TED@BCG London
Samuel Cohen: Alzheimer's is not normal aging — and we can cure it
Samuel Cohen: 阿茲海默症唔係老咗就會有 — 我哋可以醫好佢
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2,376,932 views
宜家全球有超過 4 千萬人患上阿茲海默症，預計幾年內呢類病人人數將會激増。雖然百幾年前呢隻種病已經俾人分類為一種病，但一直以嚟我哋喺對付呢種病方面無實質進展。科學家 Samuel Cohen 分享佢嘅實驗室有關阿茲海默症研究嘅突破。佢話：「阿茲海默症雖然係一種病，但我哋可以醫好佢。」
Samuel Cohen - Research scientist
Samuel Cohen researches Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Full bio
Samuel Cohen researches Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
In the year 1901,
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喺1901年
有一個叫 Auguste 嘅女士
00:14
a woman called Auguste was taken
to a medical asylum in Frankfurt.
to a medical asylum in Frankfurt.
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被送到法蘭克福嘅醫療精神病院
00:18
Auguste was delusional
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Auguste 有幻覺
甚至記唔起最簡單嘅生活細節
00:20
and couldn't remember
even the most basic details of her life.
even the most basic details of her life.
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00:24
Her doctor was called Alois.
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佢嘅醫生係 Alois
00:27
Alois didn't know how to help Auguste,
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Alois 唔知道點樣幫助佢
但佢仍然照顧佢
00:30
but he watched over her until,
sadly, she passed away in 1906.
sadly, she passed away in 1906.
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直至佢不幸喺 1906 年逝世
00:34
After she died, Alois performed an autopsy
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病人死後，Alois 進行解剖
發現 Auguste 腦部
有唔尋常嘅班塊同物質纏結
有唔尋常嘅班塊同物質纏結
00:37
and found strange plaques
and tangles in Auguste's brain --
and tangles in Auguste's brain --
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佢從未見過呢種情況
00:40
the likes of which he'd never seen before.
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唔單止噉，更震撼嘅發現仲有
00:42
Now here's the even more striking thing.
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00:46
If Auguste had instead been alive today,
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如果 Auguste 今日仍然在世
00:49
we could offer her no more help
than Alois was able to 114 years ago.
than Alois was able to 114 years ago.
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我哋同 114 年前
Alois 可以幫佢做嘅嘢一樣不多
Alois 可以幫佢做嘅嘢一樣不多
00:56
Alois was Dr. Alois Alzheimer.
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Alois 就係 Alois Alzheimer醫生
Alzheimer 中文譯做阿茲海默
01:00
And Auguste Deter
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而 Auguste Deter
就係第一位病人
01:02
was the first patient to be diagnosed with
what we now call Alzheimer's disease.
what we now call Alzheimer's disease.
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被診斷我哋宜家叫嘅「阿茲海默症」
01:07
Since 1901, medicine has advanced greatly.
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自從 1901 年以黎
醫學發展迅速
01:11
We've discovered antibiotics and vaccines
to protect us from infections,
to protect us from infections,
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我哋發現咗抗生素同發明咗疫苗
去預防傳染病
01:15
many treatments for cancer,
antiretrovirals for HIV,
antiretrovirals for HIV,
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仲有好多抗癌療法
令愛滋病病毒喺抗病毒藥物
01:19
statins for heart disease and much more.
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醫治心臟病嘅降膽固醇藥等等
01:22
But we've made essentially no progress
at all in treating Alzheimer's disease.
at all in treating Alzheimer's disease.
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但係對於治療阿茲海默症
總係停滯不前
01:30
I'm part of a team of scientists
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我係一班科學家裏面嘅其中一個
我過去十年一直搵一種
治療呢個病嘅方法
治療呢個病嘅方法
01:32
who has been working to find
a cure for Alzheimer's for over a decade.
a cure for Alzheimer's for over a decade.
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01:35
So I think about this all the time.
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所以我成日都諗住呢樣嘢
阿茲海默症宜家影響全球四千萬人
01:38
Alzheimer's now affects
40 million people worldwide.
40 million people worldwide.
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01:42
But by 2050, it will affect
150 million people --
150 million people --
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到咗 2050 年
呢個病會影響 1.5 億人
在座好多人都會係其中一個
01:48
which, by the way,
will include many of you.
will include many of you.
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01:53
If you're hoping
to live to be 85 or older,
to live to be 85 or older,
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如果你諗著活到 85 歲或以上
你患阿茲海默症嘅機會幾乎係二分一
01:57
your chance of getting Alzheimer's
will be almost one in two.
will be almost one in two.
