medical school and become a molecular biologist by saying, “I won't pay for MIT.”

Later, Kaelin found his true passion in molecular biology. He started with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome, an autosomal dominant disorder manifested by hemangioblastomas, to study erythropoietin produced by tumors.

In the end, Kaelin and other two scientists won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine by virtue of “the way cells sense and adapt to changes in oxygen”.

02. Young people should have good taste in scientific research

In addition to seriousness and perseverance, Kaelin is never sparing with encouragement. At a luncheon to promote exchanges between young scientists and Nobel laureates, Kaelin was the only one to bring the medal with him. After lunch, he took out the medal to show to the young people, and the scientists present could even grab his medal and take pictures at will.

Kaelin thought a well mentor relationship is instrumental for young people.

“A good mentor can help you cultivate good scientific research taste and motivation, and develop excellent experimental ability, so as to better explain your experimental results. A good mentor also will make your lessons and thinking more logical.” Kaelin said.

Kaelin has his unique understanding towards scientific research. He thought that “scientific research means challenge to doctrine, and attempt to verify that what seems to be true is really true by experiments. If the experiment is conducted well, the operation is qualified, and the required control is established, then no matter what the experimental results are, there is no need to apologize or to be sad, because that is the truth.”

03. Spiritual achievements are more meaningful than the Nobel Prize

In 1992, Kaelin set up his own research laboratory. It wasn't until around 1994 that Kaelin first met a VHL patient.

“To be honest, up until that point, my knowledge of VHL was only from textbooks." Kaelin said, “To develop a new effective therapeutic method in the field of tumors, the first step is to select an important scientific question. When comprehensive research is conducted and knowledge is accumulated, opportunities will be identified to develop a new effective therapeutic method. At present, our research results can be applied to stimulate hemocytogenesis and thus treat anemia, which, in the future, will also be used to treat cancers, such as kidney cancer.”

The research results that can save a patient provide spiritual achievements which are more meaningful than material things like winning a Nobel Prize.

Kaelin often describes the future as “an unknown X”, thinking that people may enter different fields based on their interests, and discover some useful, interesting and even important findings.