How cancer cells communicate — and how we can slow them down | Hasini Jayatilaka

翻译人员: Ziyun Liao 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

Cancer.

癌症，

It's a devastating disease that takes an enormous emotional toll.

是一种毁灭性的疾病， 会大量消耗人的精神。

Not only on the patient, but the patient's loved ones, as well.

不仅是对病人，对病人的 至亲而言同样如此。

It is a battle that the human race has been fighting for centuries.

这一场仗，人类已经打了好几个世纪了。

And while we've made some advancements,

虽然其中我们也取得了一些进展，

we still haven't beaten it.

但我们仍然没能攻克它。

Two out of five people in the US will develop cancer in their lifetime.

在美国，每五个人里就会有两个 在一生中患上癌症，

Of those, 90 percent will succumb to the disease due to metastases.

而在这些癌症患者中， 90%是死于癌细胞转移。

Metastasis is a spread of cancer from a primary site to a distal site,

转移是指癌细胞通过循环系统 或淋巴系统，由原发灶

through the circulatory or the lymphatic system.

扩散到了远处的转移灶。

For instance, a female patient with breast cancer

比方说，一名女性患者得了乳腺癌，

doesn't succumb to the disease simply because she has a mass on her breast.

不会仅仅因为她的 乳房有肿块而死亡，

She succumbs to the disease because it spreads

她死亡的原因是这个疾病

to the lungs, liver, lymph nodes, brain, bone,

扩散到了她的肺部，肝脏， 淋巴结，大脑和骨头中，

where it becomes unresectable or untreatable.

而这些地方让癌细胞变得 很难对付，无法治愈。

Metastasis is a complicated process.

转移是一个很复杂的过程，

One that I've studied for several years now.

我研究这个领域已经很多年了。

And something that my team and I discovered recently

最近我和我的团队发现，

was that cancer cells are able to communicate with each other

癌细胞之间是可以互相交流，

and coordinate their movement,

协调彼此之间的移动的。

based on how closely packed they are in the tumor microenvironment.

而这一切是依据他们在 肿瘤微环境中的密集程度。

They communicate with each other through two signaling molecules

它们主要通过两种 信号分子彼此交流，

called Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8.

分别是白细胞介素-6和白细胞介素-8。

Now, like anything else in nature,

像自然界里的万物一样，

when things get a little too tight, the signal is enhanced,

当彼此靠的太紧密了， 信号就会增强，

causing the cancer cells to move away faster from the primary site

导致癌细胞从原发灶 更加快速的转移，

and spread to a new site.

扩散到新的部位。

So, if we block this signal, using a drug cocktail that we developed,

如果用我们新研发的 鸡尾酒药物疗法来屏蔽这种信号，

we can stop the communication between cancer cells

就能够阻止癌细胞互相沟通，

and slow down the spread of cancer.

从而降低癌细胞扩散的速度。

Let me pause here for a second

让我在此先暂停一会儿，

and take you back to when this all began for me in 2010,

带各位回到2010年， 这一切开始的时候，

when I was just a sophomore in college.

当时我还是大二的学生。

I had just started working in Dr Danny Wirtz's lab

我刚开始在约翰 · 霍普金斯大学 丹尼 · 维尔茨（Danny Wirtz）博士的

at Johns Hopkins University.

实验室工作。

And I'll be honest: I was a young, naive, Sri Lankan girl,

说实话：我当时还是一个 年轻稚嫩的斯里兰卡女孩，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

who had no previous research experience.

没有任何研究经历。

And I was tasked to look at how cancer cells move

我的任务是观察癌细胞 在一个包裹好的

in a 3D collagen I matrix

三维的Ⅰ型胶原蛋白培养基里

that recapsulated, in a dish,

是如何移动的。

the conditions that cancer cells are exposed to in our bodies.

培养基模拟了癌细胞在我们 身体里所接触到的生存环境。

This was new and exciting for me,

这对我来说又新鲜又刺激，

because previous work had been done on 2D, flat, plastic dishes

因为我以前只在二维的， 扁平的塑料皿里观察过，

that really weren't representative

而那并不能真正展示出

of what the cancer cells are exposed to in our bodies.

我们身体里癌细胞存在的样子。

Because, let's face it,

因为，从现实的角度说，

the cancer cells in our bodies aren't stuck onto plastic dishes.

我们身体里的癌细胞可不是 粘在塑料皿上的。

It was during this time that I attended a seminar

正是在这段期间， 我参加了一个研讨会，

conducted by Dr Bonnie Bassler from Princeton University,

演讲人是普林斯顿大学的 邦尼 · 巴斯勒（ Bonnie Bassler）博士，

where she talked about how bacteria cells communicate with each other,

她在会上谈及了细菌的细胞是 如何彼此相互交流的，

based on their population density, and perform a specific action.

