What are stem cells? - Craig A. Kohn

什麼是幹細胞？ - 克雷格．科恩

譯者: 審譯者: Shelly Wang

Imagine two people are listening to music.

想像有兩個人正在聽音樂，

What are the odds

有多少機率

that they are listening

他們正在聽的

to the exact same playlist?

是同一個音樂清單?

Probably pretty low.

機率大概很低，

After all, everyone has very different tastes in music.

畢竟每個人對音樂的喜好非常不同，

Now, what are the odds

那麼，有多少機率

that your body will need

你身體所需要的

the exact same medical care and treatment

醫療照護和治療方法

as another person's body?

和另外一人完全一樣？

Even lower.

這個機率更低，

As we go through our lives,

我們的一生當中，

each of us will have very different needs

每一個人都有各自

for our own healthcare.

對醫療照護的不同需求。

Scientists and doctors are constantly researching ways

科學家和醫生正持續研究，

to make medicine more personalized.

尋找更個人化的醫療方法，

One way they are doing this

其中一種方法，

is by researching stem cells.

就是研究幹細胞，

Stem cells are cells that are undifferentiated,

幹細胞是沒有經過分化的細胞，

meaning they do not have a specific job or function.

也就是沒有特殊功能的細胞，

While skin cells protect your body,

皮膚細胞可以保護身體，

muscle cells contract,

肌肉細胞可以收縮，

and nerve cells send signals,

神經細胞可以傳遞訊息，

stem cells do not have any specific structures or functions.

然而幹細胞沒有任何特殊結構或功能，

Stem cells do have the potential

但幹細胞有種潛力，

to become all other kinds of cells in your body.

就是變成人體中任何一種細胞，

Your body uses stem cells

人體利用幹細胞，

to replace worn-out cells when they die.

取代老舊廢棄的細胞，

For example, you completely replace

舉例來說，

the lining of your intestines every four days.

人體每四天就會代謝腸壁，

Stem cells beneath the lining of your intestines

腸壁下方的幹細胞，

replace these cells as they wear out.

會取代廢棄的細胞，

Scientists hope that stem cells could be used

科學家希望能應用幹細胞，

to create a very special kind of personalized medicine

創造出非常特殊的個人化醫療，

in which we could replace your own body parts with,

也就是需要換器官的時候，

well, your own body parts.

用自己的器官替換，

Stem cell researchers are working hard

科學家正努力研究幹細胞，

to find ways in which to use stem cells

希望能利用幹細胞，

to create new tissue

製造出新的人體組織，

to replace the parts of organs

來替換因外傷或疾病

that are damaged by injury or disease.

而受損的部分器官。

Using stem cells to replace damaged bodily tissue

使用幹細胞取代損壞的身體組織，

is called regenerative medicine.

被稱為再生醫學。

For example, scientists currently use stem cells

例如,科學家目前利用幹細胞，

to treat patients with blood diseases

治療患有血液疾病的病患，

such as leukemia.

像是白血病。

Leukemia is a form of cancer

白血病是一種癌症，

that affects your bone marrow.

會影響人體的骨髓。

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside your bones

骨髓是骨頭內的海綿狀組織，

where your blood cells are created.

負責製造人體的血液細胞，

In leukemia, some of the cells inside your bone marrow

白血病的症狀，是骨隨內的一些細胞

grow uncontrollably, crowding out the healthy stem cells

失控成長，排擠掉負責造血的

that form your blood cells.

健康幹細胞

Some leukemia patients can receive

有些白血病病患可以接受

a stem cell transplant.

幹細胞移植手術，

These new stem cells will create

這些新的幹細胞會製造

the blood cells needed by the patient's body.

病患身體所需的血液細胞。

There are actually multiple kinds

事實上有很多種幹細胞，

of stem cells that scientists can use

都可以為科學家所用，

for medical treatments and research.

應用在醫療或研究上。

Adult stem cells or tissue-specific stem cells

成人幹細胞或特定組織幹細胞

are found in small numbers

數量不多，

in most of your body's tissues.

分布在各種人體組織內。

Tissue-specific stem cells replace

特定組織幹細胞，

the existing cells in your organs

在人體器官既有的細胞死亡的時候，

as they wear out and die.

取代這些老舊細胞。

Embryonic stem cells are created

胚胎幹細胞，

from leftover embryos that are willingly donated

來自剩餘胚胎，通常由生育診所

by patients from fertility clinics.

的病患所捐贈。

Unlike tissue-specific stem cells,

不同於特定組織幹細胞，

embryonic stem cells are pluripotent.

胚胎幹細胞具有多功能，

This means that they can be grown

也就是可以培育這些幹細胞，

into any kind of tissue in the body.

生長為任何一種身體組織。

A third kind of stem cells

第三種幹細胞，

is called induced pluripotent stem cells.

稱為誘導性多功能幹細胞，

These are regular skin, fat, liver, or other cells

科學家改造一般的皮膚,脂肪,

that scientists have changed

肝臟或其他細胞，

to behave like embryonic stem cells.

使它們的作用像胚胎幹細胞。

Like embryonic stem cells,

就像胚胎幹細胞，

they, too, can become any kind of cell in the body.

這些幹細胞也能變成人體中任何一種細胞，

While scientists and doctors hope to use

科學家和醫生希望，

all of these kinds of stem cells

利用以上所有的幹細胞，

to create new tissue to heal your body,

製造出新的人體組織進行治療，

they can also use stem cells

同時他們也能利用幹細胞，

to help understand how the body works.

了解人體的運作方式。

Scientists can watch stem cells develop

科學家透過觀察幹細胞成長組織，

into tissue to understand the mechnanisms

了解人體的機制，

that the body uses to create new tissue

是如何以固定、有規則的方法

in a controlled and regulated way.

創造新的人體組織。

Scientists hope that with more research,

科學家希望透過更多研究，

they can not only develop specialized medicine

發展出更專門、為個人量身打造的

that is specific to your body

治療方法，

but also better understand

也希望更加了解，

how your body functions,

人體如何運作，

both when it's healthy

包括健康

and when it's not.

和不健康的狀態。