ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientist
Patience 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.

More profile about the speaker
Patience Mthunzi | Speaker | TED.com
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?

Filmed:
1,278,466 views

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?
- Laser scientist
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头痛?
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当你头疼时你会怎么办?
00:15
You swallow an aspirin阿司匹林.
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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疼痛 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通过 your stomach, intestines
and various各个 other organs器官 first.
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它先要经过胃、肠和许多其它器官。
00:28
Swallowing吞咽 pills is the most effective有效
and painless无痛人流 way of delivering交付
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口服是最为有效且无痛的给药方式。
00:34
any medication药物治疗 in the body身体.
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口服是最为有效且无痛的给药方式。
00:37
The downside缺点, though虽然, is that swallowing吞咽
any medication药物治疗 leads引线 to its dilution稀释.
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但是不利之处在于,
口服会导致药物稀释。
00:43
And this is a big problem问题,
particularly尤其 in HIVHIV patients耐心.
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这可是一个大问题,
尤其是对于HIV患者。
00:48
When they take their anti-HIV抗HIV drugs毒品,
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当他们使用抗HIV药物时,
00:51
these drugs毒品 are good for lowering降低
the virus病毒 in the blood血液,
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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增加 the CD光盘4 cell细胞 counts计数.
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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臭名昭著
for their adverse不利的 side effects效果,
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但其副作用也是非常严重的,
01:03
but mostly大多 bad, because they get diluted
by the time they get to the blood血液,
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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,
01:08
and worse更差, by the time
they get to the sites网站
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到达目标位置时浓度更低。
01:11
where it matters事项 most:
within the HIVHIV viral病毒 reservoirs水库.
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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)。
01:17
These areas in the body身体 --
such这样 as the lymph淋巴 nodes节点,
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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紧张 system系统,
as well as the lungs --
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01:25
where the virus病毒 is sleeping睡眠,
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这里的病毒在休眠,
01:27
and will not readily容易
get delivered交付 in the blood血液
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不会迅速进入病人的血液中,
01:30
of patients耐心 that are under
consistent一贯 anti-HIV抗HIV drugs毒品 therapy治疗.
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只要病人持续采用抗HIV药物治疗。
01:36
However然而, upon discontinuation废止 of therapy治疗,
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但是,当治疗中断时,
01:40
the virus病毒 can awake苏醒
and infect感染 new cells细胞 in the blood血液.
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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问题 in treating治疗
HIVHIV with the current当前 drug药物 treatment治疗,
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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,
01:51
which哪一个 is a life-long终身 treatment治疗
that must必须 be swallowed吞食 by patients耐心.
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而病人必须终生服药。
01:55
One day, I satSAT and thought,
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有一天,我坐着突然想到:
01:57
"Can we deliver交付 anti-HIV抗HIV directly
within its reservoir sites网站,
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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,
02:03
without the risk风险 of drug药物 dilution稀释?"
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这样药物不会稀释?”
02:06
As a laser激光 scientist科学家,
the answer回答 was just before my eyes眼睛:
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作为一名激光科学家,
答案就在我眼前:
02:11
Lasers激光器, of course课程.
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激光,当然了。
02:12
If they can be used for dentistry牙科,
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如果激光可以应用于牙科,
02:15
for diabetic糖尿病患者 wound-healing伤口愈合 and surgery手术,
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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想象,
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那可以想到的任何领域都可以使用,
02:21
including包含 transporting传输 drugs毒品 into cells细胞.
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包括直接向细胞注入药物。
02:25
As a matter of fact事实,
we are currently目前 using运用 laser激光 pulses脉冲
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实际上我们已经在用激光脉冲
02:30
to poke or drill钻头 extremely非常 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哪一个 open打开 and close almost几乎
immediately立即 in HIV-infected艾滋病病毒感染 cells细胞,
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这些孔钻开后会立即关闭。
02:39
in order订购 to deliver交付 drugs毒品 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可能?" you may可能 ask.
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“这怎么可能?”你可能会问。
02:45
Well, we shine闪耀 a very powerful强大
but super-tiny超微型 laser激光 beam光束
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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艾滋病病毒感染 cells细胞
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照射在HIV感染细胞的细胞膜上,
02:55
while these cells细胞 are immersed沉浸
in liquid液体 containing the drug药物.
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这些细胞浸泡在含有药物的液体里,
03:00
The laser激光 pierces刺穿 the cell细胞,
while the cell细胞 swallows燕子 the drug药物
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激光将细胞刺穿,
03:05
in a matter of microseconds微秒.
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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诱发 hole
becomes immediately立即 repaired修复.
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钻出的孔又立即修复。
03:13
Now, we are currently目前 testing测试
this technology技术 in test测试 tubes
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现在,我们正在试管或培养皿里,
03:17
or in PetriPetri网 dishes碗碟,
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测试这一技术,
03:19
but the goal目标 is to get
this technology技术 in the human人的 body身体,
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而目标是将这一技术
03:23
apply应用 it in the human人的 body身体.
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应用于人体。
03:25
"How is that possible可能?" you may可能 ask.
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“这怎么可能?”你可能会问。
03:28
Well, the answer回答 is:
through通过 a three-headed三头 device设备.
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嗯,我们使用的是一个三头仪器,
03:33
Using运用 the first head, which哪一个 is our laser激光,
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第一个头是激光头,
03:36
we will make an incision切口
in the site现场 of infection感染.
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用它在感染部位进行切割;
03:40
Using运用 the second第二 head, which哪一个 is a camera相机,
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第二个头是摄像头,
03:43
we meander蜿蜒 to the site现场 of infection感染.
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用来找到感染位置;
03:45
Finally最后, using运用 a third第三 head,
which哪一个 is a drug-spreading毒品蔓延 sprinkler洒水车,
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最后,第三个头是喷药头,
03:50
we deliver交付 the drugs毒品 directly
at the site现场 of infection感染,
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用来直接向感染部位注入药物,
03:53
while the laser激光 is again used
to poke those cells细胞 open打开.
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同时用激光将细胞戳开一个孔。
03:58
Well, this might威力 not seem似乎
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成功,
this technology技术 can lead
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但如果能够成功,
04:07
to complete完成 eradication根除
of HIVHIV in the body身体.
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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。
04:11
Yes. A cure治愈 for HIVHIV.
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是的,治愈HIV。
04:14
This is every一切 HIVHIV researcher's研究者的 dream梦想 --
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这是每个HIV研究者的梦想--
04:17
in our case案件, a cure治愈 lead by lasers激光器.
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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掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Tian Ye
Reviewed by dahong zhang

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientist
Patience 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.

More profile about the speaker
Patience Mthunzi | Speaker | TED.com