返回首页

AndrewPelling_2020-_我们能用_笋治疗脊髓损伤吗？_-
So I'm here today surrounded by all these fruits and vegetables, because these are the subjects of my experiments. 今天,我的面前 摆着许多水果蔬菜, 因为它们是都我的实验对象。
Now, bear with me for just a second, but about a decade ago my team started to rethink how we make materials for reconstructing damaged or diseased human tissues , and we made the totally unexpected discovery that plants could be used for this purpose. 现在,请先耐心听我说—— 大约十年前, 我的团队开始思索如何创造出 能用于重建受损或患病的 人体组织的材料, 然后我们出乎意料的是, 我们发现,可以用植物 来达成这个目标。
In fact, we invented a way to take these plants and strip them of all their DNA and their cells, leaving behind natural fibers . 事实上,我们发明了一个方法, 能去除这些植物 所有的 DNA 和细胞, 只留下天然纤维,
And these fibers could then be used as a scaffold for reconstructing living tissue. 然后用这些纤维 作为重建活体组织的骨架。
rethink:v.重新考虑;再想;n.重新考虑;反思;新想法; reconstructing:v.再现,重建;改造(reconstruct的ing形式); diseased:adj.不健全的;患病的;病态的;v.使生病;传染;(disease的过去式和过去分词) tissues:n.纸巾,手巾纸;(人、动植物细胞的)组织;(tissue的复数) unexpected:adj.意外的,想不到的; strip:n.带; v.夺; adj.脱衣舞的; fibers:n.纤维(fiber的复数); scaffold:n.脚手架;鹰架;绞刑台;vt.给…搭脚手架;用支架支撑;
Now I know this is a little weird , but in our very first proof-of-concept experiment, we took an apple, carved it into the shape of a human ear, and then we took that ear-shaped scaffold, sterilized it, processed it and coaxed human cells to grow inside of it. 我知道这听起来有些离奇, 但在我们的第一次可行性实验中, 我们把一个苹果 雕刻成人耳的形状, 然后对这个耳朵形状的骨架 进行消毒与进一步处理, 再诱导人类细胞在其中生长。
We then took the next step and implanted it, and we were able to demonstrate that the scaffolds stimulated the formation of blood vessels , allowing the heart to keep them alive. 接着我们进行了下一步—— 将它植入, 然后我们发现 这些骨架刺激了血管的形成, 从而让心脏帮它们保持鲜活。
weird:adj.奇怪的;奇异的;离奇的;n.命运;宿命;命运女神; proof-of-concept:n.概念验证; carved:v.雕刻;刻;把(熟肉)切成块;(carve的过去分词和过去式) sterilized:v.灭菌;消毒;使绝育;(sterilize的过去分词和过去式) processed:v.加工,处理;审核;列队行进;(process的过去式和过去分词) coaxed:vt.哄;哄诱;慢慢将…弄好;vi.哄骗;劝诱; implanted:植入的; demonstrate:vt.证明;展示;论证;vi.示威; scaffolds:n.支架;[建]脚手架;绞刑台(scaffold的复数); stimulated:adj.受激的;v.刺激(stimulate的过去式和过去分词); formation:n.形成;编队;组成;队形; vessels:n.血管(vessel的复数);船舶;容器;
So not too long after these discoveries were taking place, 在获得这些发现之后不久,
I was at home cooking asparagus for dinner, and after cutting the ends off, 我在家里煮芦笋做晚饭, 切掉根部之后,
I was noticing that the stalks were full of these microchanneled vascular bundles . 我发现芦笋茎里充满了 由微管道组成的维管束。
And it really reminded me of a whole body of bioengineering effort aimed at treating spinal cord injury . 这让我想起了 生物工程为了治疗脊髓损伤 做出的诸多努力。
asparagus:n.芦笋;龙须菜;天冬; stalks:n.茎秆(stalk的复数形式); v.悄悄接近; vascular:adj.[生物]血管的; bundles:[解剖]束; reminded:v.提醒;使想起;(remind的过去分词和过去式) bioengineering:n.生物工程;[生物物理]生物工程学; treating:v.以…态度对待;把…看作;处理;讨论;(treat的现在分词) spinal cord:n.脊髓; injury:n.伤害,损害;受伤处;
Up to half a million people per year suffer from this type of injury, and the symptoms can range from pain and numbness to devastating traumas that lead to a complete loss of motor function and independence . 每年有约 50 万人 受这种伤病之苦, 其症状轻则带来疼痛与麻痹, 重则导致不可修复的创伤, 使人完全丧失 运动机能和自理能力。
And in these forms of paralysis , there's no accepted treatment strategy , but one possible solution might be the use of a scaffold that has microchannels which may guide regenerating neurons. 这类瘫痪 还没有标准的治疗方案, 但一种可能的解决办法 是用具有微管道的骨架 引导神经细胞的再生。