根据细胞的稠密度， 从而实施特定的行动。

It was at this moment that a light bulb went off in my head, and I thought,

而就在那一瞬间 我灵光一闪，想到，

"Wow, I see this in my cancer cells every day,

“对哦，这不是我天天都在观察的

when it comes to their movement."

癌细胞的运动模式吗？”

The idea for my project was thus born.

因此，研究这个课题的 想法就此萌生。

I hypothesized that cancer cells are able to communicate with each other

我假设癌细胞之间能够根据它们在

and coordinate their movement,

肿瘤微环境里的密集程度

based on how closely packed they are in the tumor microenvironment.

协调运动，相互交流。

I became obsessed with pursuing this hypothesis.

我对这个假设越发痴迷。

And fortunately, I work for someone

所幸的是，我的负责人

who is open to running with my crazy ideas.

接受并支持了这个疯狂的想法。

So, I threw myself into this project.

于是，我全身心地 投入到了这个项目当中。

However, I couldn't do it by myself.

然而我无法独立完成，

I needed help.

我需要帮助，

I definitely needed help.

我真的很需要帮助。

So we recruited undergraduate students, graduate students,

因此我们招募了 一些本科生，研究生，

postdoctoral fellows and professors

博士后，还有教授，

from different institutions and multiple disciplines

来自不同的学院，不同的学科背景，

to come together and work on this idea

聚集到一起，来实现这个

that I conceived as a sophomore in college.

我在大二时的构想。

After years of conducting experiments together

在一起合作进行了几年实验，

and merging different ideas and perspectives,

融合了不同的想法和观点后，

we discovered a new signaling pathway

我们发现了一条新的信号通道，

that controls how cancer cells communicate with each other and move,

它根据细胞密度，控制着癌细胞之间

based on their cell density.

如何交流和移动。

Some of you might have heard this,

也许你们当中有人听过了，

because most of social media knows it as the Hasini effect.

因为大多数媒体都将其 称为哈希妮效应。

(Laughter)

(笑声)

(Applause)

（掌声）

And we weren't done yet.

我们的研究没有到此结束，

We then decided that we wanted to block this signaling pathway

然后我们决定试着去 屏蔽这条信号通道，

and see if we could slow down the spread of cancer.

看下是否能够降低 癌细胞扩散的速度。

Which we did, in preclinical animal models.

在临床试验之前，我们先在 动物模型上进行了实验。

We came up with a drug cocktail consisting of tocilizumab,

我们提出了一种鸡尾酒药物疗法，

里面包含托珠单抗， 目前主要用于治疗风湿性关节炎，

which is currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis,

and reparixin, which is currently in clinical trials against breast cancer.

和瑞帕立新，主要用于治疗乳腺癌， 目前正处于临床试验阶段。

And interestingly, what we found was that this cocktail of drugs

有趣的是，我们发现这种 鸡尾酒药物治疗法，

really had no effect on tumor growth,

对于抑制肿瘤的生长 一点效果都没有，

but directly targeted metastases.

但针对癌细胞转移却效果显著。

This was a significant finding,

这是一个重大的发现，

because currently, there aren't any FDA-approved therapeutics

因为目前为止，还没有任何疗法是 美国食品药品监督管理局经过认证，

that directly target the spread of cancer.

可以直接针对癌细胞扩散的。

In fact, the spread of cancer, metastasis,

事实上，癌症的扩散和转移，

is thought of as a byproduct of tumor growth.

通常认为是肿瘤生长所造成的。

Where the idea is, if we can stop the tumor from growing,

基于这种观点， 所以如果我们能阻止肿瘤生长，

we can stop the tumor from spreading.

那么就能够阻止肿瘤扩散了。

However, most of us know that this is not true.

但是，我们大多数人 都知道这不是真的。

We, on the other hand, came up with the drug cocktail

另一方面，我们 提出的鸡尾酒药物疗法，

that targets metastasis not by targeting tumor growth,

不是用于控制肿瘤的生长， 而是针对癌细胞的转移，

but by targeting the complex mechanisms that govern it,

针对这个控制着癌细胞 扩散的复杂机制，

through the targeting of the Hasini effect.

让其成为哈希妮效应的作用目标。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

This work was recently published in "Nature Communications,"

这项研究成果最近发表在了 《自然通讯》期刊上，

and my team and I received an overwhelming response from around the world.

我和团队也因此收到了 许多来自世界各地的反馈，

Nobody on my team could have predicted this sort of response.

我的团队里没有人预料到 反响会如此热烈，

We seem to have struck a nerve.

