VOA慢速英语2016 科学家即将研发出治愈艾滋病的方法

Scientists Could be Closer to AIDS Cure 科学家即将研发出治愈艾滋病的方法

Since the start of the deadly AIDS epidemic¹ in the 1980s, scientists have been working towards a cure. Now, they may be close to finding one.

自从上世纪90年代艾滋病爆发以来，科学家已经在寻找治疗艾滋病的方法，现在终于有了新的突破

Researchers have developed a method to cut the viral DNA² from a person's infected cells. It is called CRISPR/Cas9 and it means the person could be virus-free.

研究人员发现一种新的方法，能够阻止艾滋病病毒DNA在人体细胞内继续复制。这种方法叫做CRISPR/Cas9，一旦有效，就意味着人们可以对艾滋病产生免疫

DNA is a substance that carries genetic³ information in the cells of animals and plants.

DNA携带动物和植物的遗传信息

This gene-editing took place in a scientific lab, but has not been tested on humans yet.

现在，这种基因编辑技术还处于实验室阶段，没有进行人体测试

“It's a big step,” said Kamel Khalili, Ph.D. He is lead researcher and chair at the Department of Neuroscience at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and his team made the discovery.

费城Temple大学实验室组长Kamel Khalili博士表示 “这是一次巨大的进步”。他带领自己的团队取得了这次突破

But more tests have to be done to know if it will be a cure for the millions of patients infected with the HIV virus, which causes AIDS.

但是具体这种方法能否治愈数百万艾滋病患者还不得而知

Antiretroviral drugs have been doing a good job of keeping the AIDS virus from reproducing. Such a good job that levels of HIV are just about undetectable in infected people who take the medicine.

抗艾药物能有效阻止艾滋病病毒在体内复制。但是只有病人一直坚持服用药物才能做到限制HIV病毒在体内的数量

But even with the drugs, the virus stays in the body's “T-cells,” which are T-lymphocytes. AIDS damages the immune system, hurting the body's ability to fight off disease.

但是，即使服用药物。这些病毒还是一直寄生在“T细胞”中。艾滋病病毒会摧毁人体免疫系统，导致人体抗病能力消失

So the drugs are kind of a “Band-Aid solution,” Khalili explained. They keep the virus from growing. But they do not eliminate the memory of the virus from the cells.

所以服用抗艾药物又被成为：“创可贴疗法” Kamel Khalili解释到。因为只能阻止病毒继续扩赛，但是不能从细胞中除去病毒DNA

And, the moment antiretroviral drugs are stopped, the HIV comes back to life and begins making more HIV, which is the AIDS virus.

而且，一旦停止服用抗艾药物，病毒就会苏醒，并重新开始在体内扩散

Khalili and his team of scientists appear to have found a way to cut this viral DNA from infected people's cells.

Kamel Khalili和他的团队现在很有可能已经找到了从人体细胞中除去病毒DNA的方法

In their lab, they took cells from people infected with the HIV virus. They removed the part of the cell that was holding the virus.

在他们的实验室里，他们从人体体内取出受HIV感染细胞，将细胞被病毒感染的部分除去

He said they had “in some cases, near 90 percent of the virus replication or production dropped in the patient samples after treatment in the laboratory.”

他说“他们处理的病例中，经过实验室治疗，有一些将近90%病人样品中病毒失去再造能力”

Khalili and his team have not actually cured any patients yet. However, he believes this gene-editing technology could possibly cure AIDS.

尽管现在他们还没有完全治愈一个病人，但是他相信，基因编辑技术能够最终治疗艾滋病

“Elimination of the virus can lead to the cure.” He said, "it's an exciting time, and the reason is the technologies are available and the methods are in place and our knowledge has increased.”

“消灭病毒之后就有了治愈疾病的可能”。他说，：“这是一个激动人心的时刻，因为现在技术已经允许，而且已经有了治疗方法，我们对艾滋病的了解程度也有所增加”

“And hopefully, there will be funding to take us toward this exciting moment for developing the cure strategy by eliminating viral DNA using editing techniques."

“而且，现在有专项资金提供给我们，能够让我们继续研发这种通过消灭病毒DNA的编辑治疗手段”

He said that he hopes human tests could begin in two to three years. But that depends on funding.

他说，他希望能够在未来2到3年内就开展人体测试，但是这取决与自己得到的资助

The work was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

研究结果发表在科学杂志上

HIV/AIDS has been a devastating⁴ disease since it was first discovered in the early 1980s. Since then, the World Health Organization says almost 78 million people have been infected with the HIV virus. About 39 million people have died of HIV/AIDS.

从上世纪90年代首次非发现以来，艾滋病一直就是不治之症。此后，世卫组织表示：现在全世界有大约7.8亿人感染艾滋病，有3.9亿人死于艾滋病

At the end of 2013, 35 million people worldwide were living with HIV, according to the WHO.

截止到2013年，世界上有大学3.5亿艾滋病病毒携带者。

Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected⁵ by the virus. Nearly 71 percent of people in the world who live with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

非洲撒哈拉地区是受艾滋病 感染最严重的地区。世界上有71%艾滋病病人都在这里

And while the drug therapy can control the virus, not everyone infected can get or afford it. Also, some who take it report side effects.

尽管有能够控制艾滋病的治疗方法，但是并不是所有人都能够负担的起昂贵的治疗费用。此外，还有一些服用药物以后出现副作用的报道

Words in This Story

edit – v. to cut out; to change

anti-retroviral – adj. acting⁶, used, or effective against retroviruses, especially HIV

undectable – adj. cannot be detected, or found

immune system – n. the body’s system that fights infection

eliminate – v. to end or remove something

devastating - adj. causes great damage or destroys

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

3 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。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。