新奇事件簿 科学家即将发现感冒新疗法（在线收听）

Scientists could soon find a cure for the common cold. Researchers have been trying for decades to help us fight the virus that visits us several times a year and gives us runny noses, sniffs, sneezes, coughs and days off work and school. There are hundreds of pills and syrups on the market to help us, but none of them cure our colds. The best treatment to date is to stay indoors, away from people with a cold. However, a new discovery from scientists at Cambridge University could mean the end to our yearly suffering. Researchers at the university’s Medical Research Council lab have found a new way to attack and kill the viruses that infect our cells in the nose, lungs and stomach. Their experiments give a lot of hope that we can boost our body’s natural defences against many viruses.

科学家很快将发现流感的治疗方法。数十年来，研究人员一直试图帮助人们抵抗每年造访几次，让我们流鼻涕，鼻塞，打喷嚏，咳嗽，上班和上学都要请假的流感病毒。市场上有几百种药片和糖浆帮助我们，但是任何一种都不能治愈感冒。目前为止最好的治疗方法是待在室内，远离感冒人群。然而，剑桥大学科学家一项新的发现意味着我们每年都要遭遇的痛苦即将终结。剑桥大学医学研究委员会实验室的研究人员发现了攻击和消灭感染我们的鼻腔，肺和胃部细胞的这种病毒的新方法。他们的实验给我们带来了希望，我们可以增强身体自然抵抗这些病毒的能力。

The research leader, Dr Leo James, believes his team’s discovery is a landmark in keeping us all healthier and protecting us from viruses in the future. He said: “Doctors have plenty of antibiotics to fight bacterial infections but few anti-viral drugs. Although these are early days…we are excited that our discoveries may open multiple avenues for developing new anti-viral drugs.” These medicines could be on pharmacy shelves within a decade. The researchers hope to start testing drugs on humans within the next three years. Dr James’ discovery will help millions. He acknowledged that while the cold may not be “the biggest killer… most people are likely to be affected”. The research is likely to be a big help in finding cures for more deadly viruses.

首席研究人员Leo James医生相信他的研究小组的发现是一座里程碑，让我们将来更健康，更好地抵御病毒。他表示：“医生有足够的抗生素来抵抗细菌感染，但是很少有抗病毒药物。然而这是过去，现在我们非常激动，我们的发现可能为开发新的抗病毒药物提供了更多途径。”十年后药店货架上可能就会有这些药物。这些研究人员希望未来三年开始在人体试验这些药物。James医生的发现将帮助数百万人。他承认，尽管感冒或许不是最大的杀手，然而大部分人都可能会患感冒。这项研究将有助于为更致命的病毒找到治疗方法。