ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Francis Collins - Geneticist, physician
A key player in the US' new brain-mapping project, Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health.

Why you should listen

In 2000 the world saw the first working draft of the human genome, and that's in no small part thanks to Francis Collins. Under his directorship at the National Human Genome Research Institute, the Human Genome Project was finished, a complete mapping of all 20,500 genes in the human genome, with a high-quality, reference sequence published in April 2003.

In 2009 President Obama nominated Collins as the director of the National Institutes of Health, and later that year he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In March 2013, Collins helped Obama introduce the BRAIN Initiative, an ambitious, well-funded program to map the human brain. Read more about the BRAIN Initiative >>

Collins is also a self-described serious Christian and the author of several books on science and faith, including The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.

More profile about the speaker
Francis Collins | Speaker | TED.com
TEDMED 2012

Francis Collins: We need better drugs -- now

Francis Collins: Precisamos mellores fármacos.

Filmed:
898,302 views

Hoxe en día coñecemos a causa molecular de 4.000 enfermidades, pero só hai tratamentos dispoñibles para 250. Que está levando tanto tempo? O xenetista e médico Francis Collins explica por que o descubrimento sistemático de fármacos é imperativo, incluso para enfermidades raras e complexas, e ofrece solucións, como ensinarlles novos trucos a vellos fármacos.
- Geneticist, physician
A key player in the US' new brain-mapping project, Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:16
So let me ask for a show of hands.
0
723
2176
Levanten as mans, por favor.
00:18
How many people here are over the age of 48?
1
2899
4192
Cantos dos que están aquí
teñen máis de 48 anos?
00:22
Well, there do seem to be a few.
2
7091
2881
Ben, parece que hai uns cantos.
00:25
Well, congratulations,
3
9972
2175
Parabéns,
00:28
because if you look at this particular slide of U.S. life expectancy,
4
12147
3870
porque se miran este gráfico
da esperanza de vida nos EE.UU.
00:31
you are now in excess of the average life span
5
16017
3098
verán que superan xa
a esperanza de vida media
00:35
of somebody who was born in 1900.
6
19115
2787
de alguén que nacera en 1900.
00:37
But look what happened in the course of that century.
7
21902
3534
Pero vexan o que pasou
no correr dese século.
00:41
If you follow that curve,
8
25436
1662
Se seguen esta curva,
00:42
you'll see that it starts way down there.
9
27098
2614
verán que comeza aí abaixo.
00:45
There's that dip there for the 1918 flu.
10
29712
2469
Velaquí a baixada por causa
da gripe do 1918.
E velaquí 2010,
00:48
And here we are at 2010,
11
32181
2422
a esperanza de vida dun neno ou dunha nena
que naza hoxe é de 79 anos,
00:50
average life expectancy of a child born today, age 79,
12
34603
3056
00:53
and we are not done yet.
13
37659
1896
e isto aínda non rematou.
00:55
Now, that's the good news.
14
39555
1335
Estas son as boas novas.
00:56
But there's still a lot of work to do.
15
40890
1841
Pero aínda queda moito por facer.
00:58
So, for instance, if you ask,
16
42731
1634
Se nos preguntamos, por exemplo,
01:00
how many diseases do we now know
17
44365
2726
a cantas enfermidades lle coñecemos
01:02
the exact molecular basis?
18
47091
2059
a base molecular exacta?
01:05
Turns out it's about 4,000, which is pretty amazing,
19
49150
3558
Son sobre 4000, o cal é incrible,
01:08
because most of those molecular discoveries
20
52708
2236
porque a maioría destes descubrimentos
01:10
have just happened in the last little while.
21
54944
2665
ocorreron hai pouco.
01:13
It's exciting to see that in terms of what we've learned,
22
57609
3296
É emocionante ver o que aprendemos,
01:16
but how many of those 4,000 diseases
23
60905
2107
pero destas 4000 enfermidades,
01:18
now have treatments available?
24
63012
2348
cantas teñen tratamento dispoñible?
01:21
Only about 250.
25
65360
1888
Só unhas 250.
01:23
So we have this huge challenge, this huge gap.
26
67248
2758
Temos este gran desafío,
este gran baleiro.
01:25
You would think this wouldn't be too hard,
27
70006
2580
Podería pensarse que
non debería ser moi complicado
01:28
that we would simply have the ability
28
72586
1526
se temos a capacidade
01:30
to take this fundamental information that we're learning
29
74112
3026
de coller esa información esencial
que estamos adquirindo
01:33
about how it is that basic biology teaches us
30
77138
3145
