【英语时差8,16】为什么化疗对一些人会产生不同效果？

 

 

Don: Today on "A Moment of Science..."

 

Yaël: (DOOR-CLOSING) I'm here, Don! Sorry I'm late. I was driving a friend home from her chemotherapy treatment at the hospital.

 

D: Oh? How is she, Yaël?

 

Y: She's doing well, the chemo seems to be working and her tumor¹ is shrinking.

 

D: That's great news! Y'know, I wonder why chemotherapy works so well for some people or cancers, but not as well for others.

 

Y: Scientists and doctors wonder the same thing, Don. In fact, researchers at MIT have been studying how certain DNA²-damaging compounds work in different people.  They identified forty-eight genes⁴ that can predict how susceptible⁵ an individual is to the toxic⁶ compound known as MNNG.

 

     MNNG is similar to the toxic chemicals found in tobacco smoke and in common  chemotherapy agents. MNNG can kill cells by causing irreparable damage to the cell's DNA. That's a good thing if the cell is a cancer cell.

 

     But the researchers found big differences in how susceptible different people's cells are to damage by MNNG. By measuring the response of every single gene³ in the cells of different healthy people, the team discovered that they could use forty-eight specific genes to accurately⁷ predict how each individual's cells would react to MNNG.

 

D: Wow. Do they think this could allow doctors to predict if someone will respond well  to chemo by looking at their genes?

 

Y: That's the hope. This study was specific for MNNG, but the researchers are now  using similar techniques to see if they can also predict individuals' responses to other common toxic agents used in cancer treatments. Maybe one day doctors will be able to custom-tailor treatments that best suit each individual patient.  

1 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

2 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

3 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。

4 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

5 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

6 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

7 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。