VOA标准英语2016--研究人员用3D打印机制作人体器官

Researchers Experiment With 3-D Printer to Produce Human Body Parts 研究人员用3D打印机制作人体器官

Human organ transplants have become fairly common around the world in the past few decades, but doctors and their patients still face the problem of tissue rejection¹ and the need to quickly supply blood to the transplanted organ.

Researchers at various universities are coordinating² their efforts to find solutions -- including teams at the University of Pennsylvania and Rice University in Houston that are experimenting with a 3-D printer -- to make blood vessels³ and other structures for implant⁴.

They are also using these artificial body parts to seek ways of defeating cancerous tumors.

This 3-D printer is using a sugar solution to make molds, which can be used to make silicone veins⁶ and arteries⁷.

Implant into rat

The researchers successfully implanted these artificial blood vessels in a rat last year. But lead researcher Jordan Miller⁸ said the ultimate goal is to produce structures that can be implanted in humans.

“We are in the field that is trying to find ways to build new tissues and new organ systems for human patients made from their own cells," Miller said.

One idea would be to fill the molds with material commonly found in the body, like collagen, which could be safely implanted with a donor⁹ organ to quickly provide a mechanism¹⁰ for blood delivery.

“If we implant a collagen gel, cells from your body can actually come in and replace that collagen gel with their own proteins," said Samantha Paalsen, a graduate student.

Collagen is the material that forms bones, tendons and other connecting tissues in the body.

Along the way, the Rice researchers are looking for ways to use their artificial systems to learn more about one of humankind’s biggest health threats.

“We can use similar models to this, with our blood vessels that we have designed, and then we can study how cancer cells can go from a primary tumor⁵ into the blood vessels,” she said.

3-D printer

All of this research is made possible by this specially¹¹ produced, fast and accurate 3-D printer, which Miller said is a device designed for cutting metal that has been adapted for this experiment.

“We can use the same firm ware¹² that everyone is using for 3-D printing, but we are extruding¹³ sugar from it instead of cutting metal," Miller said.

Miller’s team produced this device and shared the design online with the RepRap.org community, through which people around the world create machines that can, to some extent, create their own parts.

“This type of open-source movement has really empowered science. This is what science is supposed to be about; you are supposed to be able to reproduce someone else’s work," he said.

Miller cautions that it could take many years of further research before these 3-D printed devices benefit human patients. But through their collaborative effort, he and his team members hope to see that dream realized.

1 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

2 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

3 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

5 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。

6 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

9 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

10 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

11 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

12 ware   

n.(常用复数)商品，货物

参考例句：

• The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
• Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

13 extruding   

v.挤压出( extrude的现在分词 )；挤压成；突出；伸出

参考例句：

• This makes the production process for extruding the powder mass very complicated. 这就使得压伸粉状药料的生产方式变得非常复杂。 来自辞典例句
• Application is made by dipping, rolling, extruding, wiping, or any other conventional techniques. 可采用浸、滚、挤压、刮刀或任何其它一般方式来进行。 来自辞典例句