sobre o que nos ensina a bioloxía básica
01:36
about the causes of disease
31
80283
1902
arredor das causas das enfermidades
01:38
and build a bridge across this yawning gap
32
82185
3026
e construír unha ponte
sobre este enorme baleiro
01:41
between what we've learned about basic science
33
85211
2380
entre o que aprendemos de ciencia básica
01:43
and its application,
34
87591
1495
e a súa aplicación,
01:44
a bridge that would look maybe something like this,
35
89086
3257
unha ponte que se puidese parecer a esta,
01:48
where you'd have to put together a nice shiny way
36
92343
3612
onde tes que percorrer un brillante camiño
01:51
to get from one side to the other.
37
95955
2968
para chegar dun lado a outro.
01:54
Well, wouldn't it be nice if it was that easy?
38
98923
2600
Non sería xenial se fose así de sinxelo?
01:57
Unfortunately, it's not.
39
101523
2145
Por desgraza, non o é.
01:59
In reality, trying to go from fundamental knowledge
40
103668
2591
Na realidade, tentar ir
dende o coñecemento fundamental
02:02
to its application is more like this.
41
106259
2664
á súa aplicación, é máis ben así.
02:04
There are no shiny bridges.
42
108923
1915
Non hai pontes brillantes.
02:06
You sort of place your bets.
43
110838
1652
En certa medida, fanse apostas.
02:08
Maybe you've got a swimmer and a rowboat
44
112490
1961
Pode que teñan un nadador, un bote,
02:10
and a sailboat and a tugboat
45
114451
1524
un veleiro e unha lancha
02:11
and you set them off on their way,
46
115975
1728
e inician a viaxe,
02:13
and the rains come and the lightning flashes,
47
117703
2664
comeza a chover e a tronar,
mi madriña!
hai tiburóns na auga,
02:16
and oh my gosh, there are sharks in the water
48
120367
1514
02:17
and the swimmer gets into trouble,
49
121881
2021
o nadador comeza a ter problemas,
02:19
and, uh oh, the swimmer drowned
50
123902
1584
oh, o nadador afogou,
02:21
and the sailboat capsized,
51
125486
3212
o veleiro envorcou,
02:24
and that tugboat, well, it hit the rocks,
52
128698
1701
e a lancha bateu nas rochas,
02:26
and maybe if you're lucky, somebody gets across.
53
130399
2640
e con sorte, alguén conseguiu cruzar.
02:28
Well, what does this really look like?
54
133039
1989
Ben, como é isto en realidade?
02:30
Well, what is it to make a therapeutic, anyway?
55
135028
2054
Que é facer unha terapia, á fin e ó cabo?
02:32
What's a drug? A drug is made up
56
137082
3001
Que é un fármaco?
Un fármaco está formado
02:35
of a small molecule of hydrogen, carbon,
57
140083
2325
por unha pequena molécula
de hidróxeno, carbono,
02:38
oxygen, nitrogen, and a few other atoms
58
142408
2251
osíxeno, nitróxeno e outros átomos
02:40
all cobbled together in a shape,
59
144659
2223
todos conectados dunha certa forma,
02:42
and it's those shapes that determine whether, in fact,
60
146882
2377
e estas formas son as que determinan
02:45
that particular drug is going to hit its target.
61
149259
3313
que este fármaco en concreto
alcance o seu albo.
02:48
Is it going to land where it's supposed to?
62
152572
2223
Estase indo cara a onde se pretende?
02:50
So look at this picture here -- a lot of shapes dancing around for you.
63
154795
3156
Se miramos esta imaxe vemos
unha morea de formas bailando.
02:53
Now what you need to do, if you're trying to develop
64
157951
2387
O que hai que facer,
se se quere desenvolver
02:56
a new treatment for autism
65
160338
1457
un tratamento para o autismo,
02:57
or Alzheimer's disease or cancer
66
161795
2219
para o alzhéimer ou para o cancro,
é atopar nesa morea
a forma axeitada
02:59
is to find the right shape in that mix
67
164014
1792
03:01
that will ultimately provide benefit and will be safe.
68
165806
2917
que nos provoque o beneficio desexado
e que sexa segura.
03:04
And when you look at what happens to that pipeline,
69
168723
3167
Se vemos o que acontece neste funil,
03:07
you start out maybe with thousands,
70
171890
1501
comezamos con milleiros,
03:09
tens of thousands of compounds.
71
173391
1642
decenas de milleiros de compostos.
03:10
You weed down through various steps
72
175033
2149
Descartaranse algúns con varios filtros
03:13
that cause many of these to fail.
73
177182
1383
que amosan que moitos fallan.
03:14
Ultimately, maybe you can run a clinical trial with four or five of these,
74
178565
3340
Finalmente, pode que con catro ou cinco
se realice un ensaio clínico,
03:17
and if all goes well, 14 years after you started,
75
181905
3042
e se todo vai ben, 14 anos despois,
03:20
you will get one approval.
76
184947
2011
consegue aprobarse un.
03:22
And it will cost you upwards of a billion dollars
77
186958
2030
E isto custará millóns de dólares
03:24
for that one success.
78
