ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientist
Patience 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.

More profile about the speaker
Patience Mthunzi | Speaker | TED.com
TED2015

Patience Mthunzi: Could we cure HIV with lasers?

佩西恩斯·穆圖茲: 我們能夠用雷射光治療愛滋病嗎?

Filmed:
1,278,466 views

口服藥物來治療疾病是一種快捷、無痛的方法,但同時存在效率不高的問題。是否有更好地辦法呢?雷射光。在這篇激動人心的講演裡,TED 演講者佩西恩斯·穆圖茲闡述了她關於利用雷射光直接向 HIV 感染的細胞內注入藥物的想法。它離成功還很遙遠,但它能為治癒 HIV 帶來曙光嗎?
- Laser scientist
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頭痛?
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當你頭疼時你會怎麼辦?
00:15
You swallow an aspirin阿司匹林.
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你會吞下一片阿司匹林。
00:18
But for this pill to get
to your head, where the pain疼痛 is,
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但要使這片藥到達你的頭,
也就是疼痛的地方,
00:22
it goes through通過 your stomach, intestines
and various各個 other organs器官 first.
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它要經過你的胃,腸,和許多其他器官。
00:28
Swallowing吞嚥 pills is the most effective有效
and painless無痛人流 way of delivering交付
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口服藥片是最有效且無痛的給藥方式,
00:34
any medication藥物治療 in the body身體.
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對於任何治療都是這樣。
00:37
The downside缺點, though雖然, is that swallowing吞嚥
any medication藥物治療 leads引線 to its dilution稀釋.
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然而不利之處在於,
口服藥品會引起藥物的稀釋。
00:43
And this is a big problem問題,
particularly尤其 in HIVHIV patients耐心.
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這是個大問題,尤其對於HIV患者來說。
00:48
When they take their anti-HIV抗HIV drugs毒品,
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當他們使用抗HIV藥物時,
00:51
these drugs毒品 are good for lowering降低
the virus病毒 in the blood血液,
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這些藥物能夠降低血液中病毒的含量,
00:56
and increasing增加 the CD光盤4 cell細胞 counts計數.
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并提升CD4細胞(一種免疫細胞)的數量。
00:58
But they are also notorious臭名昭著
for their adverse不利的 side effects效果,
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但它們也擁有很嚴重的副作用,
01:03
but mostly大多 bad, because they get diluted
by the time they get to the blood血液,
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其中最大的問題在於,它們在
到達血液的時候已經稀釋,
01:08
and worse更差, by the time
they get to the sites網站
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在到達作用位置時就更糟了。
01:11
where it matters事項 most:
within the HIVHIV viral病毒 reservoirs水庫.
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這是最重要的地方:
當HIV病毒潛伏在宿主體內時,
01:17
These areas in the body身體 --
such這樣 as the lymph淋巴 nodes節點,
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它們存在於身體裡面,諸如淋巴結、
01:22
the nervous緊張 system系統,
as well as the lungs --
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神經系統,以及肺部﹣﹣
01:25
where the virus病毒 is sleeping睡眠,
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這裡的病毒處於休眠狀態,
01:27
and will not readily容易
get delivered交付 in the blood血液
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不會很快進入血液,
01:30
of patients耐心 that are under
consistent一貫 anti-HIV抗HIV drugs毒品 therapy治療.
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只要病人持續使用抗HIV的藥物。
01:36
However然而, upon discontinuation廢止 of therapy治療,
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然而,一旦治療中斷,
01:40
the virus病毒 can awake甦醒
and infect感染 new cells細胞 in the blood血液.
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病毒就會甦醒並侵染血液中的新細胞。
01:44
Now, all this is a big problem問題 in treating治療
HIVHIV with the current當前 drug藥物 treatment治療,
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如今,上述弊端已成為運用
目前藥物治療HIV的大問題。
01:51
which哪一個 is a life-long終身 treatment治療
that must必須 be swallowed吞食 by patients耐心.
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也就意味著病人需要終身服藥。
01:55
One day, I satSAT and thought,
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有一天,我突然想到,
01:57
"Can we deliver交付 anti-HIV抗HIV directly
within its reservoir sites網站,
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“我們能否直接向
病毒的潛伏處注入抗HIV藥物,
02:03
without the risk風險 of drug藥物 dilution稀釋?"
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從而降低藥物稀釋的風險?“
02:06
As a laser激光 scientist科學家,
the answer回答 was just before my eyes眼睛:
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作為一名雷射光科學家,答案是顯而易見的:
02:11
Lasers激光器, of course課程.
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雷射光,當然了。
02:12
If they can be used for dentistry牙科,
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如果雷射光可以被用於牙科,
02:15
for diabetic糖尿病患者 wound-healing傷口癒合 and surgery手術,
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糖尿病傷口修復以及外科手術,
