科學技術
Flu vaccines and synthetic biology
流感病毒與合成生物學
Going viral
向病毒行進
A speedy way to make a vaccine
快速制造疫苗的方法
IF A new and deadly strain of influenza were to arise, putting together a vaccine against it in the least possible time would be a priority.
如果出現了一枝新型致命性流感毒株,那么當務之急就是要在盡可能短的時間里拼湊出對應的疫苗。
To test how quickly that could be done a group of researchers have just had a race with themselves.
一支研究小組為了測試到底疫苗“出欄”速度有多快,小組內部展開了一次速度競賽。
They have not quite matched the show sometimes given by workers at the Venetian arsenal, who would assemble a galley in a single day in order to overawe visiting foreign dignitaries.
當然和威尼斯工人是絕對比不了的,他們為了震懾游客會時不時表演一番在一天之內安裝一艘大帆船。
But Philip Dormitzer, Craig Venter and their colleagues did create the crucial component of a flu jab in four days and four hours.
但是,菲利普·多米提奇、克雷格·文特爾和同事們的的確確在四天零四小時研發了流感病毒疫苗了一支重要組成部分。
Dr Dormitzer, who works for Novartis, a drug company, and Dr Venter, eponymous founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute in San Diego, reported their record-breaking attempt in this week's Science Translational Medicine.
多米提奇博士在諾華制藥公司工作,文特爾博士是位于圣地亞哥J·克雷格·文特爾的同名創始人。本周《科學轉化醫學》雜志刊載了二人創紀錄的研發結果。
It began with the transmission to them from America's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority of the sequence data for the haemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of a unknown flu virus.
一開始,他們得到“美國生物醫學高級研究所和發展管理局”的序列數據,關于不知名的流感病毒的血凝素和神經氨酸酶基因的數據。
The team took this information and used it to make DNA that contained both the gene sequences themselves and the genetic apparatus needed to let a cell read those sequences and produce proteins from them.
小組利用數據制作包含兩種成分的DNA,分別是基因本身序列和需要細胞識別這些序列并且從中產生蛋白質的基因組織。
They then put these pieces of synthetic DNA—which were, in effect, tiny chromosomes—into cell cultures derived from dog kidneys, which have been found particularly effective for this kind of work.
之后,研究人員將合成的DNA碎片植入從犬類腎臟中提取的細胞培養物中。經研究發現,犬類腎臟的細胞培養物質非常適合此類實驗。
The dog-kidney cells duly churned out viruses, suitable for seeding the process of vaccine manufacture, that contained the proteins in question.
犬類腎臟不負眾望地大量產出病毒,當然也就適合批量生產含尚未定性蛋白質的疫苗。
Since these two proteins are the variable elements that stop new strains of flu being recognised by the immune systems of people who have had influenza in the past, this is an important step forward.
過去人們感染流感,他們的免疫系統會受到新流感毒株的影響,而如今這兩種易變的蛋白質可以阻止影響繼續下去,也算是向前邁出了重要的一步。
Experiments on ferrets showed that these seed viruses stimulated the animals' immune systems in the desired way, producing protective immunity.
在白鼬身上做的實驗,按照預期顯示出這些種子病毒刺激到了白鼬的免疫系統,白鼬體內產生出保護性抗體。
Having a seed is not the same thing as being able to make a vaccine in large quantities.
種苗實驗并不難代表大量臨床實驗。
But it is an important first step.
但這是重要的開始。
Novartis, in collaboration with the commercial arm of Dr Venter's enterprise, Synthetic Genomics, hopes to create a bank of seed viruses using this method.
文特爾博士合成基因公司商業部門和諾華制藥有合作項目,諾華制藥希望能夠利用這種方法研制出大量的源病毒。
That will speed matters up even more.
為的是可以加快疫苗研發進度。
But the fact that something not actually in the bank could be knocked up at short notice if necessary is comforting.
事實其實是這樣的:如果必要性能夠讓人覺得心寬,那么只要一聲令下不確定的東西也可以準備完畢。