188988
2144
para un único éxito.
03:27
So we have to look at this pipeline the way an engineer would,
79
191132
3304
Debemos mirar este funil
como o faría un enxeñeiro,
e dicir: "Como podemos mellorar"?
03:30
and say, "How can we do better?"
80
194436
1208
03:31
And that's the main theme of what I want to say to you this morning.
81
195644
2677
Disto é do que vos quero falar esta mañá.
03:34
How can we make this go faster?
82
198321
1813
Como o podemos facer máis rápido?
03:36
How can we make it more successful?
83
200134
3065
Como podemos ter máis éxito?
03:39
Well, let me tell you about a few examples
84
203199
1341
Vou falarvos duns exemplos
03:40
where this has actually worked.
85
204540
2256
onde isto funcionou.
03:42
One that has just happened in the last few months
86
206796
2951
Un aconteceu hai tan só uns meses
03:45
is the successful approval of a drug for cystic fibrosis.
87
209747
3710
e foi a aprobación dun fármaco
para a fibrose quística.
03:49
But it's taken a long time to get there.
88
213457
1654
Pero levou moito tempo.
03:51
Cystic fibrosis had its molecular cause discovered in 1989
89
215111
4602
A base molecular da fibrose quística
descubriuna en 1989
o meu grupo en colaboración
con outro de Toronto,
03:55
by my group working with another group in Toronto,
90
219713
2328
03:57
discovering what the mutation was in a particular gene
91
222041
2135
e descubrimos que a mutación
estaba nun xene
04:00
on chromosome 7.
92
224176
1628
no cromosoma 7.
04:01
That picture you see there?
93
225804
2038
Vedes esta foto?
04:03
Here it is. That's the same kid.
94
227842
2103
Velaquí o está. É o mesmo neno.
04:05
That's Danny Bessette, 23 years later,
95
229945
3344
Danny Bessette, 23 anos despois,
04:09
because this is the year,
96
233289
1279
porque este é o ano,
04:10
and it's also the year where Danny got married,
97
234568
2438
e tamén é o ano en que Danny casou,
04:12
where we have, for the first time, the approval by the FDA
98
237006
3057
en que, por primeira vez, a FDA
(Food and Drug Administration)
04:15
of a drug that precisely targets the defect in cystic fibrosis
99
240063
3737
aproba un fármaco que ataca con precisión
o defecto da fibrose quística
04:19
based upon all this molecular understanding.
100
243800
1938
baseándose no coñecemento molecular.
04:21
That's the good news.
101
245738
1424
Estas son as boas novas.
04:23
The bad news is, this drug doesn't actually treat all cases of cystic fibrosis,
102
247162
3629
As malas son que o fármaco non trata
todos os casos de fibrose quísitica,
04:26
and it won't work for Danny, and we're still waiting
103
250791
2209
e non funcionará para Danny.
Estamos á espera
04:28
for that next generation to help him.
104
253000
2335
da seguinte xeración para axudalo.
04:31
But it took 23 years to get this far. That's too long.
105
255335
3195
Levou 23 anos conseguir isto.
É demasiado.
Como imos máis rápido?
04:34
How do we go faster?
106
258530
1693
04:36
Well, one way to go faster is to take advantage of technology,
107
260223
2698
Unha opción é aproveitar
o avance da tecnoloxía,
04:38
and a very important technology that we depend on
108
262921
2664
e unha tecnoloxía moi importante
da que dependemos
04:41
for all of this is the human genome,
109
265585
2296
é o xenoma humano,
04:43
the ability to be able to look at a chromosome,
110
267881
2588
a capacidade de ver un cromosoma,
04:46
to unzip it, to pull out all the DNA,
111
270469
2670
desenrolalo, extraer o ADN,
04:49
and to be able to then read out the letters in that DNA code,
112
273139
2950
e ser capaces de ler as letras
neste código do ADN,
04:51
the A's, C's, G's and T's
113
276089
2081
os A, os C, os G e os T
04:54
that are our instruction book and the instruction book for all living things,
114
278170
3271
que son o libro de instrucións que nós,
e todos os seres vivos, temos,
04:57
and the cost of doing this,
115
281441
1514
e o custo de facer isto,
04:58
which used to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars,
116
282955
2655
que era de centos de millóns de dólares,
05:01
has in the course of the last 10 years
117
285610
1913
diminuíu nestes últimos 10 anos
05:03
fallen faster than Moore's Law, down to the point
118
287523
2399
máis rápido que a lei de Moore
05:05
where it is less than 10,000 dollars today to have your genome sequenced, or mine,
119
289922
4007
ata o punto de que hoxe custa menos de
10.000 dólares ter un xenoma secuenciado
05:09
and we're headed for the $1,000 genome fairly soon.
120
293929
3799
e axuña custará sobre os 1.000.
05:13
Well, that's exciting.
121
297728
1326
Isto é emocionante.
05:14
How does that play out in terms of application to a disease?
