VOA慢速英語(yǔ)：一家實(shí)驗(yàn)室將致命昆蟲(chóng)毒液轉(zhuǎn)化為藥物

To most of us, medicine comes from a drugstore. But originally, much of the medicine developed in the last century came from natural sources: plants, bacteria and fungi.
對(duì)我們大多數(shù)人來(lái)說(shuō)，藥物來(lái)自于藥店。但最初，大部分上世紀(jì)開(kāi)發(fā)的藥物來(lái)自于天然來(lái)源：植物、細(xì)菌和真菌。
Now, a group of scientists in Great Britain are hoping to develop a medicine from poisonous insects. They are researching whether the deadly venom of some insects can work against bacteria that make people sick.
英國(guó)一群科學(xué)家目前希望從毒蟲(chóng)中開(kāi)發(fā)藥物。他們正在研究一些昆蟲(chóng)的致命毒液是否可以抵抗讓人生病的細(xì)菌。
Venomtech laboratory
毒液科技實(shí)驗(yàn)室
About 400 insects live in plastic containers in the Venomtech laboratory. Each container has an image of a skull and crossbones. The images warn that a bite from the insects inside can be anything from painful to downright deadly.
大約有400種昆蟲(chóng)生活在毒液科技實(shí)驗(yàn)室的塑料容器里。每個(gè)容器上都貼著骷髏圖。該圖片是在警告，讓這些容器里的昆蟲(chóng)咬上一口會(huì)非常痛苦甚至致命。
The venom from these insects contains hundreds of chemical components. Each component has a different target and effect.
來(lái)自這些昆蟲(chóng)的毒液含有數(shù)百種化學(xué)成分。每種成分都有不同的指標(biāo)和效果。
Medical researchers, such as Venomtech managing director Steven Trim, separate the venom into its component parts. Then they create a library of those components, looking for the ones that could be turned into new drugs.
毒液科技總裁斯蒂芬·特瑞姆(Steven Trim)等醫(yī)學(xué)研究人員將這些毒液分離成各自的組成成分，然后創(chuàng)建一個(gè)成分資料庫(kù)，看哪些成分可以被轉(zhuǎn)化為新藥。
"Some of them we found can kill bacteria, bacteria like E.Coli and staphylococcus, so they're very relevant at the moment where modern medicines (are) failing. And we're also finding venoms that are modifying and killing cancer cells."
“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)其中一些成分可以殺死像大腸桿菌和葡萄球菌一類(lèi)的細(xì)菌。因此它們?cè)谶@種現(xiàn)代藥物失效的情況下非常有意義。而且我們正在尋找可以改造和殺死癌細(xì)胞的毒液。”
Finding new ways to kill bacteria is important to researchers. One reason is because people have used antibiotics so much that some bacteria can now resist it.
尋找殺死細(xì)菌的新方法對(duì)研究人員來(lái)說(shuō)非常重要。原因之一是因?yàn)槿藗優(yōu)E用抗生素導(dǎo)致一些細(xì)菌現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有了抗藥性。
For example, tuberculosis used to be curable with antibiotics. Now it is not.
例如，肺結(jié)核原本可以用抗生素治愈，現(xiàn)在不行了。
How do they get the venom out?
如何提取毒液?
To get as much venom as possible, researchers feed the insects well, then put them to sleep temporarily.
為了提取盡可能多的毒液，研究人員喂飽昆蟲(chóng)然后讓它們暫時(shí)睡著。
Steven Trim of Venomtech says researchers anaesthetize the invertebrates to make removing the venom safer. After all, an immobile insect cannot bite.
毒液科技的特瑞姆表示，研究人員麻醉這些無(wú)脊椎動(dòng)物以確保提取毒液更安全。畢竟，不能活動(dòng)的蟲(chóng)子不咬人。
Anaesthetizing the insect is better for the animals as well, says Trim.
特瑞姆表示，麻醉這些昆蟲(chóng)對(duì)它們也好。
Researchers then electrically stimulate the insect to contract the muscle and squeeze the gland. The pressure produces a small amount of venom.
研究人員然后用電刺激這些昆蟲(chóng)讓肌肉收縮并擠壓腺體，這種壓力能產(chǎn)生少量毒液。
Researchers separate the venom into hundreds of proteins. Each protein contains between one and five different molecules. Someday, those tiny molecules might be turned into powerful new drugs.
研究人員將這些毒液分解成數(shù)百種蛋白質(zhì)。每種蛋白質(zhì)包含1到5個(gè)不同的分子。有一天，這些微小的分子可能會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)化成為一種功能強(qiáng)大的新藥。
I'm Marsha James.
瑪莎·詹姆斯報(bào)道。