We can hack our immune cells to fight cancer | Elizabeth Wayne

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

After decades of research

經過數十年的研究，

and billions of dollars spent in clinical trials,

花了數十億美元在臨床實驗上，

we still have a problem with cancer drug delivery.

我們仍然無法解決 癌症藥物遞輸的問題。

We still give patients chemotherapy,

我們仍然讓病人接受化療，

which is so non-specific

但化療藥物完全沒有特異性，

that even though it kills the cancer cells,

雖然能殺死癌症細胞，

it kind of kills the rest of your body, too.

它幾乎會把身體其他部份也殺死了。

And yes, we have developed more selective drugs,

是的，我們已經發展出 選擇性高的藥物，

but it's still a challenge to get them into the tumor,

但要把它們送到 腫瘤所在仍是個挑戰，

and they end up accumulating in the other organs as well

結果它們也會累積在其他器官中，

or passing through your urine,

或是通過你的尿液，

which is a total waste.

就完全浪費掉了。

And fields like mine have emerged

於是就有我這種領域出現，

where we try to encapsulate these drugs

我們嘗試將這些藥物包裹起來，

to protect them as they travel through the body.

讓它們在通過身體時能受到保護。

But these modifications cause problems

但這些改變會造成問題，

that we make more modifications to fix.

我們還得再做更多的改變來解決。

So what I'm really trying to say is we need a better drug delivery system.

所以，我想說的是，我們 需要更好的藥物遞輸系統。

And I propose,

我提議，

rather than using solely human design,

與其使用完全人為設計的系統，

why not use nature's?

為何不用自然界的系統？

Immune cells are these versatile vehicles that travel throughout our body,

免疫細胞就是在我們體內 移動的多功能運載工具，

patrolling for signs of disease

它們四處巡邏尋找疾病徵兆，

and arriving at a wound mere minutes after injury.

也會在受傷後幾分鐘內 就抵達傷口所在。

So I ask you guys:

所以，我想請問各位：

If immune cells are already traveling to places of injury or disease

如果免疫細胞本來就會移動到

我們體內的傷處或疾病所在處，

in our bodies,

why not add an extra passenger?

為何不多載個乘客呢？

Why not use immune cells to deliver drugs

為什麼不用免疫細胞來遞輸藥物，

to cure some of our biggest problems

來解決我們在疾病上的

in disease?

一些大問題？

I am a biomedical engineer,

我是生物醫學工程師，

and I want to tell you guys a story about how I use immune cells

我想告訴各位一個故事，

說明我如何用免疫細胞 來解決癌症中最重大的問題。

to target one of the largest problems in cancer.

Did you know that over 90 percent of cancer deaths

你們知道嗎，90% 癌症造成的死亡

can be attributed to its spread?

都是因為癌症轉移所致？

So if we can stop these cancer cells

如果我們能阻止癌症細胞

from going from the primary tumor to a distant site,

從主要腫瘤轉移到較遠的地方，

we can stop cancer right in its tracks

我們就能直接在路上阻止癌症移轉，

and give people more of their lives back.

提高人們復原的機會。

To do this special mission,

為了進行這項特殊任務，

we decided to deliver a nanoparticle made of lipids,

我們決定要遞輸一個由 脂質組成的奈米粒子，

which are the same materials that compose your cell membrane.

而脂質正是構成細胞膜的原料。

And we've added two special molecules.

我們又再加上了兩個特殊的分子，

One is called e-selectin,

第一種是「e 型選擇素」，

which acts as a glue

用來當作黏著劑，

that binds the nanoparticle to the immune cell.

將奈米粒子和免疫細胞黏結在一起。

And the second one is called trail.

第二種是 TRAIL。

Trail is a therapeutic drug that kills cancer cells

TRAIL 是一種治療藥物， 只會殺死癌症細胞，

but not normal cells.

不會殺死正常細胞。

Now, when you put both of these together,

把這兩者結合起來，

you have a mean killing machine on wheels.

就有厲害可用的行動殺戮機器了。

To test this, we ran an experiment in a mouse.

為了測試它，我們在老鼠身上實驗，

So what we did was we injected the nanoparticles,

我們的做法是將奈米粒子注射進去，

and they bound almost immediately to the immune cells in the bloodstream.