好像一下子拨动了大众的心弦。

Looking back, I am extremely grateful for the positive response that I received,

回顾过去，我真的很感激 我所收到的那些积极的反馈，

not only from academia, but also patients,

不仅是来自学术界， 同样也来自病人，

and people around the world affected by this terrible disease.

以及世界各地正饱受癌症折磨的人。

As I reflect on this success I've encountered with the Hasini effect,

当我每次回想起我在 哈希妮效应上所取得的成功时，

I keep coming back to the people that I was fortunate enough to work with.

我就会不断想起那些我有幸共事过的人。

The undergraduate students

那些勤勤恳恳，目标坚定，

who demonstrated superhuman powers through their hard work and dedication.

证明了他们有着超凡能力的本科生。

The graduate students and the postdoctoral fellows,

研究生，博士后研究人员，

my fellow Avengers, who taught me new techniques

还有那些教会了我新的技术， 确保我始终行走在正确的道路上的

and always made sure I stayed on track.

复仇者队友们。

The professors, my Yodas and my Obi-Wan Kenobis,

我的教授，尤达和欧比旺·克诺比，

who brought their expertise into making this work into what it is today.

因为他们的专业知识， 才让这篇研究成果有了今天的样子。

The support staff, the friends and family,

还有支持我们的同僚，朋友，家人，

people who lifted our spirits,

和那些鼓励我们打起精神，

and never let us give up on our ambitious endeavors.

让我们永远不要放弃 这个伟大理想的伙伴。

The best kind of sidekicks we could have asked for.

这些都是我曾经得到过最棒的帮助。

It took a village to help me study metastasis.

一整个团队的人在 帮助我研究癌细胞转移。

And believe me, without my village, I wouldn't be here.

相信我，如果没有这帮队友， 我今天就不会站在这儿。

Today, our team has grown,

如今，我的团队已经壮大了许多，

and we are using the Hasini effect to develop combination therapies

而且我们正在把哈希妮效应 发展成一种联合疗法，

that will effectively target tumor growth and metastases.

让其有效针对肿瘤生长 和癌细胞转移。

We are engineering new anticancer therapeutics,

我们正在研发一种新的抗癌治疗法

to limit toxicity and to reduce drug resistance.

来限制毒性，和减轻抗药性。

And we are developing groundbreaking systems

另外，我们正在建立 一些开创性的医疗体系，

that will help for the development of better human clinical trials.

有助于更好的进行人类临床试验。

It blows my mind to think that all this,

每次一想到这些，想到我正在 追求的这份了不起的事业，

the incredible work that I'm pursuing --

我就感到十分激动。

and the fact that I'm standing here, talking to you today --

还有我今天能够 站在这里进行演讲——

all came from this tiny idea

全是因为这个微小的念头，

在我20岁时，坐在研讨会后排，

that I had when I was sitting at the back of a seminar

萌生的这个念头。

when I was just 20 years old.

I recognize that right now, I am on this incredible journey

我现在意识到， 这段不可思议的旅程，

that allows me to pursue work that I am extremely passionate about,

让我能够追求我极度热爱的工作，

每天都能够满足我的好奇心。

and something that feeds my curiosity on a daily basis.

But I have to say, my favorite part of all of this --

但是我必须得说，在这段旅程中， 我最喜欢的一点 ——

other than, of course, being here, talking to you, today --

当然除了站在这儿做演讲——

is the fact that I get to work with a diverse group of people,

是我能够与这么 多不同的人一起合作，

who make my work stronger, better and just so much more fun.

他们让我的工作更加扎实， 更加完善以及充满乐趣。

And because of this, I have to say

而正因为这点，我必须得说，

that collaboration is my favorite superhuman power.

合作是我最喜欢的超凡能力。

And what I love about this power is that it's not unique to me.

而我热爱的这种能力， 并非是我独有的，

It's within all of us.

它潜藏在我们每个人当中。

My work shows that even cancer cells

我的工作向大家展示了 即使是癌细胞，

use collaboration to invade our bodies and spread their wrath.

也会互相合作损害我们的 身体健康，散播他们的愤怒。

For us humans, it is a superpower that has produced incredible discoveries

对于人类而言，正是因为这种超能力， 在医学和科学的领域里

in the medical and scientific field.

才有了这么多了不起的发现。

And it is the superpower that we can all turn to

而且这是我们所有人 都可以求助的超能力，

to inspire us to create something bigger than ourselves,

激励我们每个人都创造出 比我们自身更伟大的事物，

that will help make the world a better place.

从而构建一个更美好的地球。

Collaboration is the superpower that I turn to, to help me fight cancer.

合作是我求助的超能力， 它帮助我研究如何对抗癌症。

And I am confident that with the right collaborations,

而且我有信心，正确的合作

we will beat this terrible disease.

能让我们打败这些可怕的疾病。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

(掌声)