经济学人283:流感病毒与合成生物学 向病毒行进

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　　科学技术

　　Flu vaccines² and synthetic³ biology

　　流感病毒与合成生物学

　　Going viral

　　向病毒行进

　　A speedy way to make a vaccine¹

　　快速制造疫苗的方法

　　IF A new and deadly strain of influenza⁴ were to arise, putting together a vaccine against it in the least possible time would be a priority.

　　如果出现了一枝新型致命性流感毒株，那么当务之急就是要在尽可能短的时间里拼凑出对应的疫苗。

　　To test how quickly that could be done a group of researchers have just had a race with themselves.

　　一支研究小组为了测试到底疫苗“出栏”速度有多快，小组内部展开了一次速度竞赛。

　　They have not quite matched the show sometimes given by workers at the Venetian arsenal⁵, who would assemble a galley⁶ in a single day in order to overawe visiting foreign dignitaries.

　　当然和威尼斯工人是绝对比不了的，他们为了震慑游客会时不时表演一番在一天之内安装一艘大帆船。

　　But Philip Dormitzer, Craig Venter and their colleagues did create the crucial component⁷ of a flu jab in four days and four hours.

　　但是，菲利普·多米提奇、克雷格·文特尔和同事们的的确确在四天零四小时研发了流感病毒疫苗了一支重要组成部分。

　　Dr Dormitzer, who works for Novartis, a drug company, and Dr Venter, eponymous founder⁸ of the J. Craig Venter Institute in San Diego, reported their record-breaking attempt in this week's Science Translational Medicine.

　　多米提奇博士在诺华制药公司工作，文特尔博士是位于圣地亚哥J·克雷格·文特尔的同名创始人。本周《科学转化医学》杂志刊载了二人创纪录的研发结果。

　　It began with the transmission to them from America's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the sequence data for the haemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes¹⁰ of a unknown flu virus.

　　一开始，他们得到“美国生物医学高级研究所和发展管理局”的序列数据，关于不知名的流感病毒的血凝素和神经氨酸酶基因的数据。

　　The team took this information and used it to make DNA¹¹ that contained both the gene⁹ sequences themselves and the genetic¹² apparatus¹³ needed to let a cell read those sequences and produce proteins from them.

　　小组利用数据制作包含两种成分的DNA，分别是基因本身序列和需要细胞识别这些序列并且从中产生蛋白质的基因组织。

　　They then put these pieces of synthetic DNA—which were, in effect, tiny chromosomes—into cell cultures derived¹⁴ from dog kidneys, which have been found particularly effective for this kind of work.

　　之后，研究人员将合成的DNA碎片植入从犬类肾脏中提取的细胞培养物中。经研究发现，犬类肾脏的细胞培养物质非常适合此类实验。

　　The dog-kidney cells duly churned out viruses, suitable for seeding the process of vaccine manufacture, that contained the proteins in question.

　　犬类肾脏不负众望地大量产出病毒，当然也就适合批量生产含尚未定性蛋白质的疫苗。

　　Since these two proteins are the variable elements that stop new strains of flu being recognised by the immune systems of people who have had influenza in the past, this is an important step forward.

　　过去人们感染流感，他们的免疫系统会受到新流感毒株的影响，而如今这两种易变的蛋白质可以阻止影响继续下去，也算是向前迈出了重要的一步。

　　Experiments on ferrets showed that these seed viruses stimulated¹⁵ the animals' immune systems in the desired way, producing protective immunity¹⁶.

　　在白鼬身上做的实验，按照预期显示出这些种子病毒刺激到了白鼬的免疫系统，白鼬体内产生出保护性抗体。

　　Having a seed is not the same thing as being able to make a vaccine in large quantities.

　　种苗实验并不难代表大量临床实验。

　　But it is an important first step.

　　但这是重要的开始。

　　Novartis, in collaboration¹⁷ with the commercial arm of Dr Venter's enterprise, Synthetic Genomics, hopes to create a bank of seed viruses using this method.

　　文特尔博士合成基因公司商业部门和诺华制药有合作项目，诺华制药希望能够利用这种方法研制出大量的源病毒。

　　That will speed matters up even more.

　　为的是可以加快疫苗研发进度。

　　But the fact that something not actually in the bank could be knocked up at short notice if necessary is comforting.

　　事实其实是这样的：如果必要性能够让人觉得心宽，那么只要一声令下不确定的东西也可以准备完毕。

　　1.a group of 一群

　　Nearby, a group of colleagues stand watching him.

　　不远处，站着一群同事看着他。

　　A group of women in traditional costume followed us in.

　　一群身着传统服装的妇女在我们之后进入。

　　2.in order to 为了…

　　In order to focus effectively, reverse the order.

　　为了有效地专注，将工作顺序反过来。

　　He arranged the accident in order to fake his own death.

　　他策划了这次事故以便造成他自己死亡的假象。

　　3.work for 为…而工作；效劳

　　At the other are those who work for the government.

　　另一个极端则是为政府效力的人士。

　　Suits are for the people who work for the wealthy.

　　西装是那些为有钱人工作的人穿的。

　　4.need to 需要做

　　We need to stop trade protectionism.

　　我们需要制止贸易保护主义。

　　Three things need to happen.

　　我们必须做好三件事。

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