美国国家公共电台 NPR Japanese Biologist Wins Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine

Japanese Biologist Wins Nobel Prize In Physiology¹ Or Medicine 

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The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced this morning in Stockholm. The Nobel assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced a Japanese scientist as the sole winner this year. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein joins us now to talk about the award-winning research. Good morning.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE³: Good morning, Renee.

MONTAGNE: Who is the winner?

STEIN: His name is Yoshinori Ohsumi. He's 71 years old, and he's now at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

MONTAGNE: And he won for his work in two basic cell biology, I gather. But what exactly did he do?

STEIN: The Nobel Assembly says he discovered and explained a process that most people probably have never heard of, but is really important. It's called a autophagy. The term comes from the Greek words for self-eating. That's because it's a basic process that our cells use to break down and reuse parts of themselves to function. It's crucial for allowing cells to work properly.

MONTAGNE: So can - cells consuming themselves. How did he do this exactly?

STEIN: So scientists knew about this process since the 1960s, but it was very difficult to study. What Ohsumi did was what the Assembly is calling a brilliant series of experiments in the 1990s. He used baker's yeast⁴ to identify key genes⁵, genes that are essential for autophagy. The Nobel Assembly says this was a major breakthrough. It enabled him to decipher the complex series of chemical signals and events involved in this process. He then went on to show that similar sophisticated machinery⁶ is used in our own cells.

The Assembly says this work led to a new understanding for how cells recycle their contents.

MONTAGNE: All of which sounds quite important.

STEIN: Yeah, yeah. I mean, this is a fundamental process that cells need to survive, so it's involved in all sorts of things our bodies need to function properly. This is the process our cells use to generate, you know, fuel for energy and building blocks to keep themselves working right. So, for example, this is the process that cells use when the body is starving or subjected to other kinds of stress.

MONTAGNE: And also does it have to do with diseases?

STEIN: Oh, absolutely. Cells use this process to fight off infections with bacteria and viruses. It also contributes to embryonic⁷ development, and it's considered a crucial part of the aging process. And when this process gets, you know, kind of messed up somehow, scientists believe it can lead to a long list of diseases - you know, Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes⁸, maybe Alzheimer's. And when the genes involved in autophagy get mutated somehow, that can cause genetic⁹ disorders¹⁰, and disturbances¹¹ in the underlying¹² machinery of autophagy is believed to play a role in cancer.

MONTAGNE: So could this research also then lead to new treatments?

STEIN: Well, the Nobel Assembly says, yes, there's a lot of really intense research going on right now to try to develop drugs that can target different aspects of this process in all the diseases that I mentioned.

MONTAGNE: Now, did he do all of this - well, he did all of this by himself. How unusual is that?

STEIN: Well, you know, it's not all that unusual for a single scientist to win the Nobel Prize. I mean, it does happen. About a third of the Nobel Prizes in physiology or medicine have gone to a single scientist, about a third are split between two scientists and a third are split by three. The good news for Ohsumi is that he doesn't have to share the prize with anyone. It's worth about $930,000.

MONTAGNE: Yeah, not bad. Well, OK, this is the first Nobel Prize being awarded this week. What comes next?

STEIN: Well, tomorrow is the prize for chemistry. Physics is Wednesday. The Peace Prize comes Friday. Economics and literature are next week.

MONTAGNE: NPR health correspondent Rob Stein. Thanks very much.

STEIN: Oh, sure. Nice to be here.

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 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

5 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

6 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

7 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。

8 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

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 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 disturbances   

n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍

参考例句：

• The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
• Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

12 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。