Kary Mullis' next-gen cure for killer infection

譯者: Alex M. Chang 審譯者: Bill Hsiung

So it was about four years ago, five years ago,

那大約是四、五年前，

I was sitting on a stage in Philadelphia, I think it was,

我當時在費城，坐在一個講台上，應該沒記錯，

with a bag similar to this.

我帶著一個與此相似的袋子。

And I was pulling a molecule out of this bag.

我從袋子裡拿出一個分子模型。

And I was saying, you don't know this molecule really well,

我說，你們跟這個分子不太熟，

but your body knows it extremely well.

但是你們的身體跟它可熟了。

And I was thinking that your body hated it, at the time,

我當時以為，人體討厭這個分子，

because we are very immune to this. This is called alpha-gal epitope.

因為我們對這東西是免疫的，這分子叫 α-Gal 免疫決定位。

And the fact that pig heart valves have lots of these on them

豬的心臟瓣膜上有很多這種分子，

is the reason that you can't transplant a pig heart valve into a person easily.

那是為什麼我們沒辦法簡簡單單移植豬的心瓣膜到人體上。

Actually our body doesn't hate these.

事實上，我們的身體並不討厭這些分子，

Our body loves these. It eats them.

其實我們的身體愛死它們了，我們的身體吃它們。

I mean, the cells in our immune system are always hungry.

我是說，我們的免疫系統永遠處於飢渴的狀態。

And if an antibody is stuck to one of these things

當一個抗體卡上某個細胞上的這種分子，

on the cell, it means "that's food."

就等於宣布：「這是食物。」

Now, I was thinking about that and I said, you know, we've got this

我當時在想，我們的身體對這個

immune response to this ridiculous molecule

怪異的分子有免疫反應，

that we don't make, and we see it a lot in other animals and stuff.

人體不製造這個分子，而我們在其他動物或物種上常能看到這種分子。

But I said we can't get rid of it,

我當時說，我們沒辦法清除這個東西，

because all the people who tried to transplant heart valves

因為所有研究心臟瓣膜移植手術的人，

found out you can't get rid of that immunity.

發現我們對這個免疫反應束手無策。

And I said, why don't you use that?

所以我說，為什麼我們不利用這個？

What if I could stick this molecule,

如果我們可以把這個分子

slap it onto a bacteria

黏到細菌的表面，

that was pathogenic to me, that had just invaded my lungs?

黏到那才剛入侵我的肺臟的病菌上?

I mean I could immediately tap into

我是指，我們可以立即利用

an immune response that was already there,

人體內原本就有的免疫反應。

where it was not going to take five or six days to develop it --

不用等五或六天去等待免疫反應產生，

it was going to immediately attack whatever this thing was on.

我們的免疫系統馬上會去攻擊這個分子所黏上的任何病菌。

It was kind of like the same thing that happens when you,

這就有點類似，當你...

like when you're getting stopped for a traffic ticket in L.A.,

就像當你在洛杉磯街頭因為交通違規被警察攔下來，

and the cop drops a bag of marijuana in the back of your car,

而警察卻栽贓了一包大麻在你的車上，

and then charges you for possession of marijuana.

然後以非法持有大麻的罪名逮捕你。

It's like this very fast, very efficient way to get people off the street.

這可是非常快速、高效率的方式讓一個人從街頭消失。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So you can take a bacteria

所以我們可以挑一種細菌，

that really doesn't make these things at all,

不製造這種分子的細菌，

and if you could clamp these on it really well

然後如果你可以把這分子牢牢卡上那細菌，

you have it taken off the street.

這細菌很快就被驅除了。

And for certain bacteria

有些特定的細菌種類，

we don't have really efficient ways to do that anymore.

我們已經沒有真正有效的療法可對付了。

Our antibiotics are running out.

我們的抗生素已經快全數失效了。

And, I mean, the world apparently is running out too.

我是說，全世界的抗生素都快失效了。

So probably it doesn't matter 50 years from now --

所以五十年後會發生什麼？大概都無關緊要了。

streptococcus and stuff like that will be rampant --

鏈球菌或是其他糟糕的東西會橫行無阻，

because we won't be here. But if we are --

因為人類已經都不存在了。但如果我們還在...

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

we're going to need something to do with the bacteria.

我們還是需要一些對策以應付這些細菌。

So I started working with this thing,

所以我已經著手進行研究，

with a bunch of collaborators.

和一群人共同合作。

And trying to attach this to things that were

試著把這分子黏附在

themselves attached to certain specific target zones,

一些東西的特定區域上，

bacteria that we don't like.

例如我們不喜歡的害菌。

And I feel now like George Bush.

我覺得我好像小布希，

It's like "mission accomplished."

誇口著「任務達成」

So I might be doing something dumb, just like he was doing at the time.

所以我可能會做些蠢事，就像小布希當時盡做些蠢事一樣。

But basically what I was talking about there we've now gotten to work.

但基本上我剛剛所談的，現在已經可行了，

And it's killing bacteria. It's eating them.

這方法已經對細菌大開殺戒，對細菌大吃特吃。

This thing can be stuck, like that little green triangle up there,

這分子可以跟核酸適體結合，

sort of symbolizing this right now.

就像是上面那個綠色三角形所代表的。

You can stick this to something called a DNA aptamer.

你可以把這個分子跟這核酸適體組合起來。

And that DNA aptamer will attach specifically

而這核酸適體會

to a target that you have selected for it.

跟你所指定的目標結合。

So you can find a little feature on a bacterium that you don't like,

所以你可以在你不喜歡的細菌上找一個特定部位，

like Staphylococcus -- I don't like it in particular,

像金黃色葡萄球菌，我特別討厭它，

because it killed a professor friend of mine last year.

因為我的一個教授朋友去年就是感染葡萄球菌而死的。

It doesn't respond to antibiotics. So I don't like it.

沒有任何抗生素對它有效，所以我討厭它。

And I'm making an aptamer that will have this attached to it.

因此我正在合成一種針對葡萄球菌的核酸適體，

That will know how to find Staph when it's in your body,

它們會追蹤你體內的葡萄球菌，

and will alert your immune system to go after it.

然後告訴你的免疫系統去追殺這些細菌。

Here's what happened. See that line on the very top

這是我們實驗的結果，看到圖表最上方

with the little dots?

的那條帶著點點的線了嗎？

That's a bunch of mice that had been poisoned

那代表了一群在德州實驗室

by our scientist friends down in Texas,

被我們在布魯克司空軍基地的科學家朋友

at Brooks Air Base, with anthrax.

下了炭疽菌的老鼠。

And they had also been treated with a drug that we made

同時我們用我們做的新藥治療牠們，

that would attack anthrax in particular,

新藥會對炭疽菌發動攻擊，

and direct your immune system to it.

而且叫你的免疫系統去對付炭疽菌。

You'll notice they all lived, the ones on the top line --

從圖表最上方那條線，你會發現這些老鼠全活下來了。

that's a 100 percent survival rate.

那條線代表了百分之百的存活率。

And they actually lived another 14 days,

這些老鼠實際上又繼續活了 14 或是 28 天，

or 28 when we finally killed them,

一直到我們總算宰了牠們，

and took them apart and figured out what went wrong.

解剖牠們、分析到底發生了什麼事。

Why did they not die?

為什麼牠們沒死？

And they didn't die because they didn't have anthrax anymore.

牠們沒死，因為牠們體內炭疽菌都死光了。

So we did it. Okay?

所以，我們成功了，對吧？

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Mission accomplished!

任務圓滿達成！

(Applause)

（掌聲）