TED2015
Patience Mthunzi: Could we cure HIV with lasers?
佩西恩丝·穆图兹: 是否可以用激光治愈艾滋病？
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口服药物来治疗疾病快速且无痛，但常常效力不佳。有没有更好的方法呢？激光。TED会员佩西恩丝·穆图兹在她令人激动的演讲里，解释了有关使用激光直接向感染HIV的细胞注入药物的想法。虽然距离成功为时尚早，但它可能为治愈HIV带来曙光吗？
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientist
Patience Mthunzi wants to use lasers to deliver medicines more effectively. Full bio
Patience Mthunzi wants to use lasers to deliver medicines more effectively. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
What do you do when you have a headache?
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当你头疼时你会怎么办？
00:15
You swallow an aspirin.
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你会吞下一片阿斯匹林。
00:18
But for this pill to get
to your head, where the pain is,
to your head, where the pain is,
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但你头疼，这片药药效要到达你的头部，
00:22
it goes through your stomach, intestines
and various other organs first.
and various other organs first.
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它先要经过胃、肠和许多其它器官。
00:28
Swallowing pills is the most effective
and painless way of delivering
and painless way of delivering
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口服是最为有效且无痛的给药方式。
00:34
any medication in the body.
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口服是最为有效且无痛的给药方式。
00:37
The downside, though, is that swallowing
any medication leads to its dilution.
any medication leads to its dilution.
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但是不利之处在于，
口服会导致药物稀释。
口服会导致药物稀释。
00:43
And this is a big problem,
particularly in HIV patients.
particularly in HIV patients.
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这可是一个大问题，
尤其是对于HIV患者。
尤其是对于HIV患者。
00:48
When they take their anti-HIV drugs,
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当他们使用抗HIV药物时，
00:51
these drugs are good for lowering
the virus in the blood,
the virus in the blood,
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这些药物有助于降低血液中的病毒含量，
00:56
and increasing the CD4 cell counts.
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并提升CD4细胞(人体免疫系统中的一种重要免疫细胞)计数，
00:58
But they are also notorious
for their adverse side effects,
for their adverse side effects,
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但其副作用也是非常严重的，
01:03
but mostly bad, because they get diluted
by the time they get to the blood,
by the time they get to the blood,
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而最大的问题在于，
因为药物进入血液时已经稀释，
因为药物进入血液时已经稀释，
01:08
and worse, by the time
they get to the sites
they get to the sites
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到达目标位置时浓度更低。
01:11
where it matters most:
within the HIV viral reservoirs.
within the HIV viral reservoirs.
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这里才是最重要的地方：
HIV病毒潜伏处(病毒的储存宿主)。
HIV病毒潜伏处(病毒的储存宿主)。
01:17
These areas in the body --
such as the lymph nodes,
such as the lymph nodes,
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这些地方在身体里面--
诸如淋巴结、神经系统，以及肺部--
01:22
the nervous system,
as well as the lungs --
as well as the lungs --
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01:25
where the virus is sleeping,
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这里的病毒在休眠，
01:27
and will not readily
get delivered in the blood
get delivered in the blood
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不会迅速进入病人的血液中，
01:30
of patients that are under
consistent anti-HIV drugs therapy.
consistent anti-HIV drugs therapy.
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只要病人持续采用抗HIV药物治疗。
01:36
However, upon discontinuation of therapy,
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但是，当治疗中断时，
01:40
the virus can awake
and infect new cells in the blood.
and infect new cells in the blood.
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病毒就会苏醒并感染血液中的新细胞。
01:44
Now, all this is a big problem in treating
HIV with the current drug treatment,
HIV with the current drug treatment,
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如今，对于目前的HIV药物治疗，
所有上述缺点成了一个大问题，
所有上述缺点成了一个大问题，
01:51
which is a life-long treatment
that must be swallowed by patients.
that must be swallowed by patients.
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而病人必须终生服药。
01:55
One day, I sat and thought,
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有一天，我坐着突然想到：
01:57
"Can we deliver anti-HIV directly
within its reservoir sites,
within its reservoir sites,
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“我们可不可以
直接向病毒潜伏处中注入抗HIV药物，
直接向病毒潜伏处中注入抗HIV药物，
02:03
without the risk of drug dilution?"