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02:03
In other words, odds are
you'll spend your golden years
you'll spend your golden years
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換言之，你一係喺你嘅黃金歲月
患上阿茲海默症
02:06
either suffering from Alzheimer's
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一係就照顧患呢個病嘅朋友或至親
02:09
or helping to look after a friend
or loved one with Alzheimer's.
or loved one with Alzheimer's.
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單喺美國每年就已經
02:14
Already in the United States alone,
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02:16
Alzheimer's care costs
200 billion dollars every year.
200 billion dollars every year.
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花費咗二千億美元去照顧呢類病人
02:21
One out of every five
Medicare dollars get spent on Alzheimer's.
Medicare dollars get spent on Alzheimer's.
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聯邦醫療保險裏面每五蚊嘅支出
就有一蚊用咗喺阿茲海默症度
呢個病係當今最貴嘅病
02:26
It is today the most expensive disease,
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隨著戰後嬰兒潮嘅人踏入老年
02:29
and costs are projected
to increase fivefold by 2050,
to increase fivefold by 2050,
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預計到 2050 年
02:33
as the baby boomer generation ages.
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成本會增加五倍
你可能會覺得驚訝，簡單嚟講
02:36
It may surprise you that, put simply,
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呢個病係我哋呢一代
喺醫療同社會方面
喺醫療同社會方面
02:39
Alzheimer's is one of the biggest medical
and social challenges of our generation.
and social challenges of our generation.
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遇到嘅其中一個最大挑戰
但我哋做咗唔係好多去應付呢個問題
02:44
But we've done relatively
little to address it.
little to address it.
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02:47
Today, of the top 10
causes of death worldwide,
causes of death worldwide,
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今時今日全世界最多人死亡嘅十個原因
02:51
Alzheimer's is the only one
we cannot prevent, cure or even slow down.
we cannot prevent, cure or even slow down.
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只有阿茲海默症係唔能夠預防
醫好或者推遲惡化
醫好或者推遲惡化
我哋對呢個病嘅認識比其他病少
02:59
We understand less about the science
of Alzheimer's than other diseases
of Alzheimer's than other diseases
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03:03
because we've invested less time
and money into researching it.
and money into researching it.
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因為相對其他病嘅研究
我哋投資咗少啲嘅時間同埋金錢落去
03:07
The US government
spends 10 times more every year
spends 10 times more every year
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美國政府每一年花費喺癌症嘅研究
都比喺阿茲海默症高出十倍
03:11
on cancer research than on Alzheimer's
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即使阿茲海默症嘅醫療費用較高
03:14
despite the fact
that Alzheimer's costs us more
that Alzheimer's costs us more
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而且毎年嘅死亡數字同癌症相若
03:18
and causes a similar number
of deaths each year as cancer.
of deaths each year as cancer.
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呢個病之所以冇資源去研究，主要原因係
03:23
The lack of resources
stems from a more fundamental cause:
stems from a more fundamental cause:
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啲人仲未去關注呢個病
03:27
a lack of awareness.
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因為只係得少數人知道一樣嘢
03:30
Because here's what few people know
but everyone should:
but everyone should:
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但其實我哋每個人都需要知道呢樣嘢
就係阿茲海默症係一種病
03:35
Alzheimer's is a disease,
and we can cure it.
and we can cure it.
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而且係可以醫好嘅
03:40
For most of the past 114 years,
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喺過去114 年嘅大部分時間
所有人，包括科學家
03:42
everyone, including scientists, mistakenly
confused Alzheimer's with aging.
confused Alzheimer's with aging.
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都誤以為阿茲海默症係同年紀有關
03:48
We thought that becoming senile
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我哋以前認為變得衰老
係老咗正常同無法避免嘅事
03:49
was a normal and inevitable
part of getting old.
part of getting old.
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但只要睇下呢一幅圖
03:53
But we only have to look at a picture
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03:55
of a healthy aged brain compared
to the brain of an Alzheimer's patient
to the brain of an Alzheimer's patient
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一個健康人嘅腦部
同阿茲海默症病人嘅腦部
同阿茲海默症病人嘅腦部
可以睇到呢個病所做成嘅身體傷害
03:58
to see the real physical damage
caused by this disease.
caused by this disease.
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仲會引致記憶同埋心理嚴重喪失
04:02
As well as triggering severe loss
of memory and mental abilities,
of memory and mental abilities,
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阿茲海默症對病人腦部造成損害
04:06
the damage to the brain
caused by Alzheimer's
caused by Alzheimer's
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大大縮短病人夀命
04:09
significantly reduces life expectancy
and is always fatal.
and is always fatal.