symptoms:n.症状;征候;征兆;(symptom的复数) numbness:n.麻木;麻痹; devastating:adj.毁灭性的; v.毁灭; (devastate的现在分词) traumas:n.外伤;精神创伤(trauma的复数); independence:n.独立;独立性;自恃心;独立不羁的精神; paralysis:n.麻痹;无力;停顿; treatment:n.治疗;疗法;对待;处理;讨论; strategy:n.策略;行动计划;部署;战略; solution:n.解决方案;溶液;溶解;解答; regenerating:v.再生(regenerate的ing形式);改革;使恢复原状;
So, could we use the asparagus and its vascular bundles to repair a spinal cord? 那么,我们能否 使用芦笋和它的维管束 对脊髓进行修复呢？
This is a really dumb idea. 这是一个相当离谱的想法。
First of all , humans aren't plants. 首先,人类不是植物。
Our cells have not evolved to grow on plant polymers , and plant tissues have no business being found in your spinal cord. 我们的细胞没有进化出 在植物分子上生长的能力, 植物组织和你的脊髓也毫不相干。
repair:v.修理;修补;修缮;补救;n.修理;修补;修缮; dumb:adj.哑的,无说话能力的;不说话的,无声音的; First of all:adv.首先; evolved:v.(使)逐渐形成;进化;进化形成;(evolve的过去分词和过去式) polymers:n.[高分子]聚合物;[高分子]高分子(polymer的复数); have no business:无权,没有理由;无关;
And secondly, ideally these types of scaffolds should disappear over time, leaving behind natural, healthy tissue. 第二, 理想的状况下, 这类骨架应当逐渐消失, 留下天然、健康的组织。
But plant-based scaffolds don't do that, because we lack the enzymes to break them down. 但是植物性骨架无法做到, 因为我们缺乏降解它们的酶。
Funnily enough, these properties were exactly why we were having so much success. 有意思的是, 恰恰是这些性质 让我们取得了巨大的进展。
ideally:adv.理想地;观念上地; disappear:v.消失;失踪;不复存在; enzymes:n.[生化]酶(enzyme的复数);酶类,酵素; Funnily:adv.有趣地,滑稽地;古怪的;
Over the course of many experiments, we were able to demonstrate that the inertness of plant tissue is exactly why it's so biocompatible . 在许多实验中, 我们发现 植物组织的惰性 正是其出色生物兼容性的原因。
In a way, the body almost doesn't even see it, but regenerating cells benefit from its shape and stability . 可以说,人体甚至 几乎发觉不了它的存在, 但再生的细胞又能得益于 它的形状和稳定性。
Now this is all well and good, but I constantly felt this weight of doubt when it came to thinking about spinal cords . 这一切都很好, 但在思考脊髓的时候, 我总会感到疑虑的重压。
inertness:n.迟钝;惯性;惯量; biocompatible:adj.生物适合的;不会引起排斥的; stability:n.稳定性;坚定,恒心; constantly:adv.不断地;时常地; cords:n.(结实的)粗线,细绳;灯芯绒裤子;(cord的复数)
So many scientists were using materials from traditional sources , like synthetic polymers and animal products -- even human cadavers . 那么多科学家都在使用 传统来源的材料, 比如合成高分子和动物制品—— 甚至人类尸体。
I felt like a complete outsider with no real right to work on such a hard problem. 我觉得自己就是个 彻头彻尾的局外人, 无权研究这个如此艰难的问题。
But because of this doubt, 但正因有这种疑虑,
I surrounded myself with neurosurgeons and clinicians , biochemists and bioengineers , and we started to plan experiments. 我召集了神经外科医师、临床医师、 生物化学家、生物工程师, 并开始一起设计实验。
traditional:传统的,惯例的, sources:n.来源;出处;起源;根源;原因;v.(从…)获得(source的第三人称单数和复数) synthetic:adj.综合的;合成的,人造的;n.合成物; cadavers:n.死尸;尸体;(cadaver的复数) outsider:n.外人;无取胜希望者; neurosurgeons:n.神经外科医生; clinicians:临床医生(clinician的名词复数); biochemists:n.生物化学家; bioengineers:n.生物工程师;
The basic idea is that we would take an animal, anesthetize it, expose its spinal cord and sever it in the thoracic region , rendering the animal a paraplegic . 基本的想法是,我们会对一只动物 进行麻醉, 暴露出它的脊髓 并在胸椎部位进行截断, 使其截瘫。
We would then implant an asparagus scaffold between the severed ends of the spinal cord to act as a bridge. 然后我们将芦笋骨架 植入脊髓的断点之间, 起到桥梁的作用。
Now this is crucially important. 接下来的这点至关重要。
We're only using asparagus. 我们只用了芦笋——
