十个顶尖科学家预测医学成就（下）

　　

生物通报道：在十年的时间里，澳大利亚人将会确定出他们的基因如何抵抗疾病。在本世纪末、下世纪初之际，通过修复基因的错误联合来避免疾病的发生将是平常事…………

 

这些想象出现在澳大利亚研究协会的一个最新报告中，报告的名字就叫做“那么，现在……想象以下”（Then, Now……Imagine）。这项报告咨询了澳大利亚的顶尖健康、医学研究人员，其中包括两位诺贝尔奖得主和四名澳大利亚年度人物获奖者。他们预测根据血样进行个体基因分析将会在今后10年内使健康医疗发生革命性变化。

十个顶尖科学家预测重大医学成就（上）

第二部分

大量新疫苗

 

世界第一个宫颈癌疫苗只是这类疫苗的开始。科学家预言病毒在许多其他癌症中起到一定的作用，并且在接下来的若干年里，我们可以预料到会研制出大量新的疫苗来预防这些病毒性癌症。

 

在接下来的几年里，人们将会看到艾滋病、乙肝、糖尿病等重要疾病的疫苗会相继诞生。事实上，墨尔本糖尿病疫苗研发中心正打算开始一种新的I型糖尿病疫苗的临床试验。

 

建立新的神经途径

澳大利亚发明的仿生耳能够让聋哑儿童听到高保真声音。用携带刺激神经细胞所需的电的分子构建出的碳管将能够传递清晰的声音。

 

这种技术还将能用于其他残疾。人们将能够再次连接受损脊柱中的电线，来刺激神经生长，从而使信息能够被传递到大脑中。这种技术最终将使四肢瘫痪者重新走路。

 

在出生前进行改造

显微外科手术的进步和利用超声波健康胎儿发育的能力将能够用于对未出生的胎儿进行复杂的手术，以校正心脏中的空洞和面部畸形等异常问题。这种手术将能增加他们的存活率，改善他们的生命质量。

---

以下列出参与编写这项的科学家

 

Dr Robin Warren, Nobel Laureate 2005 - with Barry Marshall, proved a bacteria called helicobacter pylori caused gastritis and stomach ulcers and that most ulcers could be permanently cured with antibiotics.

 

Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Laureate 1996 -- Discovered that T-cells, the foot soldiers in our bloodstream, were expert at killing cells that had viruses locked inside. This has led to new and better vaccines, healthy organ transplants and better treatment of conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and Diabetes.

 

Professor Ian Frazer, Australian of the Year 2006 -- Gained international fame for developing the world's first vaccine to combat cervical cancer.

 

Dr Fiona Wood, Australian of the Year 2004 - Headed up the team of doctors who treated the burns victims of the 2002 Bali bombing. Her use of 'spray on skin' sped up the recovery process for those who had suffered horrific burns.

Professor Fiona Stanley, Australian of the Year 2003 - With Carol Bower, as part of an international collaboration, discovered the link between folate intake and spina bifida. This led to women being advised to increase folate intake before and during pregnancy and supplementation of some foods with folate.

Sir Gustav Nossal, Australian of the Year 2000 -- Discovered the magic 'one cell-one antibody' rule which led to the development of effective new therapies for heart disease, breast cancer and severe arthritis.

 

Professor Terry Dwyer - Led the team which proved the link between a baby's sleeping position and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. They found that a baby sleeping on its stomach has ten times the risk of SIDS than babies who sleep in other positions.

 

Professor Graeme Clark - Pioneered the multiple-channel cochlear implant which has brought hearing and speech understanding to tens of thousands of people with severe-to-profound hearing loss in more than 70 countries.

 

Professor Judith Whitworth -- Discovered how steroids raise blood pressure. Former Chief Medical Officer for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services and current Chair of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Advisory Committee on Health Research.

 

Professor John Shine -- First to clone a human hormone gene and discovered a gene sequence, the Shine-Dalgarno sequence, which is important for the control of protein synthesis. Former Chair of the National Health and Medical Research Council and current member of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering & Innovation Council.

 

Research Australia is a unique national alliance of more than 180 member and donor organisations with a common mission to make health and medical research a higher national priority.