122
299054
3810
Que significa isto en termos de
aplicación ás enfermidades?
05:18
I want to tell you about another disorder.
123
302864
2280
Quero falarlles doutra enfermidade.
05:21
This one is a disorder which is quite rare.
124
305144
2312
Esta é unha enfermidade rara.
05:23
It's called Hutchinson-Gilford progeria,
125
307456
2768
Chámase a proxeria de Hutchinson-Gilford,
05:26
and it is the most dramatic form of premature aging.
126
310224
3305
e é a forma máis drástica
de envellecemento prematuro.
05:29
Only about one in every four million kids has this disease,
127
313529
3783
Só a ten un de cada catro millóns de nenos
05:33
and in a simple way, what happens is,
128
317312
3360
e dunha forma sinxela,
o que acontece é que,
05:36
because of a mutation in a particular gene,
129
320672
2701
a causa dunha mutación nun xene,
05:39
a protein is made that's toxic to the cell
130
323373
2667
créase unha proteína tóxica para a célula
05:41
and it causes these individuals to age
131
326040
2297
o que provoca
que estes suxeitos envellezan
05:44
at about seven times the normal rate.
132
328337
2584
sete veces máis rápido do normal.
05:46
Let me show you a video of what that does to the cell.
133
330921
3143
Déixenme amosarlles un vídeo
sobre o que provoca na célula.
05:49
The normal cell, if you looked at it under the microscope,
134
334064
3135
A célula normal, vista co microscopio,
05:53
would have a nucleus sitting in the middle of the cell,
135
337199
2889
terá un núcleo situado no seu centro
05:55
which is nice and round and smooth in its boundaries
136
340088
3879
que é bonito, redondo
e liso nos seus bordos
05:59
and it looks kind of like that.
137
343967
1755
e aseméllase a isto.
06:01
A progeria cell, on the other hand,
138
345722
1864
Por outro lado, a célula da proxeria
06:03
because of this toxic protein called progerin,
139
347586
3102
a causa da proteína, chamada proxerina,
06:06
has these lumps and bumps in it.
140
350688
2284
ten estes vultos e protuberancias.
06:08
So what we would like to do after discovering this
141
352972
3015
O que queríamos facer
despois de descubrir isto,
06:11
back in 2003
142
355987
1852
alá no 2003,
06:13
is to come up with a way to try to correct that.
143
357839
3218
era atopar unha maneira de corrixilo.
06:16
Well again, by knowing something about the molecular pathways,
144
361057
3088
De novo, coñecendo algo
das vías moleculares,
06:20
it was possible to pick
145
364145
1999
era posible coller
06:22
one of those many, many compounds that might have been useful
146
366144
2617
un destes compostos que podían ser útiles
06:24
and try it out.
147
368761
1461
e probalo.
06:26
In an experiment done in cell culture
148
370222
2575
Nun experimento "in vitro"
06:28
and shown here in a cartoon,
149
372797
2042
mostrado nesta animación,
06:30
if you take that particular compound
150
374839
2694
se se escolle ese composto particular
06:33
and you add it to that cell that has progeria,
151
377533
3256
e se lle engade á célula que ten proxeria,
06:36
and you watch to see what happened,
152
380789
2221
observen o que acontece,
06:38
in just 72 hours, that cell becomes,
153
383010
2962
en só 72 horas, a célula transfórmase,
06:41
for all purposes that we can determine,
154
385972
2268
para todos os efectos
que podemos determinar,
06:44
almost like a normal cell.
155
388240
1842
nunha célula normal.
06:45
Well that was exciting, but would it actually work in a real human being?
156
390082
4341
Funcionará nunha célula humana real?
06:50
This has led, in the space of only four years
157
394423
3385
Isto levou, en tan só catro anos
06:53
from the time the gene was discovered to the start of a clinical trial,
158
397808
3501
dende que se descubriu o xene
ata que empezou o ensaio clínico,
06:57
to a test of that very compound.
159
401309
2197
a probar ese composto.
06:59
And the kids that you see here
160
403506
1963
Todos os nenos que ven aquí
07:01
all volunteered to be part of this,
161
405469
2562
participaron voluntariamente no proceso,
07:03
28 of them,
162
408031
1461
28 nenos,
07:05
and you can see as soon as the picture comes up
163
409492
3095
pódese ver, como mostra a foto,
07:08
that they are in fact a remarkable group of young people
164
412587
3382
que son un grupo de xente nova
07:11
all afflicted by this disease,
165
415969
1419
afectado pola enfermidade,
07:13
all looking quite similar to each other.
166
417388
2249
que se parecen bastante entre eles.
07:15
And instead of telling you more about it,
167
419637
1674
Antes de falarlles máis disto,
07:17
I'm going to invite one of them, Sam Berns from Boston,
168
421311
3986
vou invitar a un deles,
