Gold nanoparticles could be used to treat cancer, scientists say

研究：黄金或可用于癌症治疗 降低化疗副作用

德国《应用化学》周刊近日刊登的一项最新研究表明，黄金不仅有望应用于癌症治疗，而且能够减少化疗产生的副作用。

Tiny flecks[1] of gold could be used in the fight against cancer, new research has suggested.

一项研究证明，微小的黄金粒子可以用于癌症治疗。

[1]fleck: 斑点;(斑点状的)微粒 Flecks are small marks on a surface, or objects that look like small marks.

He went to the men's room to wash flecks of blood from his shirt...

他去男洗手间清洗衬衫上的斑斑血迹。

Scientists at Edinburgh University have just completed a study which shows the precious metal increased the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer cells.

来自英国爱丁堡大学的科学家刚完成了一项研究，证明这种贵金属能增强治疗肺癌细胞药物的效果。

Minute[2] fragments, known as gold nanoparticles, were encased[3] in a chemical device by the research team.

金纳米粒子被研究人员嵌入了一种化学装置。

[2]minute: extremely small 微小的，极小的

The documentary showed an eye operation in minute detail (= showing every small detail). 

这部纪录片纤毫毕现地展示了一次眼科手术的过程。

[3]encase: to cover or surround something or someone completely 把…包住；把…围住 

The nuclear waste is encased in concrete before being sent for storage in disused mines. 

核废料在送往废弃的矿井中存放之前，先用混凝土密封起来。

While this has not yet been tested on humans, it is hoped such a device could one day be used to reduce side effects of current chemotherapy treatments by precisely targeting diseased cells without damaging healthy tissue.

虽然该疗法还没有在人体上得到验证，但有一天，人们希望这种装置能够精确作用于病变细胞而不损伤健康组织，它有望减少化疗手段所产生的副作用。

Dr Asier Unciti-Broceta, from the University of Edinburgh's CRUK Edinburgh Centre, said: "We have discovered new properties of gold that were previously unknown and our findings suggest that the metal could be used to release drugs inside tumours very safely.

英国癌症研究所爱丁堡中心的阿西埃.温西蒂.布罗切塔博士介绍说：“我们发现了以前所未知的金的新特性，我们的发现表明可以通过这种金属安全地在肿瘤内部释放药物。”

"There is still work to do before we can use this on patients, but this study is a step forward. We hope that a similar device in humans could one day be implanted by surgeons to activate chemotherapy directly in tumours and reduce harmful effects to healthy organs."

“在我们可以用这个方法治疗病人之前，还有很多工作要做，但这项研究是向前迈出的一大步。我们希望，有朝一日，外科医生可以在人类体内植入一个类似的设备，直接激活肿瘤，并减少对健康器官的有害影响。”

Dr Aine McCarthy, Cancer Research UK’s senior science information officer, said: "By developing new, better ways of delivering cancer drugs, studies like this have the potential to improve cancer treatment and reduce side effects. In particular, it could help improve treatment for brain tumours and other hard-to-treat cancers.

癌症研究所高级科学信息主任艾因.麦卡锡博士表示:“通过开发新的、更好的抗癌药物，这样的研究有可能改善癌症疗法并降低副作用，尤其有助于改进对脑瘤和其他难以治疗的癌症的治疗方法。

"The next steps will be to see if this method is safe to use in people, what its long- and short-term side effects are, and if it's a better way to treat some cancers."

“下一步就要看这种疗法是否能够安全地用于人体，观察其长期和短期副作用，判断它是不是一种更好的癌症治疗方法。”