Could We Cure HIV with Lasers? | Patience Mthunzi | TED Talks

Translator: Marta García Reviewer: Alicia Ferreiro

What do you do when you have a headache?

¿Que fan cando lles doe a cabeza?

You swallow an aspirin.

Toman unha aspirina.

But for this pill to get to your head, where the pain is,

Para que esta pílula chegue á cabeza onde está a dor

it goes through your stomach, intestines and various other organs first.

pasa polo estómago, intestinos e outros órganos primeiro.

Swallowing pills is the most effective and painless way of delivering

Tomar pílulas é a forma máis efectiva e indolora

de medicar o corpo.

any medication in the body.

The downside, though, is that swallowing any medication leads to its dilution.

O inconvinte é que tomar calquera medicación

leva a dilución.

And this is a big problem, particularly in HIV patients.

Isto é un gran problema.

Especialmente con pacientes con VIH.

When they take their anti-HIV drugs,

Cando toman as menciñas contra o VIH

these drugs are good for lowering the virus in the blood,

estas son boas para diminuír o virus no sangue

and increasing the CD4 cell counts.

e aumentar o reconto de células CD4.

But they are also notorious for their adverse side effects,

Pero tamén son coñecidas polos seus efectos secundarios adversos

but mostly bad, because they get diluted by the time they get to the blood,

na súa maioría malos porque se dilúen cando chegan ao sangue

and worse, by the time they get to the sites

e peor aínda, cando cheguen ao lugar

where it matters most: within the HIV viral reservoirs.

onde máis importa: nas reservas virales do VIH.

These areas in the body -- such as the lymph nodes,

Estas zonas do corpo como os nódulos ninfáticos,

the nervous system, as well as the lungs --

o sistema nervioso e os pulmóns

where the virus is sleeping,

onde o virus está inactivo

and will not readily get delivered in the blood

e non chegan fácilmente ao sangue

of patients that are under consistent anti-HIV drugs therapy.

dos pacientes baixo terapia constante con menciñas conta o VIH.

However, upon discontinuation of therapy,

Porén, tras unha terapia discontinua

the virus can awake and infect new cells in the blood.

o virus podes despertar e infectar novas células no sangue.

Now, all this is a big problem in treating HIV with the current drug treatment,

Agora isto é un problema ao tratar o VIH co tratamento actual

which is a life-long treatment that must be swallowed by patients.

o cal é un tratamento a longo prazo que debe ser administrado por vía oral.

One day, I sat and thought,

Un día, sentei e pensei:

"Can we deliver anti-HIV directly within its reservoir sites,

"¿Podemos dar menciñas contra o VIH directamente nas zonas de reservas

without the risk of drug dilution?"

sen o risco da dilución da menciña?

As a laser scientist, the answer was just before my eyes:

Como científica experta en láseres, a resposta estaba ante min:

Lasers, of course.

Láseres, por suposto.

If they can be used for dentistry,

Se se usan en odontoloxía,

for diabetic wound-healing and surgery,

para a cicatrización e ciruxía da diabetes

they can be used for anything imaginable,

poden ser usados para calquera cousa imaxinable

including transporting drugs into cells.

incluíndo o transporte de menciñas nas células.

As a matter of fact, we are currently using laser pulses

De feito, actualmente usamos pulsos láser

to poke or drill extremely tiny holes,

para meter ou perforar furados extremadamente pequenos

which open and close almost immediately in HIV-infected cells,

que abren e pechan case inmediatamente en células infectadas polo VIH

in order to deliver drugs within them.

para introducir os fármacos nelas.

"How is that possible?" you may ask.

"¿Como é posible?" Preguntaranse.

Well, we shine a very powerful but super-tiny laser beam

Enviamos un raio moi poderoso pero moi pequeno

onto the membrane of HIV-infected cells

na membrana das células infectadas polo VIH

while these cells are immersed in liquid containing the drug.

mentres estas células están inmersas en líquido que contén o fármaco.

The laser pierces the cell, while the cell swallows the drug

O láser perfora a célula, mentres a célula absorbe o fármaco

in a matter of microseconds.

en cuestión de microsegundos.

Before you even know it,

Antes de decatarse,

the induced hole becomes immediately repaired.

o furado inducido é reparado inmediatamente.

Now, we are currently testing this technology in test tubes

Actualmente estamos testando esta nova tecnoloxía in vitro

or in Petri dishes,

ou en placas Petri,

but the goal is to get this technology in the human body,

pero a meta é conseguir esta tecnoloxía no corpo humano,

apply it in the human body.

aplicala no corpo humano.

"How is that possible?" you may ask.

"¿Como é posible?" Preguntaranse.

Well, the answer is: through a three-headed device.

A resposta é: A través dun dispositivo de tres cabezas.

Using the first head, which is our laser,

Usando a primeira cabeza, que é un láser,

we will make an incision in the site of infection.

faremos unha incisión na zona da infección.

Using the second head, which is a camera,

Usando a segunda cabeza, que é a cámara,

we meander to the site of infection.

dirixímonos á zona da infección.

Finally, using a third head, which is a drug-spreading sprinkler,

Finalmente, usando a terceira cabeza que é un aspersor que distribúe o fármaco

we deliver the drugs directly at the site of infection,

liberamos o fármaco directamente na zona de infección,

while the laser is again used to poke those cells open.

mentres usamos o láser de novo para manter as células abertas.

Well, this might not seem like much right now.

Isto pode non parecer moito de momento.

But one day, if successful, this technology can lead

Pero un día, se ten éxito, esta tecnoloxía pode conducir

to complete eradication of HIV in the body.

a unha completa erradicación do VIH do corpo.

Yes. A cure for HIV.

Si. Unha cura para o VIH.

This is every HIV researcher's dream --

Isto é o soño de calquera investigador do VIH.

in our case, a cure led by lasers.

No noso caso unha cura con láseres.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)