科技动态:纳米技术用于心脏病

Now from the Boston Museum of Science, Sci-tech today, on NECN.

有线新闻波士顿消息，欢迎收看今天的Sci-tech Today。

We are talking about a breakthrough in the battle against heart disease. Harvard and MIT scientists have developed a new technology that requires no surgery: it's called Nanoburrs. And Dr. Brindha Muniappan joins us live from the Museum of Science in Boston and tells us about it. Thanks for being here.

今天我们要聊的是心脏病抢救的新突破。哈佛和麻省理工的科学家们研发出一种不用开刀手术的治疗方法：Nanoburrs。老子波士顿科学馆的Brindha Muniappan博士将向我们做详细介绍。

Thanks Beth. It's nice to be here.

谢谢Beth，很高兴来到这里。

So explain to us a little bit about what a Nanoburr is?

那么，请向我们解释一下Nanoburr是什么？

Sure. So a nanoburr is a nanoparticle. So very very tiny particle we can't see with our naked eyes on such a small scale. But these particles have been designed to sort of be like burrs you might find out in nature. So if you are out on a walk for example, maybe you've already encountered some of these burrs stuck to your socks or maybe to your pet. These nanoparticles were designed just like these burrs to stick but to a specific place in our body to damaged heart vessels².

好的。nanoburr其实是纳米粒子，一种非常非常小用肉眼无法看到的微小分子。这些分子就像大自然中的细小毛一样。举个例子，如果你出门散步，也许就会有一些细小毛刺粘到你的袜子或是你的宠物身上。纳米粒子就像是这种毛刺，但是粘到了人类身体一个特殊的部位，引发心血管的病变。

And how are they able to do that?

这些纳米粒子是如何做到的呢？

Well, the team of researchers that you mentioned earlier designed the nanoparticles to have a very special protein coding the outside of them. And that protein really just wants to bind³ to another protein that's only exposed when heart vessels are damaged.

之前你提到过的研究小组的成员将这种纳米颗粒设计为含有一种特殊编码的蛋白质。而这种蛋白质只依附于另一种只存在心血管损伤处的蛋白质。

And so, I have got a little demonstration⁴ here. If you imagine that this tube is like a blood vessel¹, the clear area is a normal tissue and the white area is a site of damage. We would inject the nanoburr and it will bind only to the site of damage. You can do that with multiple nanoburrs. There they stick only to the site of damage. And that's the high technology here.

我在这里能展示出来。如果你想象这根管道是一根血管，透明部分是正常组织，白色部分是受损组织。我们注射的纳米粒子会附在受损的白色区域。我们放入多个纳米粒子，都会附在白色区域，这就是它的高科技所在之处。

So once the nanoburr attaches to that tissue, how does it help improve the condition of the heart?

一旦纳米粒子附着在受损区域，它是如何修复心血管的呢？

Well, the inside of the nanoburr contains medicine. So once the burr is bond to the site of damage, it can very slowly release medicine to treat the site of damage. And that's another improvement of this particular technology: the ability to very slowly release the medicine over 12-14 days.

在Nanoburr中包含有药物。一旦毛刺附在受伤的血管部位，它就能慢慢释放出来药物来治疗伤处。这项技术的另一个特殊之处就是释放速度可以很缓慢，慢至12到14天。

So how is this improvement over conventional treatments for blocked or damaged arteries⁵?

那么，这一发明如何能取代传统方法治疗血栓和血管损伤？

Well, in one way, as I mentioned, there is a slow release of drug. But also, these nanoburrs don't have to be surgically⁶ implanted, they can just be injected. And there is a little bit more of an advantage, there is a possibility of using this technology for treating other diseases, including cancer or severe inflammation.

我刚才提到了一点，就是药物的缓慢释放。还有一点就是Nanoburrs不用外科手术植入，直接注射即可。还有另一个优点，那就是这项技术还能应用于治疗其他疾病，包括癌症或者严重的炎症。

So a team of scientists at Harvard and MIT developed the technology. Where is it and it's availability to patients?

一只由哈佛和麻省理工科学家组成的小组研发这项技术。而，这项技术对换着来说可行吗？

Well, this technology unfortunately is still in very early stages. Scientists have done some initial tests in rats in their laboratory.They are hoping to do a bit more tests in animals. Maybe within about five years, they might be able to do some small clinical tests in human patients.

不幸的是，这项技术还处于起步阶段。科学家们已经在实验室用老鼠做一些基础实验。他们希望能在动物身上做更多的实验。也许在五年内，他们可以再人类患者身上做一些临床试验。

So it sounds like the idea of this isn't just to treat a heart that has already undergone something like a heart attack but more to prevent it from happening?

因此，这项技术不仅是治疗得过心脏病的患者，更是预防心脏明的技术？

Well, it certainly might be used before a heart attack, but it could also be used in conjunction with current treatments like stents that are currently used to keep open a previously⁷ blocked artery⁸. So it's possible that there are multiple uses for this technology.

这项技术能用于预防心脏病，但也能同心脏支架，一种使血栓过的心血管保持通畅的治疗方式相结合。

Alright, Dr. Brindha Muniappan, thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, Beth.

好的，谢谢你，Brindha Muniappan博士。谢谢，Beth。

1 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

2 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

4 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

5 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 surgically   

adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• To bypass this impediment an almost mature egg cell is removed surgically. 为了克服这一障碍，通过手术，取出一个差不多成熟的卵细胞。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。