TED2015
Patience Mthunzi: Could we cure HIV with lasers?
Patience Mthunzi: ¿Pódese curar o VIH cun láser?
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Tomar pílulas e un xeito cómodo, rápido e non sempre efectivo de tratar unha enfermidade. ¿Unha maneira potencialmente mellor? Láseres. Nesta apaixoada intervención, Patience Mthunzi explícanos a súa idea para dirixir as menciñas directamente ás células infectadas con VIH. Aínda é cedo pero, ¿podería haber unha cura no horizonte?
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientist
Patience Mthunzi wants to use lasers to deliver medicines more effectively. Full bio
Patience Mthunzi wants to use lasers to deliver medicines more effectively. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
What do you do when you have a headache?
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¿Que fan cando lles doe a cabeza?
00:15
You swallow an aspirin.
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Toman unha aspirina.
00:18
But for this pill to get
to your head, where the pain is,
to your head, where the pain is,
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Para que esta pílula
chegue á cabeza onde está a dor
chegue á cabeza onde está a dor
00:22
it goes through your stomach, intestines
and various other organs first.
and various other organs first.
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pasa polo estómago, intestinos
e outros órganos primeiro.
e outros órganos primeiro.
00:28
Swallowing pills is the most effective
and painless way of delivering
and painless way of delivering
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Tomar pílulas é a forma
máis efectiva e indolora
máis efectiva e indolora
de medicar o corpo.
00:34
any medication in the body.
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O inconvinte é que tomar
calquera medicación
calquera medicación
00:37
The downside, though, is that swallowing
any medication leads to its dilution.
any medication leads to its dilution.
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leva a dilución.
00:43
And this is a big problem,
particularly in HIV patients.
particularly in HIV patients.
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Isto é un gran problema.
Especialmente con pacientes con VIH.
00:48
When they take their anti-HIV drugs,
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Cando toman as menciñas contra o VIH
00:51
these drugs are good for lowering
the virus in the blood,
the virus in the blood,
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estas son boas
para diminuír o virus no sangue
para diminuír o virus no sangue
00:56
and increasing the CD4 cell counts.
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e aumentar o reconto de células CD4.
00:58
But they are also notorious
for their adverse side effects,
for their adverse side effects,
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Pero tamén son coñecidas
polos seus efectos secundarios adversos
polos seus efectos secundarios adversos
01:03
but mostly bad, because they get diluted
by the time they get to the blood,
by the time they get to the blood,
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na súa maioría malos porque se dilúen
cando chegan ao sangue
cando chegan ao sangue
01:08
and worse, by the time
they get to the sites
they get to the sites
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e peor aínda, cando cheguen ao lugar
01:11
where it matters most:
within the HIV viral reservoirs.
within the HIV viral reservoirs.
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onde máis importa:
nas reservas virales do VIH.
nas reservas virales do VIH.
01:17
These areas in the body --
such as the lymph nodes,
such as the lymph nodes,
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Estas zonas do corpo
como os nódulos ninfáticos,
como os nódulos ninfáticos,
01:22
the nervous system,
as well as the lungs --
as well as the lungs --
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o sistema nervioso
e os pulmóns
e os pulmóns
01:25
where the virus is sleeping,
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onde o virus está inactivo
01:27
and will not readily
get delivered in the blood
get delivered in the blood
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e non chegan fácilmente ao sangue
01:30
of patients that are under
consistent anti-HIV drugs therapy.
consistent anti-HIV drugs therapy.
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dos pacientes baixo terapia constante
con menciñas conta o VIH.
con menciñas conta o VIH.
01:36
However, upon discontinuation of therapy,
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Porén, tras unha terapia discontinua
01:40
the virus can awake
and infect new cells in the blood.
and infect new cells in the blood.
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o virus podes despertar
e infectar novas células no sangue.
e infectar novas células no sangue.
01:44
Now, all this is a big problem in treating
HIV with the current drug treatment,
HIV with the current drug treatment,
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Agora isto é un problema ao tratar o VIH
co tratamento actual
co tratamento actual
01:51
which is a life-long treatment
that must be swallowed by patients.
that must be swallowed by patients.
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o cal é un tratamento a longo prazo
que debe ser administrado por vía oral.
que debe ser administrado por vía oral.
01:55
One day, I sat and thought,
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Un día, sentei e pensei:
01:57
"Can we deliver anti-HIV directly
within its reservoir sites,
within its reservoir sites,
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"¿Podemos dar menciñas contra o VIH
directamente nas zonas de reservas
directamente nas zonas de reservas
02:03
without the risk of drug dilution?"
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sen o risco da dilución da menciña?
02:06
As a laser scientist,
the answer was just before my eyes:
the answer was just before my eyes:
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Como científica experta en láseres,
a resposta estaba ante min:
a resposta estaba ante min:
02:11
Lasers, of course.
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Láseres, por suposto.
02:12
If they can be used for dentistry,
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Se se usan en odontoloxía,
02:15
for diabetic wound-healing and surgery,
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para a cicatrización e ciruxía da diabetes
02:18
they can be used for anything imaginable,
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poden ser usados
para calquera cousa imaxinable
para calquera cousa imaxinable
02:21
including transporting drugs into cells.
