How we could teach our bodies to heal faster | Kaitlyn Sadtler

Translator: Doris Mangalu Reviewer: Nelson Simfukwe

What if you could take a pill or a vaccine

Je kama unaweza kuchukua kidonge au chanjo

and, just like getting over a cold,

na kama ukawa unapona mafua,

you could heal your wounds faster?

unaweza kuponya jeraha kwa urahisi?

Today, if we have an operation or an accident,

Leo, kama tukiwa na upasuaji au ajali,

we're in the hospital for weeks,

tunakaa hospitalini kwa wiki,

and often left with scars and painful side effects

na mara nyingi tunabaki na makovu na madhara ya uchungu

of our inability to regenerate or regrow healthy, uninjured organs.

kwa uwezo wetu wa kutengeneza au kukuza afya, na viungo visivyo na jeraha.

I work to create materials

Nafanya kazi kujenga vifaa

that instruct our immune system to give us the signals to grow new tissues.

vinavyofundisha mfumo wetu wa kinga ili utupe alama za kukuza tishu mpya.

Just like vaccines instruct our body to fight disease,

Kama tu chanjo inavyofundisha mwili wetu kupigana na magonjwa,

we could instead instruct our immune system

badala yake tunaweza fundisha mfumo wetu wa kinga

to build tissues and more quickly heal wounds.

kujenga tishu na kuponya majeraha kwa urahisi.

Now, regrowing body parts out of nowhere might seem like magic,

Sasa, kukuza sehemu za mwili kutoka popote inaweza kuonekana kama uchawi,

but there are several organisms that can achieve this feat.

lakini kuna viumbe kadhaa vinavyoweza kutimiza mafanikio haya.

Some lizards can regrow their tails,

Baadhi ya mijusi inaweza kukuza mikia yao,

the humble salamander can completely regenerate their arm,

yule salamanda mnyenyekevu anaweza kukuza kabisa mkono wake,

and even us mere humans can regrow our liver

na hata binadamu tu wanaweza kukuza ini lao

after losing more than half of its original mass.

baada ya kupoteza zaidi ya nusu ya uzito wao wa awali.

To make this magic a bit closer to reality,

Ili kufanya uchawi huu kuwa karibu zaidi na ukweli,

I'm investigating how our body can heal wounds and build tissue

nina fanya uchunguzi wa jinsi mwili wetu unaweza kuponya majeraha na kujenga tishu

through instructions from the immune system.

kupitia maelekezo kutoka mfumo wa kinga.

From a scrape on your knee to that annoying sinus infection,

Kutoka kwenye mkato wa goti lako mpaka maambukizi ya sinus yanayoboa,

our immune system defends our body from danger.

mfumo wetu wa kinga unalinda mwili wetu na hatari.

I'm an immunologist,

Mimi ni immunolojisti

and by using what I know about our body's defense system,

na kwa kutumia ninachojua kuhusu mfumo wa ulinzi wa mwili wetu,

I was able to identify key players

niliweza kutambua wachezaji wakuu

in our fight to build back our cuts and bruises.

kwenye mapambano ya kujenga mikato na michubuko yetu.

When looking at materials that are currently being tested

Tunapoangalia vifaa vinavyojaribiwa kwa sasa

for their abilities to help regrow muscle,

kwa uwezo wao wa kusaidia kukuza misuli,

our team noticed that after treating an injured muscle with these materials,

timu yetu imeona kua baada ya kutibu msuli uliojeruhiwa na vifaa hivi,

there was a large number of immune cells

kulikua na idadi kubwa ya seli za kinga

in that material and the surrounding muscle.

ndani ya kifaa na inayozunguka msuli.

So in this case,

Hivyo kwa sababu hii,

instead of the immune cells rushing off towards infection to fight bacteria,

badala ya seli za kinga kukimbilia kwenye maambukizi kupigana na bakteria,

they're rushing toward an injury.

zinakimbilia kuelekea kwenye jeraha.

I discovered a specific type of immune cell,

Nimegundua aina maalum ya seli za kinga,

the helper T cell,

ni msaidizi T kiini,

was present inside that material that I implanted

ilikua inapatikana ndani ya kile kifaa nilichokipanda

and absolutely critical for wound healing.

na ni muhimu kabisa kwa ajili ya uponyaji jeraha.

Now, just like when you were a kid and you'd break your pencil

Sasa, kama tu ulivyokua mdogo na ukavunja penseli yako

and try and tape it back together again,

na kujaribu kugundisha kwa pamoja tena,

we can heal,

tunaweza kupona,

but it might not be in the most functional way,

lakini inaweza isiwe njia inayofanya kazi zaidi,

and we'll get a scar.

na tutapata kovu.

