Lee Cronin: Print your own medicine

Translator: Timothy Covell Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Yuen-Lam Tsang Reviewer: Michelle Ho

Organic chemists make molecules,

有機化學家

透過將大分子剪成好多細分子

very complicated molecules,

by chopping up a big molecule into small molecules

加上逆向工程

製造化學分子，非常複雜嘅分子

and reverse engineering.

And as a chemist,

身為一個化學家

one of the things I wanted to ask my research group a couple of years ago is,

其中一件我幾年前 想問我嘅研究團隊嘅問題就係

could we make a really cool universal chemistry set?

我哋可唔可以整 一個好型嘅「通用化學機」？

In essence, could we "app" chemistry?

簡單嚟講，我哋可唔可以 將化學程式化？

Now what would this mean, and how would we do it?

咁係咩意思呢？我哋可以點做呢？

Well to start to do this,

要做呢樣嘢

we took a 3D printer

我哋需要一部三維打印機

and we started to print our beakers and our test tubes on one side

跟住開始一邊印我哋嘅燒杯同試管

and then print the molecule at the same time on the other side

同時喺另一邊印出分子

and combine them together in what we call reactionware.

然後喺我哋叫反應儀嘅機裡面 將分子擺落去燒杯同試管度

And so by printing the vessel and doing the chemistry at the same time,

所以藉住同時印出容器同埋做化學合成

we may start to access this universal toolkit of chemistry.

我哋人人或者可以接觸得到 化學品同化學用具

Now what could this mean?

咁又代表啲咩呢？

Well if we can embed biological and chemical networks like a search engine,

如果我哋可以將生物同化學知識 放上搜尋引擎

so if you have a cell that's ill that you need to cure

如果你想治療一個細胞

or bacteria that you want to kill,

或者你希望殺死細菌

if you have this embedded in your device

你將部機連去呢個搜尋引擎

at the same time, and you do the chemistry,

獲取相關嘅做法，進行化學反應時

you may be able to make drugs in a new way.

你或者已經製造出藥物

So how are we doing this in the lab?

咁我哋點先可以喺實驗室做呢件事？

Well it requires software, it requires hardware

部機需要軟件，亦需要硬件

and it requires chemical inks.

而且需要一啲化學墨水

And so the really cool bit is,

所以非常酷嘅構想係

the idea is that we want to have a universal set of inks

我哋想有一個通用嘅墨水匣

that we put out with the printer,

可以將佢放落打印機

and you download the blueprint, the organic chemistry for that molecule

而你下載製造某個分子嘅有機化學藍圖

and you make it in the device.

然後你按著個藍圖喺部機度製造個分子

And so you can make your molecule in the printer using this software.

亦即係你可以用呢個軟體 喺打印機度製造你嘅分子

So what could this mean?

咁代表啲咩呢？

Well, ultimately, it could mean that you could print your own medicine.

最終，部機可以令你 印出專屬你自己嘅藥物

And this is what we're doing in the lab at the moment.

而呢個亦係我哋喺實驗室做緊嘅嘢

But to take baby steps to get there,

不過仲有啲基本步要做

first of all we want to look at drug design and production,

首先我哋希望檢視藥物嘅設計同製造

or drug discovery and manufacturing.

或者藥物嘅發現同生產

Because if we can manufacture it after we've discovered it,

因為如果我哋發現某種藥之後可以生產

we could deploy it anywhere.

我哋就可以喺任何地方調配佢

You don't need to go to the chemist anymore.

你哋再唔需要因為嗰種藥去搵藥劑師

We can print drugs at point of need.

我哋可以喺需要嘅時候印出藥物

We can download new diagnostics.

我哋亦可以下載新嘅診斷資訊

Say a new super bug has emerged.

例如話有一種新嘅超級細菌出現

You put it in your search engine,

你就喺資料庫度搵

and you create the drug to treat the threat.

然後你就會有咗應對呢隻細菌嘅藥

So this allows you on-the-fly molecular assembly.

因此部機畀你隨時隨地做分子組合

But perhaps for me the core bit going into the future

但係可能對我嚟講

未來最核心嘅構想係

is this idea of taking your own stem cells,

用你自己嘅幹細胞、你嘅基因 以及你嘅環境

with your genes and your environment,

and you print your own personal medicine.

用佢哋嚟印出屬於你嘅藥物

And if that doesn't seem fanciful enough,

如果咁樣睇落都唔夠吸引

where do you think we're going to go?

你想我哋仲能夠做啲咩呢？

Well, you're going to have your own personal matter fabricator.

或者，你哋會有個人嘅物質轉換器

Beam me up, Scotty.

就好似 Scotty 角色話「送我上去！」

(Applause)

（掌聲）