英闻天下——464 New HIV Vaccine Developed in Spain

 　　The team led by Dr. Josep Maria Gatell, has produced a vaccine¹ which reduces the level of HIV in patients' blood by 90 percent after twelve weeks of vaccinations².

 

　　The team at Barcelona's Clinic Hospital has been developing the vaccine for the past five years. It's therapeutic³ and aimed at treating, rather than preventing the disease.

 

　　Scientists all over the world are trying to develop therapeutic HIV vaccines⁴. Gatell believes the one he and his colleagues are working on is showing great promise.

 

　　Gatell's team tested the vaccine on randomly⁵ selected HIV positive patients who were being medicated with antiretroviral medicines. The aim was to discover if they could encourage the patient's own immune system to fight the HIV.

 

　　Gatell says, the most common form of HIV uses dendritic immune cells, to spread its infection.

 

　　"With HIV the problem is that dendritic cells confront the immune system with live and viable⁶ viruses which end up destroying it."

 

　　Doctors found that by sending a deactivated⁷ virus from an HIV patient to this cell dramatically reduces the level of infection although even with reduced levels of HIV patients will still need to ensure they use protection to prevent the risk of transmitting the disease. The problem is that this therapy isn't permanent.

 

　　After a year most of the patients on the trial had to return to taking their antiretroviral drugs. Gatell argues the trial has shown that in principal a vaccine can be effective:

 

　　"To sum it up briefly⁸ the vaccine prototype we have used in our last study in 2013 is not capable of preventing the reappearance of the viral load when the treatment ends. But it reduces the reappearance of the virus between ten and fifteen times. And this is a conceptual proof that a therapeutic vaccine could work."

 

　　The vaccine has to be custom made for each patient. The goal of the team is to develop a vaccine which is an effective cure and will enable patients to stop taking the expensive antiretroviral medicines which keep them alive.

 

　　According to official statistics released by the autonomic government of Catalonia there are some 140,000 HIV positive men and women in Spain, 30,000 of them in Catalonia.

 

　　The scientists at Hospital Clinic are also working on a second vaccine which aims to neutralize⁹ antibodies.

 

　　In the past attempts to develop this type of vaccine haven't been successful because the virus is so successful at mutating.

 

　　But Dr. Eloisa Yuste, a former researcher at America's Harvard University says:

 

　　"Putting it in context this is a type of vaccine that has already worked for other infectious diseases that are today being used worldwide. We are already in the development stage. We have already conducted some experimental tests on animals. And in three to five years time we hope we will start tests on humans."

 

　　HIV and AIDS are often associated with the homosexual community. Barcelona has one largest and most diverse gay and lesbian communities in Europe. According to official statistics a quarter of the gay men in town are HIV positive.

 

　　In October this year, 1,500 HIV/AIDS scientists and researchers will gather in the capital of Catalonia to discuss the latest developments in treatment.

 

　　For CRI, I am Li Dong.

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 vaccinations   

n.种痘，接种( vaccination的名词复数 )；牛痘疤

参考例句：

• Vaccinations ensure one against diseases. 接种疫苗可以预防疾病。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I read some publicity about vaccinations while waiting my turn at the doctor's. 在医生那儿候诊时，我读了一些关于接种疫苗的宣传。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

4 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

5 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

6 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

7 deactivated   

v.解除动员( deactivate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；复员；使不活动

参考例句：

• \"The brain can be deactivated. It can be yours to command.\" “大脑计算机可以被停止。如果你下达命令的话。” 来自互联网
• He successfully deactivated a nuclear reactor in a laboratory before meltdown. 他成功停用一个核反应堆在实验室之前崩溃。 来自互联网

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 neutralize   

v.使失效、抵消，使中和

参考例句：

• Nothing could neutralize its good effects.没有什么能抵消它所产生的好影响。
• Acids neutralize alkalis and vice versa.酸能使碱中和碱，亦能使酸中和。