研究人员可能发现了新的抗病武器

Researchers May Have Found New Weapon Against Disease

Some bacteria have grown so strong that they cannot be killed with antibiotic¹ drugs. Medical experts call them antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The World Health Organization says antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the biggest threats to human health. But, researchers now say they may have found a way to fight them.

A team of researchers from three universities is working on a cell-killing² “machine” that is too small for the human eye to see.

“We want to be bacteria’s worst nightmare.”

That was James Tour, a member of the team. Tour is a chemistry professor at Rice University in Houston. He is also a professor of materials science and nanoengineering and computer science.

In addition to Rice University, the researchers come from Durham University in Britain and North Carolina State University.

The team is experimenting with very small nanomachines that can drill into a cell and kill it. These “machines” are really single molecules⁴ that can rotate about three million times a second when near-infrared⁵ light shines on them.

Tour said harmful bacteria cannot defeat this kind of weapon by changing and growing stronger.

“We may have found something that the cell could never build a resistance to.”

The team's work is based on the Nobel-prize winning designs of other scientists. In 2016, three researchers received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating the first nanomachines.

But the team’s cell-killing nanomachines are much smaller. About 50,000 of them can fit across the width of a human hair. In comparison, only about 50 cells can fit in that amount of space.

The nanomachines could also be effective against another serious health problem: cancer.

Cancer killer⁶

The machines can drill into cancer cells, causing the cells’ center to break into pieces.

Tour said the team has tried four different kinds of cancer cells, and the nanomachines killed all of them.

The team carried out the tests on two kinds of human breast cancer cells, cancerous skin cells and pancreatic cancer cells.

The way it works is that a peptide, another kind of molecule³, is added to the nano-drill. That peptide recognizes a diseased cell and attaches the nanomachine to it. Then, a special light activates⁷ the machine which drills into and kills the cell.

Tour said many nanomachines work together against the diseased cells.

“Generally, it’s not just one nanomachine, it’s, it's 50, and each cell is going to get 50 holes drilled in it.”

The nanomachines can fight cancer cells in the mouth, upper and lower gastrointestinal areas, bladder and other body parts where light can be shined to start the engines, Tour said.

It would only take a few minutes to kill cancer cells with nanomachines, Tour added. He noted⁸ that radiation and chemotherapy take much longer.

In addition to killing bacteria and cancer cells, nanomachines might be used to kill fat cells when placed onto the skin with a gel. Tour said, when you pass the bright light over the problem areas, the machines attack the fat cells.

Test on animals to begin this year

Researchers have only worked with nanomachines in the laboratory. They say using this technology in studies on humans is still some time away. Later this year, researchers will start testing nanomachines on bacterial⁹ skin infections on live animals.

As research continues, one problem scientists will have to solve is how to get the light deep into some parts of the body. This would permit the engines to fight bacteria or cancers far below the surface of tissue.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

antibiotic – adj. relating to a drug that is used to kill harmful bacteria and to cure infections

nanoengineering – n. the practice of engineering on a scale that is too small for the human eye to see

drill – n. a tool used for making holes in hard substances

rotate – v. to move or turn in a circle

infrared – adj. relating to rays of light that cannot be seen and that are longer than rays that produce red light?

pancreatic – adj. relating to a large gland¹⁰ of the body that is near the stomach and that produces insulin and other substances

peptide – n. a compound consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain

gastrointestinal – adj. relating to the stomach and the intestines¹¹

bladder – n. the organ in the body that holds urine after it passes through the kidneys

gel – n. a thick substance that is like jelly and that is used in many products

1 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

4 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

5 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

6 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

7 activates   

使活动，起动，触发( activate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Activates the window and displays it in its current size and position. 激活窗口，保持当前的大小及位置不变。
• Pulling out the alarm switch activates alarm and pushing it deactivates it. 闹钟的开和关是通过拔出和按入闹铃开关实现的。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

10 gland   

n.腺体，(机)密封压盖，填料盖

参考例句：

• This is a snake's poison gland.这就是蛇的毒腺。
• Her mother has an underactive adrenal gland.她的母亲肾上腺机能不全。

11 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句