Researchers have used stem cells obtained from human embryos to successfully treat Parkinson's disease in mice and rats, a key step in the quest to develop a similar approach for people.
研究人员利用从人类胚胎提取的干细胞成功治愈小鼠和大鼠的帕金森氏症。对于为人类找到类似治疗方法来说，这是关键的一步。
In a study published Sunday in the journal Nature, scientists described how they converted human embryonic stem cells into nerve cells that produced the brain chemical dopamine. When these nerve cells were transplanted into the brains of mice and rats, they released dopamine and got rid of the animals' Parkinson's symptoms. The cells were also successfully transplanted into rhesus monkeys, whose biology is closer to that of humans.
本周日在科学期刊《自然》（Nature）上发表的一项研究中，科学家描述了他们将人类胚胎干细胞转化为能够产生大脑化学物质多巴胺（dopamine）的神经细胞的过程。当这样的神经细胞被移植到大鼠和小鼠的大脑中后，这些细胞就能释放多巴胺，而大鼠和小鼠表现出的帕金森氏症状也随之消失了。这种神经细胞也被成功地移植到了生物学特性与人类更接近的恒河猴（rhesus monkey）大脑中。
'We see a real opportunity to develop this into an actual cell therapy for patients,' said Lorenz Studer, lead author of the paper and a stem-cell biologist at Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York. 'It is now more of an engineering problem' than a scientific one.
论文的第一作者施图德（Lorenz Studer）说，我们认为很有可能将这种方法发展真正的细胞疗法，治愈人类的疾病。现在我们面临的更多的是工程上的问题，而非科学上的障碍。施图德是纽约斯隆-凯特琳癌症中心（Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research）的干细胞生物学家。
Nerve cells use dopamine to help control muscle movement. In Parkinson's disease, for which there is no cure, the brain's dopamine-producing cells slowly get destroyed. This affects the brain's ability to send messages, leading to loss of muscle function, reduced movement and tremors. There are drugs that increase dopamine in the brain and help control symptoms, but they can cause side effects, such as involuntary movements. Their benefits also tend to wax and wane as the disease progresses.
神经细胞利用多巴胺辅助控制肌肉运动。对于目前还没有治愈方法的帕金森氏症的患者来说，大脑中产生多巴胺的细胞慢慢被破坏。这会影响大脑发送信息的能力，从而导致肌肉功能的受损、运动减少，并引发抖颤。目前有药物能够增加大脑中多巴胺的分泌量并控制帕金森氏症状，但这些药物能够引发不自主运动等副作用。而且随着病情的加重，药物的疗效也会逐渐减弱。
Some scientists are experimenting with cell-transplantation. They have used stem cells from mouse embryos to make dopamine-producing cells and treat Parkinson's in animals. But until now, a similar approach in mice using human embryonic cells hasn't worked well. Not only have human-derived dopamine cells not perform efficiently when transplanted into animals, they have also triggered the growth of unwanted tumor-like structures.
一些科学家正在进行细胞移植试验。他们利用采自小鼠胚胎的干细胞转化为能够产生多巴胺的细胞，用于治疗患有帕金森氏症的动物。但在此之前，利用人类胚胎干细胞以类似方法治疗小鼠并没有取得理想的效果。这不仅是因为源自人类的多巴胺细胞被移植到动物体内后无法有效地发挥作用，也因为这些细胞会引发肿瘤样结构的生长，而这是人们所不希望看到的。
GAUTAM NAIK
- journal [´dʒə:nəl]
n.日记；日报；杂志 (初中英语单词) - chemical [´kemikəl] a.化学的 n.化学制品 (初中英语单词)
- actual [´æktʃuəl] a.现实的；实际的 (初中英语单词)
- institute [´institju:t] n.学院 vt.建立；设置 (初中英语单词)
- cancer [´kænsə] n.癌；毒瘤 (初中英语单词)
- research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
- scientific [,saiən´tifik] a.科学(上)的 (初中英语单词)
- muscle [´mʌsəl] n.肌肉；体力；力量 (初中英语单词)
- movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)
- ability [ə´biliti] n.(办事)能力；才干 (初中英语单词)
- function [´fʌŋkʃən] n.机能；职责 vi.活动 (初中英语单词)
- successfully [sək´sesfəli] ad.成功地 (高中英语单词)
- engineering [,endʒi´niəriŋ] n.工程技术；工程学 (高中英语单词)
- biology [bai´ɔlədʒi] n.生物学，生态学 (英语四级单词)
- involuntary [in´vɔləntəri] a.无意识的；非自愿的 (英语六级单词)
- efficiently [i´fiʃəntli] ad.有效地；能胜任地 (英语六级单词)
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