VOA慢速英语2016 新公司将开发小型电子医疗方法（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-08-08 New Company Plans Very Small Electronic Medical Treatments 新公司将开发小型电子医疗方法

A new company has been created to research and develop medical treatments using bioelectronics.

一家新成立的公司旨在利用生物电子学技术研发医疗方法。

Bioelectronic treatments use a small device placed inside the body to change electronic nerve signals to treat, and possibly cure, diseases.

生物电子学通过在体内植入小型装置，改变电子神经信号来治疗疾病，可能的情况下治愈疾病。

The British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, and Google’s Verily Life Sciences formed the new company, Galvani Bioelectronics. They expect to invest about $715 million into the business during the next seven years. GSK will own 55 percent of the company and Verily, 45 percent.

英国制药公司葛兰素史克（GSK）以及谷歌旗下的生命科学部门合作成立新公司：Galvani Bioelectronics。他们有望在接下来的七年中投资7.15亿美元。GSK将拥有公司55%的股份，而谷歌生命科学部门拥有45%的股份。

GSK has spent the last three years creating a special map of nerves. It shows how the nerves affect organs and the disease process. Verily is expert at small device design and engineering.Moncef Slaoui is Chairman of Vaccines at GSK. He says Galvani Bioelectronics will build on the strengths and technologies of the two companies.

过去的三年，GSK开发了一款特殊的神经体图。该图展示了神经如何影响器官及疾病过程。生命科学部门擅长于小型设备的设计工程。蒙塞夫·斯拉维是GSK疫苗方面的董事长。他表示，Galvani Bioelectronics公司将依赖于两家公司的优势和技术水平。

GSK says these small bioelectronics devices could potentially treat diseases including diabetes, arthritis and asthma. The device could be used to guide insulin out of cells to treat diabetes, for example, or to correct muscle differences in lung disease.

GSK称，这些小型的生物电子学设备可能会医治糖尿病、关节炎和哮喘等疾病。比如，该设备可以通过引导细胞中的胰岛素来治疗糖尿病，或纠正肺部疾病中肌肉的差异。

Kris Famm is president of Galvani. He told Reuters news agency that the company had good results using the device in animal testing.He said the first generation of devices would be about the size of a small pill. But, he said, one day it will be smaller than a grain of rice. Famm said Galvani expects the first devices to be ready for government inspection by 2023.

克里斯·法姆是Galvani公司董事长。他告知路透社，该设备在动物体内的监测已经收到了不错的效果。他称，第一代设备大小相当于一颗小药片。但是他表示，未来设备将会比米粒还小。法姆称，公司希望到2023年时，政府可以验收第一代产品。

A major difficulty for researchers is to make the device work on extremely low power so it can be used deep inside the body.

研究者们面临的主要问题是，设备需要在极其低耗量的情况下运行，这样就可以深深埋藏在体内。

At first, Galvani will employ about 30 scientists, engineers and other lab workers.It will be based at GSK’s research center north of the British capital, London.A second research lab will set up in San Francisco, California.

首先，Galvani公司将聘用30名科学家、工程师及其他实验室工作人员。实验室基地位于英国首都伦敦北部的GSK实验中心。第二个实验室将在加州旧金山成立。

Words in This Story

bioelectronics – n. a branch of science that deals with electronic control of how the body works, especially in medicine to make up for defects of the nervous system

pharmaceutical – adj. of or relating to the production and sale of drugs and medicine

potentially – adv. capable of becoming real

insulin -– n. a substance that your body makes and uses to turn sugar into energy

pill – n. a small, rounded object that you swallow and that contains medicine