Frederick Balagadde: Bio-lab on a microchip

譯者: 張新永 Davidchang 審譯者: Marie Wu

The greatest irony in global health

全球健康問題中，最諷刺的就是，

is that the poorest countries

最貧窮的國家

carry the largest disease burden.

疾病肆虐最為嚴重。

If we resize the countries of the globe

如果我們將世界各國疾病肆虐

in proportion to the subject of interest,

的嚴重程度進行排序的話，

we see that Sub-Saharan Africa

我們會發現撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲，

is the worst hit region by HIV/AIDS.

是愛滋病肆虐最嚴重的地區。

This is the most devastating epidemic of our time.

而愛滋病是我們這時代最致命的傳染性疾病，

We also see that this region

我們還會發現，這一地區

has the least capability in terms of dealing with the disease.

在對抗愛滋病方面恰恰是最無能爲力的。

There are very few doctors

那裡缺乏醫生，

and, quite frankly, these countries do not have the resources

而且老實說，這些國家根本不具備

that are needed to cope

對抗愛滋病

with such epidemics.

所需要的資源。

So what the Western countries,

西方

developed countries, have generously done

已開發國家，慷慨地

is they have proposed to provide free drugs

提供免費藥品，

to all people in Third World countries

給買不起這些藥的

who actually can't afford these medications.

第三世界國家人民，

And this has already saved millions of lives,

這種義舉挽救了數百萬的生靈，

and it has prevented entire economies

也避免撒哈拉南部非洲

from capsizing in Sub-Saharan Africa.

各國的經濟瓦解。

But there is a fundamental problem

但這種方式有一個根本的問題，

that is killing the efforts

會讓整個對抗愛滋病

in fighting this disease,

的努力化為烏有。

because if you keep throwing

因為假如不停盲目地提供藥品

drugs out at people

給那些

who don't have diagnostic services,

沒有經過診斷的人們，

you end up creating a problem of drug resistance.

就會導致病毒抗藥性增強的問題。

This is already beginning to happen in Sub-Saharan Africa.

這個現象已開始在撒哈拉南部非洲地區顯現。

The problem is that,

問題在於，

what begins as a tragedy in the Third World

這始於第三世界國家的悲劇，

could easily become a global problem.

很容易就會演變爲全球性的問題，

And the last thing we want to see

而我們最不願意見到的事情，

is drug-resistant strains of HIV

就是産生了抗藥性的愛滋病毒，

popping up all over the world,

在全球各地如雨後春筍般的肆虐，

because it will make treatment more expensive

這樣一來治療費用就愈發昂貴，

and it could also restore

並且它還會使過去愛滋病

the pre-ARV carnage of HIV/AIDS.

抗逆轉錄病毒泛濫的時代再度降臨。

I experienced this firsthand

我曾親身經歷那個時代，

as a high school student in Uganda.

那時我是烏干達的中學生，

This was in the 90s

時間在90年代，

during the peak of the HIV epidemic,

愛滋病流行的最高峰時期，

before there were any ARVs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

當時撒南非洲還沒有任何抗逆轉錄病毒藥物。

And during that time, I actually lost more relatives,

在那段期間，我大多數的親人

as well as the teachers who taught me,

以及給我上課的老師，

to HIV/AIDS.

都死於愛滋病。

So this became one of the driving passions of my life,

這經歷轉化為我人生的驅動力，

to help find real solutions

我的目標就是尋找

that could address these kinds of problems.

一個有效的辦法，來解決這類問題。

We all know about the miracle of miniaturization.

我們都見識過微型化技術的神奇，

Back in the day, computers used to fill this entire room,

從前的電腦大到能填滿這一整個屋子，

and people actually used to work inside the computers.

使用它的人們還得在其間穿梭，

But what electronic miniaturization has done

但是隨著電子技術微型化的發展，

is that it has allowed people to shrink

人們已經可以把科技縮小，

technology into a cell phone.

小到可以放進手機裡。

And I'm sure everyone here enjoys cell phones

我想在座的各位都享受過手機的便利性吧，

that can actually be used in the remote areas of the world,

手機在偏遠地區的第三世界

in the Third World countries.

國家裡，也能派上用場。

The good news is that the same technology

好消息是，同一個

that allowed miniaturization of electronics

電子微型化技術，

is now allowing us to miniaturize

也可以用來微縮

biological laboratories.

生物實驗室。

So, right now, we can actually miniaturize

所以，如今，我們可以把

biological and chemistry laboratories

生化實驗室微縮成

onto microfluidic chips.

微流體晶片。

I was very lucky to come

我很幸運，

to the US right after high school,

高中畢業之後就直接來到美國，

and was able to work on this technology

後來參與了這項技術的研究，

and develop some devices.

也研發了一些設備。

This is a microfluidic chip that I developed.

這是我研發的一種微流體晶片，

A close look at how the technology works:

細看一下這種技術的工作原理：

These are channels that are about the size of a human hair --

這些管道孔徑跟人的頭髮差不多粗細，

so you have integrated valves, pumps, mixers and injectors --

將閥門、泵、注射器和混合器整合進去之後，

so you can fit entire diagnostic experiments

這樣你就可以把整套診斷化驗用的設備，

onto a microfluidic system.

都裝到一個微流體晶片上去。

So what I plan to do with this technology

我計劃應用前述科技，

is to actually take the current state

也就是將這技術

of the technology

現在已經發展的成果，

and build an HIV kit

在一個微流體晶片上，

in a microfluidic system.

建立起愛滋病的化驗實驗室。

So, with one microfluidic chip,

用這樣一個

which is the size of an iPhone,

跟iPhone差不多大小的晶片，

you can actually diagnose

就可以同時診斷

100 patients at the same time.

上百位病人；

For each patient, we will be able to do

而對每位病人，

up to 100 different viral loads per patient.

我們可以做出多達百組的病毒負荷量檢測。

And this is only done in four hours,

而作這一切檢測僅費時四小時，

50 times faster than the current state of the art,

比現有的方法要快上五十倍，

at a cost that will be five to 500 times cheaper

價格卻只有現有的方法的

than the current options.

五到五百分之一。

So this will allow us to create

這讓我們能夠

personalized medicines in the Third World

在第三世界國家提供個人化治療，

at a cost that is actually achievable

而費用也是他們負擔得起的，

and make the world a safer place.

這將會使世界變得更加安全。

I invite your interest

我希望大家能關注這項技術，

as well as your involvement

更希望你們能實際參與，

in driving this vision

一同推動這個願望，

to a point of practical reality.

使它能夠早日實現。

Thank you very much.

非常感謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）