Sam Berns de Boston,
07:21
who's here this morning, to come up on the stage
169
425297
2433
que está aquí esta mañá,
a subir ao escenario
07:23
and tell us about his experience
170
427730
2220
para que nos conte a súa experiencia
07:25
as a child affected with progeria.
171
429950
1910
como un neno afectado de proxeria.
07:27
Sam is 15 years old. His parents, Scott Berns and Leslie Gordon,
172
431860
4058
Sam ten 15 anos. Seus pais,
Scott Berns e Leslie Gordon,
07:31
both physicians, are here with us this morning as well.
173
435918
2121
médicos os dous,
tamén están aquí esta mañá.
07:33
Sam, please have a seat.
174
438039
2538
Sam, senta por favor
07:36
(Applause)
175
440577
7320
(Aplausos)
07:43
So Sam, why don't you tell these folks
176
447897
2178
Sam, por que non lle dis a esta xente
07:45
what it's like being affected with this condition called progeria?
177
450075
3375
como é estar afectado de proxeria?
07:49
Sam Burns: Well, progeria limits me in some ways.
178
453450
3808
Sam Burns: A proxeria limítame
nalgúns aspectos.
07:53
I cannot play sports or do physical activities,
179
457258
3964
Non podo facer deporte ou
actividades físicas,
07:57
but I have been able to take interest in things
180
461222
3204
pero fun capaz de facer
cousas interesantes
08:00
that progeria, luckily, does not limit.
181
464426
2979
que por sorte a proxeria non me limita.
08:03
But when there is something that I really do want to do
182
467405
2557
Pero cando hai algo
que realmente quero facer
08:05
that progeria gets in the way of, like marching band
183
469962
3017
e a proxeria se interpón no meu camiño,
como tocar nunha banda, ou arbitrar,
08:08
or umpiring, we always find a way to do it,
184
472979
3426
sempre atopamos
a maneira de facelo,
08:12
and that just shows that progeria isn't in control of my life.
185
476405
3517
e isto demostra que a proxeria
non controla a miña vida.
08:15
(Applause)
186
479922
1710
(Aplausos)
08:17
Francis Collins: So what would you like to say to researchers
187
481632
2036
FC: Que lles dirías aos investigadores
08:19
here in the auditorium and others listening to this?
188
483668
3097
que están aquí e a outros que te escoiten?
08:22
What would you say to them both about research on progeria
189
486765
2597
Qué lles dirías
sobre a investigación da proxeria
08:25
and maybe about other conditions as well?
190
489362
1886
e tamén doutras doenzas?
08:27
SB: Well, research on progeria has come so far
191
491248
3146
SB: A investigación en proxeria
avanzou moito
08:30
in less than 15 years,
192
494394
2242
en menos de 15 anos,
08:32
and that just shows the drive that researchers can have
193
496636
4369
e isto amosa a determinación
que os investigadores deben ter
08:36
to get this far, and it really means a lot
194
501005
3418
para avanzar tanto, o cal significa moito
08:40
to myself and other kids with progeria,
195
504423
3251
para min e para outros nenos con proxeria,
08:43
and it shows that if that drive exists,
196
507674
2824
e isto ensínanos que
se esa determinación existe
08:46
anybody can cure any disease,
197
510498
2601
calquera pode curar
calquera tipo de enfermidade,
08:48
and hopefully progeria can be cured in the near future,
198
513099
3947
e espero que a proxeria
poida curarse nun futuro próximo
08:52
and so we can eliminate those 4,000 diseases
199
517046
3757
e que poidamos eliminar
esas 4000 enfermidades
08:56
that Francis was talking about.
200
520803
3007
das que Francis falaba.
FC: Xenial. Sam faltou hoxe ao instituto
08:59
FC: Excellent. So Sam took the day off from school today
201
523810
3129
09:02
to be here, and he is — (Applause) --
202
526939
5135
para estar aquí --(Aplausos)--
09:07
He is, by the way, a straight-A+ student in the ninth grade
203
532074
4816
Aínda así, é un estudante
de sobresaliente de noveno grado
09:12
in his school in Boston.
204
536890
1333
no seu instituto de Boston.
09:14
Please join me in thanking and welcoming Sam.
205
538223
2201
Deámoslle as grazas a Sam.
09:16
SB: Thank you very much. FC: Well done. Well done, buddy.
206
540424
3653
SB: Moitas grazas.
FC: Ben feito, rapaz.
09:19
(Applause)
207
544077
11818
(Aplausos)
09:32
So I just want to say a couple more things
208
556886
1716
Quero dicir un par de cousas máis
09:34
about that particular story, and then try to generalize
209
558602
3132
sobre esta historia e tentar xeneralizar
09:37
how could we have stories of success
210
561734
2496
sobre como podemos ter historias de éxito
09:40
all over the place for these diseases, as Sam says,
211
564230
3513
para todas estas enfermidades,
como dixo Sam,
09:43
these 4,000 that are waiting for answers.
212
567743
2519
estas 4000 enfermidades
