VOA标准英语2011--Promising Target For Malaria Vaccine Identified

Promising¹ Target For Malaria² Vaccine³ Identified

 

British researchers have discovered a biochemical key used by the malaria parasite⁴ to invade human blood cells. The discovery could pave the way for an effective malaria vaccine.

The Plasmodium malaria parasite has a complex life cycle, and that gives scientists different targets for trying to interrupt its development.

One critical point in that process is when the parasite enters the victim's red blood cells. It does that by interacting with a chemical receptor on the surface of the cell.

Previous research identified several of those receptors, but the problem has been that if one receptor is blocked, the parasite uses a different one. Now, scientists have identified a single blood cell receptor that Plasmodium absolutely needs to enter the blood cell.

Julian Rayner of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge says the research team used different techniques to prove the key role of the receptor, called basigin.

"And what we discovered essentially⁵ is by adding in protein or antibody in increasing amounts, we could block invasion of the red blood cell," Rayner said at a London news conference. "Our colleagues, led by Manoj Duraisingh at Harvard, used a genetic⁶ approach to create red blood cells with reduced amounts of basigin on the surface, and again that had a big impact on invasion."

British researchers have made a discovery they believe will lead to more effective prevention and treatment of malaria.

In the process, Rayner says they used more than 15 varieties of the malaria parasite, including some currently circulating in the wild.

"But [basigin] seems to be used by every parasite strain that we've tested to date. And some of the ones that we've tested in this paper were in collaboration⁷ with scientists in Senegal. And these are parasites⁸ that are really freshly isolated⁹ from people's arms, so they haven't been sitting in a culture dish for a long time. These are real parasites as recently exposed to humans."

Other malaria vaccines¹⁰ are in development, but co-author Gavin Wright expressed confidence that one based on this discovery might be more successful.

"We've probably got more data to show that this really is a critical interaction than for any other candidate in the past. So, as a starting point for developing a vaccine, you couldn't hope for better."

The researchers say a vaccine targeting the basigin receptor may be a decade or more away. But they say that unlike vaccines for some other diseases, which are useful only in prevention, a malaria vaccine that targets basigin may also be a useful treatment, blocking the constant re-infection of blood cells that characterizes malaria.

Gavin Wright, Julian Rayner and their colleagues publish their findings in the journal Nature.

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

3 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。

4 parasite   

n.寄生虫；寄生菌；食客

参考例句：

• The lazy man was a parasite on his family.那懒汉是家里的寄生虫。
• I don't want to be a parasite.I must earn my own way in life.我不想做寄生虫，我要自己养活自己。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

8 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

9 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

10 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。