VOA标准英语2010年-Breast Cancer Vaccine Researchers Plea

Researchers went to the U.S. Capitol Thursday to plead for more funding so that a breast cancer vaccine¹ could be tested on humans.  The doctors from Cleveland Clinic in Ohio say their vaccine has prevented cancer in laboratory mice, but they are unable to begin clinical trials on humans without another $6 million in federal money.

The World Health Organization says breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women. When it is in advanced stages, it can be difficult to cure.  When there is remission, the cancer often recurs² years later.

Research on a vaccine to prevent breast cancer has been unsuccessful, until now.

Recently scientists from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio announced they had stopped the growth of existing breast cancer tumors in a special group of mice bred to develop the disease.

Now Vincent Tuohy and his fellow researchers are asking the U.S. Congress for $6 million in funding to take their vaccine to the next stage: clinical trials on humans.

"The vaccine is designed to prevent breast cancer and it rouses, it focuses an immune response against a protein that is over expressed in the tumor³ - in breast tumors but not normally expressed in normal breast tissue or in any other tissue," said Vincent Tuohy.

The protein is called alpha-lactalbumin. It is found in the breast milk of healthy women who are either in late stages of pregnancy⁴ or are breast feeding.  The only other time the protein is found is during the formation of  breast cancer cells.  The clinical trials would vaccinate⁵ women over 40 when they are at higher risk for breast cancer and at lower chance of pregnancy.

"Women at high risk for developing this disease we would like to target them first for protection," he said.

During the news conference in Washington, one member of Congress, a breast cancer survivor⁶ herself, pledged help in getting funding. 

"Six million dollars is a drop in the bucket to take this research to the next level and make sure that we can take it to clinical trials in human beings," said U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

If the clinical trials are successful, Dr. Tuohy predicts the vaccine could be available in about 10 years.
 

1 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

2 recurs   

再发生，复发( recur的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This theme recurs several times throughout the book. 这一主题在整部书里出现了好几次。
• Leap year recurs every four years. 每四年闰年一次。

3 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

4 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

5 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

6 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。