anesthetize:vt.使麻醉(anaesthetize);使麻痹; expose:v.揭露,揭发;使曝光;显示; sever:v.割断;断绝;切开;切下; thoracic:adj.[解剖]胸的;[解剖]胸廓的; region:n.地区;范围;部位; rendering:n.演奏;扮演;表演;翻译作品;v.使成为;给予;提供;回报;(render的现在分词) paraplegic:n.下身麻痹患者;adj.截瘫的; severed:v.切开;割断;切下;割下;(sever的过去分词和过去式) crucially:adv.关键地;至关重要地;
We're not adding stem cells or electrical stimulation or exoskeletons or physical therapy or pharmaceuticals . 没有添加任何干细胞、电刺激、 外骨骼、 物理治疗 或者药物。
We're simply investigating if the microchannels in the scaffold alone are enough to guide the regeneration of neurons. 我们只是在研究 仅凭骨架中的微管道 是否足以引导神经元的再生。
And here are the main results. 主要结果如下:
In this video, you can see an animal about eight weeks after being paralyzed . 在这段视频里,你能看到 一只截瘫八周后的动物。
stem:n.花草的茎或梗;高脚酒杯的脚;烟斗柄;词干;v.阻止;封堵;遏止; electrical:adj.有关电的;电气科学的; stimulation:n.刺激;激励,鼓舞; exoskeletons:n.[昆]外骨骼; physical therapy:n.理疗;物理疗法; pharmaceuticals:n.药物(pharmaceutical的复数); investigating:v.调查;研究;审查;(investigate的现在分词) regeneration:n.[生物][化学][物]再生,重生;重建; paralyzed:adj.瘫痪的;麻痹的;v.使麻痹;使无力;使失去勇气(paralyze的过去分词);
You can see she can't move her back legs, and she can't lift herself up. 可以看到,它无法挪动后腿, 也无法站起来。
Now I know how difficult this video is to watch. 我知道这个视频 让人看起来很不舒服。
My team struggled every day with these types of experiments, and we constantly asked ourselves why we were doing this ... 我的团队每天都在 因为这类实验挣扎, 我们不停地问自己 为什么要做这种事——
until we started to observe something extraordinary . 直到我们开始观察到 难以置信的事。
This is an animal that received an implant. 这是一只接受了移植的动物。
Now she's not walking perfectly, but she's moving those back legs and she's even starting to lift herself up. 它还没法完美行走, 但已能够移动后腿, 甚至能开始站起来。
struggled:v.奋斗;努力;争取;艰难地行进;抗争;(struggle的过去式和过去分词) observe:v.观察;看到;庆祝;监视; extraordinary:adj.非凡的;特别的;离奇的;临时的;特派的;
And on a treadmill , you can see those legs moving in a coordinated fashion. 而在跑步机上, 可以看到后腿在协调地运动。
These are crucial signs of recovery . 这些是康复的关键迹象。
Now we still have a lot of work to do, and there are a lot of questions to answer, but this is the first time anyone has shown that plant tissues can be used to repair such a complex injury. 我们仍有大量工作要做, 还有很多问题待解答, 但这是第一次有人发现 植物组织能用于修复 如此复杂的损伤。
treadmill:n.踏车,跑步机;单调的工作; coordinated:v.使协调;使相配合;搭配,协调;(coordinate的过去分词和过去式) recovery:n.恢复,复原;痊愈;重获; complex:adj.复杂的;合成的;n.复合体;综合设施;
Even so, we've been sitting on this data for over five years. 即便如此,我们手握 这些内部数据已有五年了。
Doubt drove us to repeat these experiments again and again , to the point of almost bankrupting my lab. 疑虑驱使我们 一次又一次地重复这些实验, 甚至差点让我的实验室破产。
But I kept pushing, because I knew these results could be the start of something extraordinary. 但我一直坚持这样做, 因为我知道这些结果 可能是奇迹的开端。
And what's just as exciting is that my company is now translating these discoveries into the clinic -- into the real world. 同样激动人心的是, 我的公司正在将这些发现 引入医疗诊所—— 引入现实世界。
again and again:adv.再三地,反复地; bankrupting:adj.破产的;vt.使破产;n.[经]破产者;
This technology has just been designated a breakthrough medical device by the FDA. 这项技术刚被食品药品监督管理局 认定为“突破性医疗器械”。
And this designation means that right now we're in the midst of planning human clinical trials set to begin in about two years. 这项认定意味着, 目前我们正在筹备人类临床试验, 将在约两年后开展。
So I'd like to show you a prototype of one of our state-of-the-art spinal cord implants . 我想展示一下 凝聚了我们尖端技术的 植入式脊髓的样板。