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而且往往係致命嘅
仲記得一個世紀前
04:14
Remember Dr. Alzheimer
found strange plaques and tangles
found strange plaques and tangles
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Alois 喺 Auguste個 腦部
04:17
in Auguste's brain a century ago.
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發現異常嘅斑塊同物質纏結
04:20
For almost a century,
we didn't know much about these.
we didn't know much about these.
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過咗差唔多一個世紀
我哋仍然知道唔多
今日我哋知道佢係用蛋白質分子構成
04:24
Today we know they're made
from protein molecules.
from protein molecules.
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04:27
You can imagine a protein molecule
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你可以將蛋白質分子諗成係一張紙
04:29
as a piece of paper that normally folds
into an elaborate piece of origami.
into an elaborate piece of origami.
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用黎摺紙
紙面佈滿黐粒粒嘅點
04:34
There are spots
on the paper that are sticky.
on the paper that are sticky.
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04:36
And when it folds correctly,
these sticky bits end up on the inside.
these sticky bits end up on the inside.
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如果摺得正確，啲點會喺紙嘅入邊
04:41
But sometimes things go wrong,
and some sticky bits are on the outside.
and some sticky bits are on the outside.
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但有時摺錯，啲點就會喺出面
04:46
This causes the protein molecules
to stick to each other,
to stick to each other,
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噉樣令到蛋白質分子
黐埋一齊，變成一舊
黐埋一齊，變成一舊
04:49
forming clumps that eventually become
large plaques and tangles.
large plaques and tangles.
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最後變咗斑塊同一團纒結嘅嘢
04:53
That's what we see
in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
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阿茲海默病人嘅腦部就係咁樣
04:57
We've spent the past 10 years
at the University of Cambridge
at the University of Cambridge
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我哋喺劍橋大學花咗十年
去了解呢種病變嘅原理
05:00
trying to understand
how this malfunction works.
how this malfunction works.
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05:03
There are many steps, and identifying
which step to try to block is complex --
which step to try to block is complex --
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但係裏邊有好多個步驟
要搵出邊一步去停止成個運作
係好複雜嘅嘢
係好複雜嘅嘢
05:08
like defusing a bomb.
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好似喺拆彈一樣
05:10
Cutting one wire might do nothing.
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剪一條電線可能拆唔到彈
但係剪多一條，又可能會爆炸
05:12
Cutting others might
make the bomb explore.
make the bomb explore.
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我哋必須搵到啱嘅一步去停咗去
05:16
We have to find the right step to block,
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然後研發一種藥可以噉樣一步到位打擊
05:18
and then create a drug that does it.
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05:21
Until recently, we for the most part
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直到最近，我哋將大部分時間
花喺阻止蛋白質演變嘅過程嗰度
05:23
have been cutting wires
and hoping for the best.
and hoping for the best.
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希望得到好嘅結果
05:25
But now we've got together
a diverse group of people --
a diverse group of people --
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但係宜家我哋聯合不同界別嘅人士
有醫生、生物學家丶遺傳學家
05:28
medics, biologists, geneticists, chemists,
physicists, engineers and mathematicians.
physicists, engineers and mathematicians.
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化學家、物理學家、工程師同數學家
05:34
And together, we've managed
to identify a critical step in the process
to identify a critical step in the process
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大家一齊搵出嗰個關鍵嘅步驟
05:38
and are now testing a new class of drugs
which would specifically block this step
which would specifically block this step
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宜家我哋試梗一種新藥
針對阻止關鍵嘅嗰一步
05:42
and stop the disease.
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令到個病可以消失
05:44
Now let me show you
some of our latest results.
some of our latest results.
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宜家就由我帶你哋睇下
一啲最新嘅研發結果
05:46
No one outside of our lab
has seen these yet.
has seen these yet.
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實驗室出面嘅人都從來未睇過
宜家俾大家睇嘅片段
05:49
Let's look at some videos of what happened
when we tested these new drugs in worms.
when we tested these new drugs in worms.
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係我哋用蟲去測試新藥嗰陣發生嘅嘢
05:54
So these are healthy worms,
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呢啲係健康嘅蟲
你可以睇到佢哋正常咁周圍行
05:56
and you can see
they're moving around normally.
they're moving around normally.
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05:59
These worms, on the other hand,
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但呢批蟲
體內嘅蛋白質分子卻係黐埋一齊
06:02
have protein molecules
sticking together inside them --
sticking together inside them --
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06:05
like humans with Alzheimer's.