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incluíndo o transporte de menciñas
nas células.
nas células.
02:25
As a matter of fact,
we are currently using laser pulses
we are currently using laser pulses
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De feito,
actualmente usamos pulsos láser
actualmente usamos pulsos láser
02:30
to poke or drill extremely tiny holes,
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para meter ou perforar
furados extremadamente pequenos
furados extremadamente pequenos
02:34
which open and close almost
immediately in HIV-infected cells,
immediately in HIV-infected cells,
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que abren e pechan case inmediatamente
en células infectadas polo VIH
en células infectadas polo VIH
02:39
in order to deliver drugs within them.
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para introducir os fármacos nelas.
02:42
"How is that possible?" you may ask.
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"¿Como é posible?" Preguntaranse.
02:45
Well, we shine a very powerful
but super-tiny laser beam
but super-tiny laser beam
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Enviamos un raio moi poderoso
pero moi pequeno
pero moi pequeno
02:51
onto the membrane of HIV-infected cells
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na membrana
das células infectadas polo VIH
das células infectadas polo VIH
02:55
while these cells are immersed
in liquid containing the drug.
in liquid containing the drug.
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mentres estas células están inmersas
en líquido que contén o fármaco.
en líquido que contén o fármaco.
03:00
The laser pierces the cell,
while the cell swallows the drug
while the cell swallows the drug
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O láser perfora a célula,
mentres a célula absorbe o fármaco
mentres a célula absorbe o fármaco
03:05
in a matter of microseconds.
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en cuestión de microsegundos.
03:07
Before you even know it,
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Antes de decatarse,
03:09
the induced hole
becomes immediately repaired.
becomes immediately repaired.
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o furado inducido
é reparado inmediatamente.
é reparado inmediatamente.
03:13
Now, we are currently testing
this technology in test tubes
this technology in test tubes
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Actualmente estamos testando
esta nova tecnoloxía in vitro
esta nova tecnoloxía in vitro
03:17
or in Petri dishes,
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ou en placas Petri,
03:19
but the goal is to get
this technology in the human body,
this technology in the human body,
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pero a meta é conseguir esta tecnoloxía
no corpo humano,
no corpo humano,
03:23
apply it in the human body.
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aplicala no corpo humano.
03:25
"How is that possible?" you may ask.
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"¿Como é posible?" Preguntaranse.
03:28
Well, the answer is:
through a three-headed device.
through a three-headed device.
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A resposta é:
A través dun dispositivo de tres cabezas.
A través dun dispositivo de tres cabezas.
03:33
Using the first head, which is our laser,
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Usando a primeira cabeza,
que é un láser,
que é un láser,
03:36
we will make an incision
in the site of infection.
in the site of infection.
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faremos unha incisión
na zona da infección.
na zona da infección.
03:40
Using the second head, which is a camera,
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Usando a segunda cabeza,
que é a cámara,
que é a cámara,
03:43
we meander to the site of infection.
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dirixímonos á zona da infección.
03:45
Finally, using a third head,
which is a drug-spreading sprinkler,
which is a drug-spreading sprinkler,
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Finalmente, usando a terceira cabeza
que é un aspersor que distribúe o fármaco
que é un aspersor que distribúe o fármaco
03:50
we deliver the drugs directly
at the site of infection,
at the site of infection,
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liberamos o fármaco directamente
na zona de infección,
na zona de infección,
03:53
while the laser is again used
to poke those cells open.
to poke those cells open.
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mentres usamos o láser de novo
para manter as células abertas.
para manter as células abertas.
03:58
Well, this might not seem
like much right now.
like much right now.
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Isto pode non parecer moito de momento.
04:02
But one day, if successful,
this technology can lead
this technology can lead
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Pero un día, se ten éxito,
esta tecnoloxía pode conducir
esta tecnoloxía pode conducir
04:07
to complete eradication
of HIV in the body.
of HIV in the body.
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a unha completa erradicación
do VIH do corpo.
do VIH do corpo.
04:11
Yes. A cure for HIV.
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Si. Unha cura para o VIH.
04:14
This is every HIV researcher's dream --
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Isto é o soño
de calquera investigador do VIH.
de calquera investigador do VIH.
04:17
in our case, a cure lead by lasers.
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No noso caso
unha cura con láseres.
unha cura con láseres.
04:20
Thank you.
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Grazas.
04:21
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientistPatience Mthunzi wants to use lasers to deliver medicines more effectively.
Why you should listen
Patience Mthunzi is a research group leader at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria, South Africa. There, she uses laser "tweezers" to try and separate diseased cells from healthy ones. She's also developed a way to use laser pulses to target drug delivery into cells.
Born in Soweto, Patience got her PhD in physics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. In 2012, she was named one of 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa by Forbes magazine; that same year she was given the Order of Mapungubwe for her contribution in the field of biophotonics. She's also a TED Fellow.
Patience Mthunzi | Speaker | TED.com