technology:n.技术;工艺;术语; designated:adj.派定的;v.命名;指定;标明;指明;(designate的过去式和过去分词) breakthrough:n.突破;开始取得成功之时;adj.突破性的; device:n.装置;策略;图案; designation:n.指定;名称;指示;选派; midst:n.当中,中间;prep.在…中间(等于amidst); clinical:adj.临床的;诊所的; prototype:n.原型;雏形;最初形态; state-of-the-art:adj.最先进的;已经发展的;达到最高水准的; implants:n.移植物;埋植剂(implant的复数);v.灌输(implant的第三人称单数);
It's still made from asparagus and contains all of those microchannels. 它仍是由芦笋制成的, 含有大量微管道。
And you can see that it moves and bends and has the same feel as human tissue. 可以看见,它弯曲的方式 和它的触感都和人体组织一样。
And you know, 那么,
I think the real innovation is that we're now able to design or program the architecture and structure of plant tissues in such a way that they could direct cell growth to address an unmet medical need. 我认为真正的创新在于 我们现在能够设计或规划 植物组织的构架与结构, 使得它们能根据待解决的医疗需求 引导细胞生长。
As scientists, we spend our lives living on a knife's edge. 作为科学家, 我们一生都在刀刃上跳舞。
On the one hand , it's our job to fundamentally broaden the horizons of human knowledge, but at the same time , we're trained to doubt -- to doubt our data, to doubt our experiments, to doubt our own conclusions . 一方面, 我们的职责是从根本上 拓宽人类知识的边界, 但同时,我们受过的训练 让我们保持质疑—— 质疑我们的数据、实验, 质疑我们自己得出的结论。
innovation:n.创新,革新;新方法; architecture:n.建筑学;建筑风格;建筑式样;架构; structure:n.结构;构造;建筑物;vt.组织;构成;建造; unmet:adj.未满足的;未应付的;未相遇的; On the one hand:一方面; fundamentally:adv.从根本上;基础地;重要地 broaden:v.加宽;变宽;(broaden的现在分词) horizons:n.地平线;范围,眼界;(horizon的复数) at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时; conclusions:n.结论,总结;决定;(conclusion的复数)
We spend our lives crushed under the weight of constant, unrelenting , never-ending anxiety , uncertainty and self-doubt . 我们终其一生都被焦虑、 不确定性和自我怀疑所碾压, 这种重压持续不断、 毫不留情、永无终结。
And this is something I really struggle with. 我一直因此而苦苦挣扎。
But I think almost every scientist can tell you about the time they ignored those doubts and did the experiment that would never work. 但我觉得几乎每一位科学家 都能告诉你, 他们何时决定忽略这些疑虑, 做了那个肯定不会成功的实验。
crushed:v.压坏;压伤;挤压变形;(crush的过去分词和过去式) unrelenting:adj.无情的;不屈不挠的;不松懈的; never-ending:adj.不停的;无限的; anxiety:n.焦虑;渴望;挂念;令人焦虑的事; uncertainty:n.不确定,不可靠; self-doubt:n.自我怀疑;缺少自信; ignored:v.忽视;对…不予理会;佯装未见;不予理睬;(ignore的过去分词和过去式)
And the thing is, every now and then , one of those experiments works out. 而事实是,时不时地, 其中一个实验就是成功了。
The challenge we face is that while doubt can be destructive to your mental health, it's also the reason why scientific rigor is such a potent tool for discovery. 我们面临的挑战是,虽说怀疑会打击你的精神健康, 但也正因为怀疑,科学严谨性 才会是催生发现的有力工具。
every now and then:不时地;常常; destructive:adj.破坏的;毁灭性的;有害的,消极的; scientific:adj.科学的,系统的; rigor:n.严厉;精确;苛刻;僵硬; potent:adj.有效的;强有力的,有权势的;有说服力的;
It forces us to ask the difficult questions and repeat experiments. 它迫使我们问出困难的问题, 不断重复实验。
Nothing about that is easy. 这一切都不轻松。
And often it becomes our responsibility to bear the burden of the hard and sometimes heart-wrenching experiment. 背负起困难的、 时而令人心碎的实验的重担, 常常会变成我们的责任。
This ultimately leads to the creation of new knowledge, and in some really rare cases, the type of innovation that just might change a person's life. 这最终会通向新知识的诞生, 而在一些非常罕见的例子里, 能创造出可以改变人生的创新。
Thank you. 谢谢。
burden:n.负担;责任;船的载货量;v.使负担;烦扰;装货于; heart-wrenching:令人心痛的; ultimately:adv.最终;最后;归根结底;终究; creation:n.创造,创作;创作物,产物;