02:18
they can be used for anything imaginable想像,
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那麼它們可以被運用於任何可以想到的領域,
02:21
including包含 transporting傳輸 drugs毒品 into cells細胞.
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包括向細胞內注入藥物。
02:25
As a matter of fact事實,
we are currently目前 using運用 laser激光 pulses脈衝
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事實上,我們正在運用雷射光脈衝
02:30
to poke or drill鑽頭 extremely非常 tiny holes,
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在HIV感染的細胞上戳或鑽出極小的孔,
02:34
which哪一個 open打開 and close almost幾乎
immediately立即 in HIV-infected艾滋病病毒感染 cells細胞,
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這些孔開啟后會立即關閉,
02:39
in order訂購 to deliver交付 drugs毒品 within them.
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由此可以向其中注入藥物。
02:42
"How is that possible可能?" you may可能 ask.
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”這怎麼可能?“你可能會問。
02:45
Well, we shine閃耀 a very powerful強大
but super-tiny超微型 laser激光 beam光束
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是這樣,我們將一束能量極高且極其細的雷射光
02:51
onto the membrane of HIV-infected艾滋病病毒感染 cells細胞
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照射在被HIV感染細胞的細胞膜上
02:55
while these cells細胞 are immersed沉浸
in liquid液體 containing the drug藥物.
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這些細胞被侵泡在含有藥物的液體里。
03:00
The laser激光 pierces刺穿 the cell細胞,
while the cell細胞 swallows燕子 the drug藥物
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激光將細胞刺破,毫秒之間,
03:05
in a matter of microseconds微秒.
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細胞就吞下了藥物。
03:07
Before you even know it,
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在你察覺到之前,
03:09
the induced誘發 hole
becomes immediately立即 repaired修復.
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被鑽出的孔就自動修復了。
03:13
Now, we are currently目前 testing測試
this technology技術 in test測試 tubes
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現在,我們正在培養皿或者試管中,
03:17
or in PetriPetri網 dishes碗碟,
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測試這項技術,
03:19
but the goal目標 is to get
this technology技術 in the human人的 body身體,
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目標在於將這項技術運用於人體,
03:23
apply應用 it in the human人的 body身體.
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使它在人體內發揮作用。
03:25
"How is that possible可能?" you may可能 ask.
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“這怎麼可能?”你也許會問。
03:28
Well, the answer回答 is:
through通過 a three-headed三頭 device設備.
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是這樣的,通過一種三頭儀器。
03:33
Using運用 the first head, which哪一個 is our laser激光,
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第一個頭就是我們的激光,
03:36
we will make an incision切口
in the site現場 of infection感染.
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我們會用它對感染部位經行切割。
03:40
Using運用 the second第二 head, which哪一個 is a camera相機,
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第二個頭是一個攝像頭,
03:43
we meander蜿蜒 to the site現場 of infection感染.
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我們用它來找到感染部位。
03:45
Finally最後, using運用 a third第三 head,
which哪一個 is a drug-spreading毒品蔓延 sprinkler灑水車,
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最後,第三個頭是一個噴藥頭,
03:50
we deliver交付 the drugs毒品 directly
at the site現場 of infection感染,
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我們將藥物直接注入到感染部位,
03:53
while the laser激光 is again used
to poke those cells細胞 open打開.
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與此同時,激光將細胞刺穿一個孔。
03:58
Well, this might威力 not seem似乎
like much right now.
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目前這看起來還不是那麼成熟。
04:02
But one day, if successful成功,
this technology技術 can lead
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但終有一天,如果我們能夠成功,這項技術將
04:07
to complete完成 eradication根除
of HIVHIV in the body身體.
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完全根除人體內的HIV病毒。
04:11
Yes. A cure治愈 for HIVHIV.
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沒錯,治癒HIV。
04:14
This is every一切 HIVHIV researcher's研究者的 dream夢想 --
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這是每一個HIV研究者的夢想﹣﹣
04:17
in our case案件, a cure治愈 lead by lasers激光器.
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對於我們來說,就是雷射光治療法。
04:20
Thank you.
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謝謝。
04:21
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
Translated by An bang Chai
Reviewed by Sabrina Song

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Patience Mthunzi - Laser scientist
Patience 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.

More profile about the speaker
Patience Mthunzi | Speaker | TED.com