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这样药物不会稀释？”
02:06
As a laser scientist,
the answer was just before my eyes:
the answer was just before my eyes:
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作为一名激光科学家，
答案就在我眼前：
答案就在我眼前：
02:11
Lasers, of course.
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激光，当然了。
02:12
If they can be used for dentistry,
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如果激光可以应用于牙科，
02:15
for diabetic wound-healing and surgery,
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糖尿病伤口修复与外科手术，
02:18
they can be used for anything imaginable,
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那可以想到的任何领域都可以使用，
02:21
including transporting drugs into cells.
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包括直接向细胞注入药物。
02:25
As a matter of fact,
we are currently using laser pulses
we are currently using laser pulses
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实际上我们已经在用激光脉冲
02:30
to poke or drill extremely tiny holes,
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在HIV感染的细胞上戳或钻出一个极小的孔，
02:34
which open and close almost
immediately in HIV-infected cells,
immediately in HIV-infected cells,
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这些孔钻开后会立即关闭。
02:39
in order to deliver drugs within them.
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我们用这个办法向细胞中注入药物。
02:42
"How is that possible?" you may ask.
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“这怎么可能？”你可能会问。
02:45
Well, we shine a very powerful
but super-tiny laser beam
but super-tiny laser beam
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嗯，我们将一束能量极高但极细的激光
02:51
onto the membrane of HIV-infected cells
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照射在HIV感染细胞的细胞膜上，
02:55
while these cells are immersed
in liquid containing the drug.
in liquid containing the drug.
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这些细胞浸泡在含有药物的液体里，
03:00
The laser pierces the cell,
while the cell swallows the drug
while the cell swallows the drug
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激光将细胞刺穿，
03:05
in a matter of microseconds.
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毫秒之间，细胞就吞下了药物。
03:07
Before you even know it,
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在你反应过来之前，
03:09
the induced hole
becomes immediately repaired.
becomes immediately repaired.
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钻出的孔又立即修复。
03:13
Now, we are currently testing
this technology in test tubes
this technology in test tubes
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现在，我们正在试管或培养皿里，
03:17
or in Petri dishes,
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测试这一技术，
03:19
but the goal is to get
this technology in the human body,
this technology in the human body,
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而目标是将这一技术
03:23
apply it in the human body.
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应用于人体。
03:25
"How is that possible?" you may ask.
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“这怎么可能？”你可能会问。
03:28
Well, the answer is:
through a three-headed device.
through a three-headed device.
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嗯，我们使用的是一个三头仪器，
03:33
Using the first head, which is our laser,
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第一个头是激光头，
03:36
we will make an incision
in the site of infection.
in the site of infection.
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用它在感染部位进行切割；
03:40
Using the second head, which is a camera,
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第二个头是摄像头，
03:43
we meander to the site of infection.
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用来找到感染位置；
03:45
Finally, using a third head,
which is a drug-spreading sprinkler,
which is a drug-spreading sprinkler,
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最后，第三个头是喷药头，
03:50
we deliver the drugs directly
at the site of infection,
at the site of infection,
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用来直接向感染部位注入药物，
03:53
while the laser is again used
to poke those cells open.
to poke those cells open.
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同时用激光将细胞戳开一个孔。
03:58
Well, this might not seem
like much right now.
like much right now.
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现在这个看起来还不成熟，
04:02
But one day, if successful,
this technology can lead
this technology can lead
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但如果能够成功，
04:07
to complete eradication
of HIV in the body.
of HIV in the body.
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终有一天，可以用这项技术
来彻底根除人体中的HIV。
来彻底根除人体中的HIV。
04:11
Yes. A cure for HIV.
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是的，治愈HIV。
04:14
This is every HIV researcher's dream --
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这是每个HIV研究者的梦想--
04:17
in our case, a cure lead by lasers.
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对我们来说，就是用激光来治愈。
04:20
Thank you.
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谢谢大家。
04:21
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientistPatience Mthunzi wants to use lasers to deliver medicines more effectively.
Why you should listen
Patience Mthunzi is a research group leader at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria, South Africa. There, she uses laser "tweezers" to try and separate diseased cells from healthy ones. She's also developed a way to use laser pulses to target drug delivery into cells.
Born in Soweto, Patience got her PhD in physics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In 2012, she was named one of 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa by Forbes magazine; that same year she was given the Order of Mapungubwe for her contribution in the field of biophotonics. She's also a TED Fellow.
Patience Mthunzi | Speaker | TED.com