VOA常速英语2007-Nobel Medicine Prize Awarded for Stem Cell Resea

By Kevin Billinghurst
Stockholm
08 October 2007

The Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology¹ will be shared this year by three researchers, two Americans and a Briton, for their studies of embryonic² stem cells in mice. Kevin Billinghurst was on the scene for VOA when the announcement was made at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

"The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or medicine goes to Mario Capecchi, Martin Evans and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene³ modifications⁴ in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells," said Professor Christer Betsholtz of the Karolinska Institute, announcing the winners of perhaps the most prestigious⁵ award in medicine.

Mario Capecchi, orphaned⁶ during World War II in his native Italy, made his way to the United States and earned a doctorate⁷ from Harvard University in 1967. He is currently Distinguished⁸ Professor of Human Genetics and Biology at the University of Utah and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Oliver Smithies is a British-born American holding the post of Excellence¹⁰ Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel¹¹ Hill.

Capecchi and Smithies studied the process by which natural selection increases genetic⁹ variation in a population by exchange of DNA¹² sequences.

Working together, they set out to prove that this homologous recombination could be used to specifically modify genes¹³ in mammalian cells. Their process came to be known as gene targeting.

By 1986, the two began working with Dr. Martin Evans a professor at Cardiff University in Britain and a Fellow of the Royal Academy, who provided the cellular¹⁴ vehicle that Capecchi and Smithies needed by showing that mouse embryonic stem cells would pass on introduced genetic modifications.

Embryos¹⁵ from one mouse strain were injected with stem cells from another strain and carried to term by surrogate mothers. The offspring was subsequently mated, and the presence of stem cell-derived genes was detected in the next generation. These genes would now be inherited according to Mendel's laws.

"Gene targeting has meant a revolution to biomedical sciences because it allows us to study of the function of genes in normal physiology - in healthy conditions, but also in disease," continued Betsholz. "You may object when I say our genes, because mice are mice and men are men. But although we may consider ourselves the multi-tasking crown of evolution, it is actually so that we share approximately 95 percent of our genes with mice. And this means that by studying mouse genetics we can infer the function of our own genes."

Capecchi, Smithies and Evans will share an award of more than $1 million, and they will be invited to Stockholm this December to receive their gold Nobel medallions from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf.

1 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

2 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

3 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

4 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

6 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。

7 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

8 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

9 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。

10 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

11 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

12 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。

13 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

14 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

15 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句