VOA慢速英语2020 羊驼帮助科学家开发新冠肺炎疫苗

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语健康和生活报道。

In Sweden, scientists are looking to a farm animal to help them find a treatment or vaccine² against the new coronavirus.

瑞典的科学家希望一种家畜可以帮助他们找出针对新冠病毒的治疗办法或疫苗。

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute, a medical university near Stockholm, are putting their hope in a 12-year-old alpaca from Germany. Alpacas belong to the camel family.

斯德哥尔摩附近的卡洛林斯研究所的研究人员将希望寄托在了来自德国的12岁羊驼身上。羊驼属于骆驼家族。

The scientists started by recreating the so-called³ "spike⁴" protein that permits the coronavirus to infect human cells. They then injected the spike protein into the alpaca, whose name is Tyson.

科学家们首先重建了让新冠病毒可以感染人类细胞的所谓刺突蛋白。然后，他们将这种刺突蛋白注入这只名为泰森的羊驼体内。

The team is collecting blood samples to see whether the alpaca can develop antibodies against the spike protein. Extremely small antibodies, known as nanobodies, stick to the same part of the virus as human antibodies.

该研究小组正在收集血液样本，以观察羊驼是否能够产生针对这种刺突蛋白的抗体。这种被称为纳米抗体的极小抗体与人类抗体一样黏附在该病毒的同一部分。

In a statement to the press, the researchers called them "neutralizing⁵ antibodies." If you neutralize⁶ something harmful, you take away its ability to cause harm.

在向新闻界发表的声明中，研究人员称其为中和抗体。如果可以中和有害的东西，就能消除它造成伤害的能力。

The head of the research team in Sweden is Gerald McInerney. He said the hope is that the neutralizing antibodies will be able to effectively block the virus protein -- and thereby⁷ the coronavirus -- from entering cells and spreading.

该瑞典研究团队的负责人是杰拉尔德·麦金纳尼。他说，希望这种中和抗体能够有效阻断病毒蛋白，从而阻止新冠病毒进入细胞并扩散。

The results could be used to develop drug treatments or possibly a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease⁸ caused by the coronavirus. While the scientific work is still at an early stage, McInerney said his team has seen evidence it could work in people.

该研究结果可用于开发药物疗法或者开发可针对冠状病毒引发的新冠肺炎的疫苗。麦金纳尼表示，虽然这项科学工作仍然处于初期阶段，但是他的团队已经看到了它可在人体内起到作用的证据。

In a Reuters interview McInerney said, "In principle, all the evidence would suggest it will work very well in humans." He added however, that "it is a very complex system."

麦金纳尼在接受路透社采访中表示：“原则上，所有证据都表明它将在人体内很好地起到作用。”但是他还说：“这是一个非常复杂的系统。”

McInerney noted⁹ that the coronavirus mutates "quite easily." So, researchers need to be prepared to develop several different kinds of antibodies.

麦金纳尼指出，冠状病毒很容易变异。所以研究人员需要准备开发几种不同类型的抗体。

COVID-19 has killed more than 400,000 people around the world.

新冠肺炎已经导致全球超过40万人死亡。

McInerney explained that his team began its research back in January. At that time, they say they believed the coronavirus could become a serious pandemic. The researchers also knew it would take a long time to develop a vaccine, as well as drugs to slow the progression of the disease and save lives, he added.

麦金纳尼解释说，他的团队从1月份开始研究。当时，他们认为新冠病毒可能会成为严重的大流行病。他还说，研究人员也早知道，开发疫苗以及减缓疾病进程并挽救性命会需要很长时间。

But why use an alpaca?

为何采用羊驼？

Studies have shown that alpacas and other members of the camel family are known to produce nanobodies. Nanobodies are easier for scientists to work with. Sharks have also been found to produce nanobodies. But sharks are not as easy to work with as alpacas.

研究表明，人们知道羊驼和骆驼家族其它成员会产生纳米抗体。纳米抗体更容易被科学家研究利用。人们发现鲨鱼也会产生纳米抗体，但是鲨鱼不像羊驼那么好打交道。

When will we have a vaccine?

疫苗何时面世？

Scientific experts say it will likely take some time to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.

科学专家表示，开发新冠肺炎疫苗可能需要一段时间。

The team in Sweden is moving on to the next step, which could involve testing with other animals, such as mice or hamsters. The scientists say they hope their results can be used as a model for future COVID-19 research.

瑞典的研究小组正在迈入下一步，这可能包括对诸如老鼠或仓鼠之类的其它动物进行测试。科学家说，希望他们的研究结果可以用作未来新冠肺炎研究的模型。

As for Tyson the alpaca, the researchers say his job is done.

至于羊驼泰森，研究人员称其使命已经完成。

"Tyson is 12 years old, I believe, and he may be looking at retirement¹⁰ soon," McInerney told Reuters. "So, he'll live out his life on his farm back in Germany."

麦金纳尼表示：“泰森12岁了，我认为它可能很快就要退休了。所以，他将回到德国的农场度过它的余生。”

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report ... I'm Anna Matteo.

以上就是本期健康和生活的全部内容。我是安娜·马特奥。

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 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。

3 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

4 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

5 neutralizing   

v.使失效( neutralize的现在分词 )；抵消；中和；使（一个国家）中立化

参考例句：

• This juice-about a quart a day--pours into my duodenum, neutralizing acids. 这种消化液（每天约分泌1品脱）流入我的十二指肠，把酸中和了。 来自辞典例句
• AIM: To verify the role of a synthetic peptide in neutralizing endotoxins. 目的：检验一条合成肽在中和内毒素活性方面的作用。 来自互联网

6 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。

7 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

8 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。