que agardan respostas.
09:46
You might have noticed that the drug
213
570262
1872
Debedes saber que o fármaco
09:48
that is now in clinical trial for progeria
214
572134
2769
que se está probando para a proxeria
09:50
is not a drug that was designed for that.
215
574903
1764
non é un fármaco deseñado para ela.
09:52
It's such a rare disease, it would be hard for a company
216
576667
2862
É unha enfermidade tan rara
que unha empresa tería moi difícil
09:55
to justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars to generate a drug.
217
579529
3730
xustificar o gasto de centos de millóns
de dólares para producir o fármaco.
09:59
This is a drug that was developed for cancer.
218
583259
2160
Este fármaco desenvolveuse para o cancro.
10:01
Turned out, it didn't work very well for cancer,
219
585419
2165
Non funcionou moi ben contra el,
10:03
but it has exactly the right properties, the right shape,
220
587584
2323
pero ten as propiedades exactas,
a forma precisa,
10:05
to work for progeria, and that's what's happened.
221
589907
2892
para tratar a proxeria, e
isto foi o que pasou.
10:08
Wouldn't it be great if we could do that more systematically?
222
592799
3228
Non sería fantástico facermos isto
máis sistematicamente?
10:11
Could we, in fact, encourage all the companies that are out there
223
596027
3796
Poderiamos animar ás compañías
10:15
that have drugs in their freezers
224
599823
1838
que teñen fármacos nos conxeladores
10:17
that are known to be safe in humans
225
601661
2202
que sabemos que son seguros en humanos
10:19
but have never actually succeeded in terms
226
603863
2292
pero que nunca se demostraron efectivos
nos tratamentos para os que se deseñaron?
10:22
of being effective for the treatments they were tried for?
227
606155
2856
Agora estamos aprendendo
sobre estas novas vías moleculares
10:24
Now we're learning about all these new molecular pathways --
228
609011
2384
10:27
some of those could be repositioned or repurposed,
229
611395
3079
algunhas das cales poderían ser
reorientadas ou reutilizadas,
10:30
or whatever word you want to use, for new applications,
230
614474
2399
ou como lle queiramos chamar,
para novas aplicacións,
10:32
basically teaching old drugs new tricks.
231
616873
2969
ensinándolles novos trucos
a vellos fármacos.
10:35
That could be a phenomenal, valuable activity.
232
619842
2687
Podería ser unha actividade
extraordinaria e valiosa.
10:38
We have many discussions now between NIH and companies
233
622529
3046
Temos moitos debates entre
o Instituto Nacional da Saúde e empresas
10:41
about doing this that are looking very promising.
234
625575
2124
sobre facer isto
que tan prometedor parece.
10:43
And you could expect quite a lot to come from this.
235
627699
2614
E temos bastantes esperanzas
de que resulte.
10:46
There are quite a number of success stories one can point to
236
630313
3039
Hai abondas historias exitosas
que podemos destacar
10:49
about how this has led to major advances.
237
633352
2353
sobre como isto comportou
avances relevantes.
10:51
The first drug for HIV/AIDS
238
635705
2207
O primeiro fármaco contra o VIH
10:53
was not developed for HIV/AIDS.
239
637912
1729
non se desenvolveu para o VIH.
10:55
It was developed for cancer. It was AZT.
240
639641
2518
Foino para o cancro.
Trátase do AZT.
10:58
It didn't work very well for cancer, but became
241
642159
2001
Non funcionou contra o cancro, pero foi
11:00
the first successful antiretroviral,
242
644160
2116
o primeiro antirretroviral exitoso,
11:02
and you can see from the table there are others as well.
243
646276
2572
e como se ve na táboa, hai outros tamén.
11:04
So how do we actually make that a more generalizable effort?
244
648848
3644
Como facemos este esforzo
máis xeneralizable?
11:08
Well, we have to come up with a partnership
245
652492
2224
Temos que chegar a acordos
11:10
between academia, government, the private sector,
246
654716
2860
entre o mundo académico, o goberno,
o sector privado,
11:13
and patient organizations to make that so.
247
657576
2453
e organizacións de pacientes para facelo.
No Instituto Nacional da Saúde,
creamos un novo
11:15
At NIH, we have started this new
248
660029
1650
11:17
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.
249
661679
3200
Centro Nacional de
Ciencias Translacionais Avanzadas.
11:20
It just started last December, and this is one of its goals.
250
664879
3615
Comezou en decembro pasado,
e este é un dos seus obxectivos.
Déixenme dicirlles outra cousa
que poderiamos facer
11:24
Let me tell you another thing we could do.
251
668494
1441
11:25
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to a test a drug
252