So if we don't have these helper T cells,

Hivyo kama hatuna hizi msaidizi T kiini,

instead of healthy muscle,

badala ya misuli yenye afya,

our muscle develops fat cells inside of it,

misuli yetu inatengeneza seli za mafuta ndani yake,

and if there's fat in our muscle, it isn't as strong.

na kama kuna mafuta kwenye misuli yetu, haina nguvu.

Now, using our immune system,

Sasa, kutumia mfumo wetu wa kinga,

our body could grow back without these scars

miili yetu inaweza kukua tena bila haya makovu

and look like what it was before we were even injured.

na kuonekana kama ilivyokua kabla hata hatujajeruhiwa.

I'm working to create materials

Nina fanya kazi kutengeneza vifaa

that give us the signals to build new tissue

vinavyotuma alama za kujenga tishu mpya

by changing the immune response.

kwa kubadilisha mwitikio wa kinga.

We know that any time a material is implanted in our body,

Tunajua kua muda wowote kifaa kinapopandwa mwilini mwetu,

the immune system will respond to it.

mfumo wa kinga utaitikia kwake.

This ranges from pacemakers to insulin pumps

Hii hutofautiana kwanzia kipima mapigo ya moyo mpaka pampu za insulini

to the materials that engineers are using to try and build new tissue.

mpaka vifaa ambavyo wanatumia wahandisi ili kujaribu kujenga tishu mpya.

So when I place that material, or scaffold, in the body,

Hivyo ninapoweka hicho kifaa, au kiguzo, ndani ya mwili,

the immune system creates a small environment of cells and proteins

mfumo wa kinga hutengeneza mazingira madogo ya seli na protini

that can change the way that our stem cells behave.

ambazo zinaweza badili jinsi seli shina zetu zinavyoishi.

Now, just like the weather affects our daily activities,

Sasa, kama hali ya hewa inavyoathiri shughuli zetu za siku,

like going for a run

kama kwenda kukimbia

or staying inside and binge-watching an entire TV show on Netflix,

au kukaa ndani na kutazama kipindi kizima cha TV kwenye Netflix,

the immune environment of a scaffold

mazingira ya kinga ya kiguzo

affects the way that our stem cells grow and develop.

inaathiri jinsi seli shina zetu zinavyokua na kuendelea.

If we have the wrong signals,

Kama tunakua na ishara za mbovu,

say the Netflix signals,

tuseme kama ishara za Netflix,

we get fat cells instead of muscle.

tunapata seli za mafuta badala ya misuli.

These scaffolds are made of a variety of different things,

Viguzo hivi vimetengenezwa na aina nyingi tofauti ya vitu,

from plastics to naturally derived materials,

kwanzia plastiki mpaka vitu vinavyopatikana kiasili,

nanofibers of varying thicknesses,

nyuzi ndogo zinazotofautiana unene,

sponges that are more or less porous,

sifongo ambazo zina matundu makubwa au madogo,

gels of different stiffnesses.

jeli zenye ugumu unaotofautiana.

And researchers can even make the materials

Na watafiti wanaweza hata kutengeneza vifaa

release different signals over time.

kutoa ishara tofauti na mda.

So in other words, we can orchestrate this Broadway show of cells

Hivyo kwa maneno mengine, tunaweza kupanga maonyesho hayaya Broadway ya seli

by giving them the correct stage, cues and props

kwa kuzipa jukwaa, sehemu na heshima sahihi

that can be changed for different tissues,

inayoweza kubadilishwa kwa tishu tofauti,

just like a producer would change the set

kama tu mtengenezaji anavyobadilisha jukwaa

for "Les Mis" versus "Little Shop of Horrors."

kwa "Les Mis" dhidi ya "Little Shop of Horrors."

I'm combining specific types of signals

Nina changanya aina maalum za ishara

that mimic how our body responds to injury to help us regenerate.

ambazo zinaiga jinsi miili yetu inavyojibu maumivu kutusaidia kua wapya.

In the future, we could see a scar-proof band-aid,

Huko mbeleni, tutaona bandi ya misaada ambayo ni kizuia kovu,

a moldable muscle filler or even a wound-healing vaccine.

kijazo cha msuli kinachofinyangika au hata chanjo inayoponya jeraha.

Now, we aren't going to wake up tomorrow and be able to heal like Wolverine.

Sasa, hatutaweza kuamka kesho na kuweza kuponywa kama Wolverine.

Probably not next Tuesday, either.

Pengine hata sio Jumanne ijayo pia.

But with these advances,

Ila na haya maednelelo,

and working with our immune system to help build tissue and heal wounds,

na kufanya kazi na mfumo wetu wa kinga kusaidia kuunda tishu na kutibu majeraha,

we could begin seeing products on the market

tunaweza kuanza kuona bidhaa kwenye soko

that work with our body's defense system to help us regenerate,

zinazofanya kazi na mfumo wa ulinzi mwilini kusaidia kutengeneza upya,

and maybe one day be able to keep pace with a salamander.

na labda siku moja tutaweza kua sambamba na salamander.

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)