它們馬上就和血液中的 免疫細胞黏結在一起。

And then we injected the cancer cells to mimic a process

接著，我們注入癌症細胞

來模仿癌症細胞 在整個體內轉移的過程。

through which cancer cells spread throughout our bodies.

And we found something very exciting.

我們的發現很讓人興奮。

We found that in our treated group,

我們發現，在實驗組中

over 75 percent of the cancer cells we initially injected were dead or dying,

超過 75% 被注入的癌症細胞 已經死亡或即將死亡，

in comparison to only around 25 percent.

相較之下對照組只死了 25%。

So just imagine: these fewer amount of cells were available

想像一下：只剩下少數的癌症細胞

to actually be able to spread to a different part of the body.

還能夠轉移到身體的其他地方。

且這還只是治療後兩小時的成果。

And this is only after two hours of treatment.

Our results were amazing, and we had some pretty interesting press.

我們的結果很驚人， 也得到一些有趣的媒體報導。

My favorite title was actually,

我最愛的標題是：

"Sticky balls may stop the spread of cancer."

「黏黏球有可能阻止癌症轉移。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲） （註：球和睪丸的英文都是 balls）

I can't tell you just how smug my male colleagues were,

我無法告訴各位，當我的男同事們 知道有一天他們的黏黏球

knowing that their sticky balls might one day cure cancer.

可能會治癒癌症時， 他們有多麼沾沾自喜。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But I can tell you they made some pretty, pretty, exciting,

但我可以告訴各位， 他們做了一些非常非常

pretty ballsy t-shirts.

「有種」的 T 恤。

This was also my first experience talking to patients

這也是我初次和病人談話的經驗，

where they asked how soon our therapy would be available.

談話中，他們問我 這種療法何時可以使用。

And I keep these stories with me to remind me of the importance

我一直記著這些故事，來提醒我自己

of the science, the scientists and the patients.

科學、科學家、以及病人有多重要。

Now, our fast-acting results were pretty interesting,

我們的快速見效結果十分有趣，

but we still had one lingering question:

但我們還有一個未解的問題：

Can our sticky balls,

我們的黏黏球，或粒子，

our particles actually attached to the immune cells,

能不能真的附著在免疫細胞上，

actually stop the spread of cancer?

真正阻止癌症轉移？

So we went to our animal model, and we found three important parts.

所以，我們開始用動物模式， 且有三項重要發現點。

Our primary tumors were smaller in our treated animals,

在接受治療的動物體內， 主要腫瘤變得比較小；

there were fewer cells in circulation,

循環中的癌症細胞數量也比較少；

and there was little to no tumor burden in the distant organs.

在遠處器官上的腫瘤負荷 比較低，甚至沒有。

Now, this wasn't just a victory for us and our sticky balls.

這不只是對我們以及我們的 黏黏球而言的一場勝仗，

This was also a victory to me

也是對我而言的一場勝仗，

in drug delivery,

藥物遞輸的勝仗，

and it represents a paradigm shift,

它代表的是典範轉移，

a revolution --

是革命──

to go from just using drugs, just injecting them

從只是使用藥物、只是注射藥物，

and hoping they go to the right places in the body,

並希望它們能在體內到達對的地方，

to using immune cells as special delivery drivers in your body.

變成使用免疫細胞 來扮演體內的快遞司機。

For this example, we used two molecules, e-selectin and trail,

在這個例子，我們用了兩個分子： e 型選擇素與 TRAIL，

but really, the possibility of drugs you can use are endless.

但其實，你能使用的藥物 有著無盡的可能性。

And I talked about cancer,

我剛談的是癌症，

but where disease goes, so do immune cells.

但只要有疾病的地方， 免疫細胞就會過去。

So this could be used for any disease.

所以這方法可以用在任何疾病上。

Imagine using immune cells to deliver crucial wound-healing agents

想像一下，在發生脊髓損傷之後， 用免疫細胞來傳遞

after a spinal cord injury,

重要的傷口癒合藥，

or using immune cells to deliver drugs past the blood-brain barrier

或是用免疫細胞來通過 腦血管障壁以遞輸藥物，

to treat Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.

來治療帕金森氏症或阿茲海默症。

These are the ideas that excite me about science the most.

這些點子真的讓我對科學感到興奮。

And from where I stand, I see so much promise and opportunity.

從我的角度來看， 我看見好多的希望與機會。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）