669935
2919
Non sería xenial se puidésemos
probar un fármaco
11:28
to see if it's effective and safe
253
672854
2371
para ver se é efectivo e seguro
11:31
without having to put patients at risk,
254
675225
2101
sen poñer en risco pacientes,
11:33
because that first time you're never quite sure?
255
677326
2553
porque as primeiras veces
non se está seguro?
11:35
How do we know, for instance, whether drugs are safe
256
679879
2151
Como sabemos que un fármaco é seguro
11:37
before we give them to people? We test them on animals.
257
682030
3245
antes de darllo a persoas?
Probámolo en animais.
11:41
And it's not all that reliable, and it's costly,
258
685275
2642
E iso non é demasiado fiable,
e ademais é custoso,
11:43
and it's time-consuming.
259
687917
1690
e consome tempo.
11:45
Suppose we could do this instead on human cells.
260
689607
2863
Imaxinen que podemos facelo
en células humanas.
11:48
You probably know, if you've been paying attention
261
692470
2232
Se lle prestan atención
á literatura científica
11:50
to some of the science literature
262
694702
1300
probablemente saberán que
11:51
that you can now take a skin cell
263
696002
1656
pode collerse unha célula da pel
11:53
and encourage it to become a liver cell
264
697658
2881
e estimulala para convertela en hepática
11:56
or a heart cell or a kidney cell or a brain cell for any of us.
265
700539
3075
ou cardíaca, ou renal
ou derebral de calquera de nós.
11:59
So what if you used those cells as your test
266
703614
3152
E se utilizamos estas células para probar
12:02
for whether a drug is going to work and whether it's going to be safe?
267
706766
2945
se un fármaco vai ser efectivo e seguro?
12:05
Here you see a picture of a lung on a chip.
268
709711
4231
Velaquí unha imaxe dun pulmón nun chip.
12:09
This is something created by the Wyss Institute in Boston,
269
713942
3521
É unha creación do Wyss Institute
en Boston,
12:13
and what they have done here, if we can run the little video,
270
717463
3175
e o que fixeron,
se poñemos en marcha o vídeo,
12:16
is to take cells from an individual,
271
720638
2136
foi coller células dun individuo,
12:18
turn them into the kinds of cells that are present in the lung,
272
722774
3109
transformalas en células
que hai nos pulmóns,
12:21
and determine what would happen
273
725883
1805
e ver que acontece
12:23
if you added to this various drug compounds
274
727688
3077
se se engaden varios compostos
12:26
to see if they are toxic or safe.
275
730765
2465
para ver se son seguros ou tóxicos.
12:29
You can see this chip even breathes.
276
733230
2271
Poden ver que este chip incluso respira.
12:31
It has an air channel. It has a blood channel.
277
735501
2617
Ten unha canle de aire e outra de sangue.
12:34
And it has cells in between
278
738118
1703
E ten células no medio
que permiten ver o que acontece
ao engadir un composto.
12:35
that allow you to see what happens when you add a compound.
279
739821
2438
12:38
Are those cells happy or not?
280
742259
1772
Están contentas as células ou non?
12:39
You can do this same kind of chip technology
281
744031
3031
Pódese usar esta mesma tecnoloxía
12:42
for kidneys, for hearts, for muscles,
282
747062
2209
para riles, corazóns, músculos,
12:45
all the places where you want to see whether a drug
283
749271
2464
calquera órgano
onde se queira ver se o fármaco
12:47
is going to be a problem, for the liver.
284
751735
2281
vai ser un problema, para o fígado.
12:49
And ultimately, because you can do this for the individual,
285
754016
3048
E finalmente, porque isto pode facerse
para cada persoa,
12:52
we could even see this moving to the point
286
757064
2214
podemos ver que se encamiña ata o punto
12:55
where the ability to develop and test medicines
287
759278
3441
en que a capacidade
para desenvolver e testar fármacos
12:58
will be you on a chip, what we're trying to say here is
288
762719
3186
irá con vostedes nun chip, o que implica
13:01
the individualizing of the process of developing drugs
289
765905
3501
a individualización do proceso
para desenvolver fármacos
13:05
and testing their safety.
290
769406
2248
e probar a súa seguridade.
13:07
So let me sum up.
291
771654
1652
Resumindo.
13:09
We are in a remarkable moment here.
292
773306
2260
Estamos nun momento extraordinario.
13:11
For me, at NIH now for almost 20 years,
293
775566
2103
Para min, con case 20 anos
no Instituto Nacional da Saúde,
13:13
there has never been a time where there was more excitement
294
777669
2601
nunca houbo unha época
de maior entusiasmo
13:16
about the potential that lies in front of us.
295
780270
2585
sobre o potencial do que temos diante.
13:18
We have made all these discoveries
