阅读外刊学英语

外刊阅读:A new war on cancer

2019-10-07  本文已影响0人  爱英语爱阅读

癌症每年都会夺走很多人的生命。近年来,虽然在癌症研究方面有一些进展,但是离彻底治愈还有不小差距。最近有科学家提出,如果能降低癌症的杀伤力,即使不能治愈也能长期带病生存。

A new war on cancer

by Sarah Boseley

Leading scientists are embarking on a new war against cancer, aimed not necessarily at curing it but at turning it into a condition that people can live with.

leading /ˈliːdɪŋ/ adj. 最重要的
embark /ɪmˈbɑːk/ on something 开始做某件重要的事
cancer /ˈkænsə(r)/ n. 癌症
aim at 目的在于、旨在
not necessarily /ˈnesəserɪli/ 不一定
cure /kjʊə(r)/ v./n. 治愈
turn /tɜːn/ v. 变成、使变成
condition /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 疾病

The world-renowned Institute of Cancer Research is launching what it calls the first-ever "Darwinian" cancer programme. Cancers can evolve to become resistant to the drugs used to treat them. Cancer cells that are not killed off by chemotherapy(化疗) or even immunotherapy(免疫治疗) will eventually mutate and adapt to form new tumours. The cancer returns in metastatic(转移的) or advanced form, often elsewhere in the body, and is usually fatal.

renowned /rɪˈnaʊnd/ adj. 知名的、著名的
institute /ˈɪnstɪtjuːt/ n. 学院、研究院
launch /lɔːntʃ/ v. 使开始、启动
first-ever 有史以来第一次
Darwinian /dɑːˈwɪniən/ adj. 达尔文主义的
programme /ˈprəʊɡræm/ n. 新计划、新方案
evolve /ɪˈvɒlv/ v. 进化、演变
resistant /rɪˈzɪst(ə)nt/ adj. 抵抗的(由resist加后缀-ant变成形容词;这里指抗药性)
drug /drʌɡ/ n. 药物
treat /triːt/ v. 治疗
cell /sel/ n. 细胞
kill off 全部杀死
eventually /ɪˈventʃuəli/ adv. 最终
mutate /mjuːˈteɪt/ v. (基因)突变
adapt /əˈdæpt/ v. 改变、适应
form /fɔːm/ v. 形成
tumour /ˈtjuːmə(r)/ n. 肿瘤
form /fɔːm/ n. 形式
fatal /ˈfeɪt(ə)l/ adj. 致命的、致死的

The ICR wants to refocus its work, aiming not just to kill cancer cells but to destroy their ability to evolve. The aim is to take the lethality out of cancer and turn it into a disease that – if a cure is not possible – will no longer shorten or ruin lives, in the same way that HIV is controlled for millions of people on antiretroviral(抗逆转录病毒的) drugs.

refocus /riːˈfəʊkəs/ v. 重新聚焦(这里指调整工作重点;由focus加上表示再次的前缀re-)
destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/ v. 破坏、毁灭
lethality /liːˈθælɪti/ n. 杀伤力
shorten /ˈʃɔːt(ə)n/ v. 缩短(由short加后缀-en变成动词)
ruin /ˈruːɪn/ v. 毁坏、摧毁
HIV 指艾滋病病毒

Their first drug to slow down or stop the evolution of cancer cells could be available in 10 years. It will target a molecule called APOBEC, which is crucial to the workings of the immune system, but is also hijacked in over half of cancer types to speed up evolution of drug resistance.

slow down 减缓
evolution /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ n. 进化、演变
target /ˈtɑːɡɪt/ v. 以…为靶子
molecule /ˈmɒlɪkjuːl/ n. 分子
crucial /ˈkruːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 至关重要的
immune /ɪˈmjuːn/ adj. 免疫的
hijack /ˈhaɪdʒæk/ v. 劫持
speed up 加快
resistance /rɪˈzɪst(ə)ns/ n. 抵抗(由resist加后缀-ance变成名词)

"We believe this will be the first treatment in the world that, rather than dealing with the consequences of cancer's evolution and resistance, aims to directly confront the disease's ability to adapt and evolve in the first place," said the ICR's Dr Olivia Rossanese.

treatment /ˈtriːtmənt/ n. 治疗、疗法(由treat加后缀-ment变成名词)
deal with 应对、处理
consequence /ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/ n. 后果
confront /kənˈfrʌnt/ v. 正面对抗

Dr Rossanese will be head of biology at the new Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery, which the ICR is building to advance this work programme. It will house scientists from many disciplines, from AI and advanced maths to the biological sciences.

advance /ədˈvɑːns/ v. 推进、推动
house /haʊz/ v. 容纳、提供场地
discipline /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ n. 学科
AI = artificial intelligence 人工智能
biological /ˌbaɪəˈlɒdʒɪk(ə)l/ adj. 生物的、生物学的(由biology加后缀-ical变成形容词)

The researchers are already working on a number of projects. Dr Andrea Sottoriva, who will be deputy director of cancer evolution at the new centre, said they would "play evolution in our favour and push cancers towards an evolutionary dead end." Using AI, they could work out how to drive development of the cancer cells towards forms that are more susceptible to drugs.

researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者(由research加上表示人的后缀-er)
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目
deputy /ˈdepjuti/ n. 副职(deputy director就是副主任)
in one's favour 对某人有利
evolutionary /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/ adj. 进化的(由evolution加后缀-ary变成形容词)
dead end 死胡同、绝境
work out 找出…的答案
drive /draɪv/ v. 驱使
susceptible /səˈseptəb(ə)l/ adj. 敏感的、易受伤害的

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the ICR, said tackling cancer evolution was a fundamentally new approach. "What we're really looking at here is a culture change – among cancer researchers and clinicians, and also among patients," he said. "The evolutionary approach opens up the prospect of long-term control with a good quality of life."

chief /tʃiːf/ adj. 首席的
executive /ɪɡˈzekjutɪv/ n. 行政领导
tackle /ˈtæk(ə)l/ v. 对付、处理
fundamentally /ˌfʌndəˈment(ə)li/ adv. 根本性地(由fundamental加后缀-ly变成副词)
approach /əˈprəʊtʃ/ n. 做事方法
clinician /klɪˈnɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 临床医师(由clinic加上表示相关人员的后缀-ian)
open up something 使某事成为可能
prospect /ˈprɒspekt/ n. 前景
long-term 长期的
quality /ˈkwɒləti/ n. 质量

"We would like to take some of the fear away from advanced cancer, and hope patients will benefit from new approaches that may not always give them the 'all clear', but could keep cancer at bay for many years," he added.

benefit /ˈbenɪfɪt/ v. 获益
all clear 警报解除(这里指痊愈)
keep something at bay 使某事得到控制(不再带来麻烦)

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