VOA标准英语2008年-US Researchers Discover Possible Cure for HIV I

On the eve of the International AIDS Conference, which begins in Mexico City Sunday, researchers at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston claim to have discovered a way to destroy the HIV virus that causes AIDS. If their hopes are confirmed in further tests, it could represent a major breakthrough in fighting the deadly disease. But, as VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, much work needs to be done to test the theory.

Part of the problem in developing medicines for AIDS and HIV-infected patients has been the complexity¹ of the HIV virus and its ability to mutate quickly, making an end run around treatments. But Dr. Sudhir Paul, professor of pathology at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, says he and fellow researchers have found the virus' weak spot.

"We have discovered a part of HIV, a small region on the surface of HIV, that is mostly unchangeable," he said. "The reason that is unchangeable is that the virus must keep it constant so that it can attach itself to cells."

The unchangeable part of the virus is a section of a key protein that does not mutate. This, says Dr. Paul, is the Achilles' heel of the HIV virus.

"We have a way of attacking this part of the virus using molecules² called catalytic antibodies or abzymes," he said. "These are antibodies with enzymatic⁴ activity. They can catalyze⁵ the breakdown⁶ of thousands of virus particles per molecule³ of the antibody."

The theory developed by Dr. Paul and his colleague Dr. Miguel Escobar has held up in lab tests with animals and the next step is to try it with humans. A report on their findings so far will be presented at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City next week.

The immediate⁷ promise of the research would be a more effective treatment for people infected with HIV, but Dr. Paul says there is also hope of producing a vaccine⁸ to prevent infection in the first place.

"That is the eventual⁹ goal, to develop a preparation that can induce immunity¹⁰ to the virus over the entire life span," he said.

Dr. Paul says the medication and vaccine that could be produced, if his theory holds up in clinical tests, would also address a major problem with current treatments-the high cost. He says replicating¹¹ the abzymes and producing a vaccine could be relatively¹² cheap.

"Current medicines are quite expensive, they run in thousands of dollars per year, and our antibodies could be used in small amounts and, therefore, the 'cost of goods' would be smaller," he said.

But the Texas researchers caution that many hurdles¹³ remain before they can fully¹⁴ realize their hopes and help the tens of millions of people around the world who are infected with HIV. So far, Dr. Paul says much of the funding for the research here in Houston has come from the National Institutes of Health, but much more money would be needed for full-scale clinical tests with human patients. Even if all goes well, it will take at least five years before this research could help HIV-infected people.

There have been many disappointments in the AIDS research field over the past few decades. As recently as July 17, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy¹⁵ and Infectious Diseases abandoned a plan to test what had been seen as its most promising¹⁶ vaccine. But Dr. Paul says the discovery of the weak spot in the HIV virus holds great promise and offers hope to those around the world who struggle every day with the physical and psychological effects of the virus.

 

1 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

2 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

4 enzymatic   

adj. 酶的

参考例句：

• This chromoprotein has also been endowed with enzymatic properties. 这种色素蛋白也具有酶的特性。
• It is of profound interest to elucidate the enzymatic activities in soil. 阐明土壤中酶的活性是有深远意义的。

5 catalyze   

v.催化

参考例句：

• They are highly specific for the reactions that they catalyze.它们对被它们催化的反应有很强的专一性。
• They are highly specific for the reactions that they catalyze.它们对被它们催化的反应有很强的专一性。

6 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

10 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

11 replicating   

复制( replicate的现在分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• Applications create these partitions for storing and replicating data. 应用程序创建这些分区用来储存和复制数据。
• The closest real things to these creatures were bits of self-replicating RNA. 最贴近这些造物的实物是能做一点微不足道的自复制的核糖核酸。

12 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

13 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

14 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

15 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

16 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。