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就好似有阿茲海默症嘅人一樣
06:07
And you can see they're clearly sick.
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好清楚睇到佢哋係病咗
但如果我哋喺呢啲蟲病發初期，
06:09
But if we give our new drugs
to these worms at an early stage,
to these worms at an early stage,
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06:14
then we see that they're healthy,
and they live a normal lifespan.
and they live a normal lifespan.
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俾啲新藥佢食，佢哋就會好返
可以健康生存到一般蟲嘅預期壽命
06:19
This is just an initial positive result,
but research like this
but research like this
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呢啲支持嘅數據只係初步嘅結果
不過類似嘅研究證明咗
06:22
shows us that Alzheimer's is a disease
that we can understand and we can cure.
that we can understand and we can cure.
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我哋係可以了解阿茲海默症
個病仲可以醫得到
06:27
After 114 years of waiting,
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等咗 114 年
終於有望喺以後嘅十至廿年
06:30
there's finally real hope
for what can be achieved
for what can be achieved
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06:32
in the next 10 or 20 years.
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人類戰勝阿茲海默症
為咗繼續燃點呢個希望
06:36
But to grow that hope,
to finally beat Alzheimer's, we need help.
to finally beat Alzheimer's, we need help.
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為咗最終能夠擊敗呢個病
我哋需要幫手
06:40
This isn't about scientists like me --
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唔係需要好似我噉嘅科學家
06:42
it's about you.
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而係需要你
06:44
We need you to raise awareness
that Alzheimer's is a disease
that Alzheimer's is a disease
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你需要知道阿茲海默症係一種疾病
如果我哋肯嘗試，我哋可以打敗佢
06:48
and that if we try, we can beat it.
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至於其他病
06:50
In the case of other diseases,
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病人同家人已經一早帶頭推動更多嘅研究
06:52
patients and their families
have led the charge for more research
have led the charge for more research
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向政府丶藥劑業、科學家同監管機構
06:55
and put pressure on governments,
the pharmaceutical industry,
the pharmaceutical industry,
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施加壓力
06:58
scientists and regulators.
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07:01
That was essential for advancing treatment
for HIV in the late 1980s.
for HIV in the late 1980s.
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呢樣對於八十年代後期
HIV 治療嘅進步係非常重要嘅
07:05
Today, we see that same drive
to beat cancer.
to beat cancer.
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今日見到同樣一股動力去對抗癌症
但阿茲海默症病人就唔能夠
表達自己嘅意見
表達自己嘅意見
07:10
But Alzheimer's patients are often
unable to speak up for themselves.
unable to speak up for themselves.
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當病人家屬，亦係隱形嘅受害人
07:14
And their families, the hidden victims,
caring for their loved ones night and day,
caring for their loved ones night and day,
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日以繼夜照顧佢哋至親
07:19
are often too worn out
to go out and advocate for change.
to go out and advocate for change.
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到要出嚟推動改革嘅時候
佢哋通常都已經好疲倦
07:23
So, it really is down to you.
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所以宜家真係靠你哋
07:27
Alzheimer's isn't,
for the most part, a genetic disease.
for the most part, a genetic disease.
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阿茲海默症對大多數人嚟講
都唔係一個遺傳病
都唔係一個遺傳病
每個人都有病發可能
07:31
Everyone with a brain is at risk.
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07:34
Today, there are 40 million
patients like Auguste,
patients like Auguste,
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今時今日有將近四千萬嘅人
好似 Auguste 一樣
當佢哋唔能夠為自己帶嚟改變嘅時候
07:38
who can't create the change
they need for themselves.
they need for themselves.
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07:41
Help speak up for them,
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噉就請你哋幫佢哋發聲
07:44
and help demand a cure.
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要求獲得治療
07:47
Thank you.
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多謝
07:48
(Applause)
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（掌聲)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Samuel Cohen - Research scientistSamuel Cohen researches Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Why you should listen
Samuel Cohen is a Research Fellow in Biophysical Chemistry at St. John's College and the Centre for Misfolding Diseases in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, from where he holds PhD, MSci, MA and BA degrees. Cohen has worked as a consultant in the London office of Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he specialized in the healthcare, technology and media sectors. His scientific research focuses on neurodegenerative disorders. He is co-author of more than 20 scientific papers, book chapters and patents, and was recently a lead author on a widely-reported study in which researchers made a major breakthrough towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
More profile about the speakerSamuel Cohen | Speaker | TED.com