296
782855
1792
Fixemos todos estes descubrimentos
13:20
pouring out of laboratories across the world.
297
784647
2365
en laboratorios espallados polo mundo.
13:22
What do we need to capitalize on this? First of all, we need resources.
298
787012
3362
Que fai falla para sacar proveito deles?
Primeiro, recursos.
13:26
This is research that's high-risk, sometimes high-cost.
299
790374
3555
Esta é investigación de alto risco,
e ás veces de alto custo.
13:29
The payoff is enormous, both in terms of health
300
793929
1971
A recompensa é enorme, en termos de saúde
13:31
and in terms of economic growth. We need to support that.
301
795900
2880
e de crecemento económico.
Hai que apoiala.
13:34
Second, we need new kinds of partnerships
302
798780
2301
Segundo, precisamos novos tipos
de relacións
13:36
between academia and government and the private sector
303
801081
2221
entre o mundo académico, o goberno,
o sector privado
13:39
and patient organizations, just like the one I've been describing here,
304
803302
3347
e as organizacións de pacientes,
como xa contei aquí,
13:42
in terms of the way in which we could go after repurposing new compounds.
305
806649
3580
sobre que camiño adoptar
despois da reutilización de compostos.
13:46
And third, and maybe most important, we need talent.
306
810229
3236
E terceiro, e pode que máis importante,
precisamos talento.
13:49
We need the best and the brightest
307
813465
2141
Precisamos os mellores e máis brillantes
13:51
from many different disciplines to come and join this effort --
308
815606
2857
de diferentes disciplinas
para vir e axudar,
13:54
all ages, all different groups --
309
818463
2446
de calquera idade, de calquera grupo,
13:56
because this is the time, folks.
310
820909
2087
porque este é o momento, amigos.
13:58
This is the 21st-century biology that you've been waiting for,
311
822996
3625
Esta é a bioloxía do s. XXI
que estabamos a agardar,
14:02
and we have the chance to take that
312
826621
2462
e temos a oportunidade
de collela
14:04
and turn it into something which will, in fact,
313
829083
2490
e convertela en algo
acabe coas enfermidades.
Ese é o meu obxectivo.
14:07
knock out disease. That's my goal.
314
831573
2330
14:09
I hope that's your goal.
315
833903
1884
Agardo que tamén sexa o seu.
14:11
I think it'll be the goal of the poets and the muppets
316
835787
2680
Penso que será o obxectivo dos
poetas, marionetas,
14:14
and the surfers and the bankers
317
838467
2009
surfeiros e banqueiros
14:16
and all the other people who join this stage
318
840476
2278
e de todas as persoas
que se unan a esta causa
14:18
and think about what we're trying to do here
319
842754
1750
e pensen no que tentamos facer
14:20
and why it matters.
320
844504
1165
e por qué é importante.
14:21
It matters for now. It matters as soon as possible.
321
845669
2770
É importante para agora,
para o antes posible.
14:24
If you don't believe me, just ask Sam.
322
848439
3118
Se non me cren, pregúntenlle a Sam.
14:27
Thank you all very much.
323
851557
1443
Moitas grazas a todos.
14:28
(Applause)
324
853000
4831
(Aplausos)

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Francis Collins - Geneticist, physician
A key player in the US' new brain-mapping project, Francis Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health.

Why you should listen

In 2000 the world saw the first working draft of the human genome, and that's in no small part thanks to Francis Collins. Under his directorship at the National Human Genome Research Institute, the Human Genome Project was finished, a complete mapping of all 20,500 genes in the human genome, with a high-quality, reference sequence published in April 2003.

In 2009 President Obama nominated Collins as the director of the National Institutes of Health, and later that year he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In March 2013, Collins helped Obama introduce the BRAIN Initiative, an ambitious, well-funded program to map the human brain. Read more about the BRAIN Initiative >>

Collins is also a self-described serious Christian and the author of several books on science and faith, including The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.

More profile about the speaker
Francis Collins | Speaker | TED.com

Data provided by TED.

This site was created in May 2015 and the last update was on January 12, 2020. It will no longer be updated.

We are currently creating a new site called "eng.lish.video" and would be grateful if you could access it.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write comments in your language on the contact form.

Privacy Policy

Developer's Blog

Buy Me A Coffee