VOA标准英语2014--科学家治愈艾滋病的希望更大了

 

Scientists Getting Closer to Finding AIDS Cure 科学家治愈艾滋病的希望更大了

Scientists searching for a cure for AIDS say they have uncovered the basic chemistry of the HIV virus and that the most likely strategy for fighting the disease will be attacking it with another virus.

For almost a quarter of a century, scientists around the world have been trying to find a cure for the disease that has so far killed millions. The UN estimates that more than 2 million people were newly infected with the AIDS virus last year, more than half in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers have developed a range of medicines that can substantially prolong the life of HIV-positive patients, but their high price is keeping them outside of reach of many.

So scientists at the University of Miami are taking a different approach to attacking the virus.

In 2008, a patient in Berlin, Germany, was cured of HIV when he received a mutated gene¹ during a bone marrow² transplant from a donor³ naturally resistant⁴ to HIV.

Director of the Center for AIDS Research at the University of Miami, Mario Stevenson, said researchers are now trying to find a way to deliver the mutated gene on a large scale.

“Although we can't use bone marrow transplant to eradicate⁵ HIV, it has given us clues on how we would approach a cure strategy. It's given us a better understanding of what the virus is doing in the body of individuals who are on therapy, and it has given us the sort of obstacles that we need to overcome in order to eradicate the virus,” he said.

Stevenson said an effective method would be to develop a harmless virus that could transfer the mutated gene directly into the HIV virus. With this approach, he said, the scientists are beginning to see a possible cure.

“The basic science efforts that many of us have been engaged in have started to reveal what the ingredients of a cure would look like, what the obstacles to a cure look like, and what a success story might look like,” he said.

Scientists have to make sure that the delivery virus will be absolutely harmless, but they say the approach looks very promising⁶. They predict it’s just a matter of time before there is a victory in the war against AIDS.

1 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。

2 marrow   

n.骨髓；精华；活力

参考例句：

• It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了，他感到寒冷刺骨。
• He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。

3 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

4 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

5 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

6 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。