(点击右边三个点，可调整速度，电脑上可下载)

Alpaca Helps to Make COVID-19 Vaccine

羊驼帮助制造新冠肺炎疫苗

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。

In Sweden, scientists are looking to a farm animal to help them find a treatment or vaccine against the new coronavirus.

瑞典科学家希望一种农场动物能帮助他们找到新冠病毒的治疗方法或疫苗。

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute, a medical university near Stockholm, are putting their hope in a 12-year-old alpaca from Germany. Alpacasbelong tothe camel family.

斯德哥尔摩附近的医科大学卡罗林斯卡学院的研究人员将希望寄托在一只12岁的德国羊驼身上。羊驼属于骆驼科。

The scientists started by recreating the so-called "spike" protein that permits the coronavirus to infect human cells. They then injected the spike protein into the alpaca, whose name is Tyson.

科学家先重建了所谓的“刺突”蛋白，这种蛋白使冠状病毒可以感染人类细胞。之后，他们将刺突蛋白注入名为“泰森”的羊驼体内。

The team is collecting blood samples to see whether the alpaca can develop antibodies against the spike protein. Extremely small antibodies, known as nanobodies,stick tothe same part of the virus as human antibodies.

这个研究小组正在收集血液样本，以观察羊驼是否能产生对抗刺突蛋白的抗体。这种被称为纳米抗体的极小抗体，与人类抗体一样粘附在该病毒的同一部分。

In a statement to the press, the researchers called them "neutralizing antibodies." If you neutralize something harmful, you take away its ability to cause harm.

在向新闻界发布的声明中，研究人员将这种抗体称为“中和抗体”。如果你中和了有害物质，意味着你消除了其造成伤害的能力。

The head of the research team in Sweden is Gerald McInerney. He said the hope is that the neutralizing antibodies will be able to effectively block the virus protein — and thereby the coronavirus — from entering cells and spreading.

这个瑞典研究团队的负责人是杰拉尔德·麦金纳尼。他说，他们希望中和抗体能有效阻止病毒蛋白，继而阻止冠状病毒进入细胞并扩散。

The results could be used to develop drug treatments or possibly a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. While the scientific work is still at an early stage, McInerney said his team has seen evidence it could work in people.

研究结果可用于开发药物治疗方法，或研制由冠状病毒引发的新冠肺炎的疫苗。虽然这项科学工作仍处于早期阶段，但麦金纳尼表示，他的团队已经看到了其可以在人体内发挥作用的证据。

In a Reuters interview McInerney said, "In principle, all the evidence would suggest it will work very well in humans." He added however, that "it is a very complex system."

麦金纳尼在接受路透社的采访时表示，“原则上，所有证据都表明其将在人体内很好地发挥作用。”但他同时表示，这“是一个非常复杂的系统”。

McInerney noted that the coronavirus mutates "quite easily." So, researchers need to be prepared to develop several different kinds of antibodies.

麦金纳尼指出，冠状病毒“相当容易”变异。因此，研究人员需要准备好开发多种不同的抗体。

COVID-19 has killed more than 400,000 people around the world.

新冠肺炎已致全球超过40万人死亡。

McInerney explained that his team began its research back in January. At that time, they say they believed the coronavirus could become a serious pandemic. The researchers also knew it would take a long time to develop a vaccine, as well as drugs to slow the progression of the disease and save lives, he added.

麦金纳尼解释说，他的团队从1月份开始进行研究。当时，他们认为冠状病毒可能成为严重的大流行病。他还表示，研究人员也知道，研制疫苗以及减缓疾病发展和挽救生命的药物需要很长时间。

But why use an alpaca?

为什么用羊驼？

Studies have shown that alpacas and other members of the camel family are known to produce nanobodies. Nanobodies are easier for scientists to work with. Sharks have also been found to produce nanobodies. But sharks are not as easy to work with as alpacas.

研究表明，羊驼和骆驼家族其他成员可产生纳米抗体。纳米抗体更容易被科学家利用。人们发现鲨鱼也能产生纳米抗体。但鲨鱼没有羊驼那么容易合作。

When will we have a vaccine?

疫苗何时上市？

Scientific experts say it will likely take some time to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.

科学专家表示，研发新冠肺炎疫苗可能需要一段时间。

The team in Sweden is moving on to the next step, which could involve testing with other animals, such as mice or hamsters. The scientists say they hope their results can be used as a model for future COVID-19 research.

瑞典研究小组即将进入下一阶段，这可能包括对老鼠或仓鼠等其它动物进行测试。科学家表示，他们希望结果能用作未来新冠肺炎研究的模型。

As for Tyson the alpaca, the researchers say his job is done.

至于羊驼“泰森”，研究人员说它的工作已经完成了。

"Tyson is 12 years old, I believe, and he may be looking at retirement soon," McInerney told Reuters. "So, he'lllive outhis life on his farm back in Germany."

麦金纳尼对路透社表示，“‘泰森’今年12岁，我想它可能很快就要退休了。所以他会回到德国农场，在那里度过它的余生。”

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

以上是健康生活报道。我是安娜·马迪奥。