美国科学家制造三维模型模拟大脑功能

2014-08-26 15:52:13来源：可可英语

　　A doughnut created in a lab and made of silk on theoutside and collagen gel where the jelly ought to becan mimic a basic function of brain tissue,scientists have found.

　　科学家发现，实验室里制造的一个类似甜甜圈的东西，可以模仿脑组织的一项基本功能。这个圆圈的环状部分由丝材料制成，圈里面填的是胶原蛋白凝胶。

　　Bioengineers produced a kind of rudimentary graymatter and white matter in a dish, along with ratneurons that signaled one another across thedoughnut’s center. When the scientists droppedweights on the material to simulate traumatic injury, the neurons in the three-dimensionalbrain model emitted chemical and electrical signals similar to those in the brains of injuredanimals.

　　生物工程师在培养皿中制成了相当于原始灰质和白质的材料，其中用了大鼠神经元，这些神经元能通过圆圈中间的物质相互交换信号。当科学家让重物掉到这个圆圈上，以模拟创伤性损伤时，这个三维大脑模型中的神经元释放出了化学信号和电信号，与受伤动物的大脑释放的信号类似。

　　It is the first time scientists have been able to so closely imitate brain function in thelaboratory, experts said. If researchers can replicate it with human neurons and enhance it toreflect other neurological functions, it could be used for studying how disease, trauma andmedical treatments affect the brain — without the expense and ethical challenges of clinicaltrials on people.

　　专家们表示，这是科学家首次能在实验室里如此逼真地模仿大脑功能。如果研究人员能用人的神经元重建这个模型，并提升到足以反映其他一些神经系统功能的水平，那么这个模型或可用于研究疾病、创伤和治疗如何影响大脑，从而避免人体临床试验的高费用和伦理问题。

　　“In terms of mechanical similarity to the brain, it’s a pretty good mimic,” said James J.Hickman, a professor of nanoscience technology at the University of Central Florida, who wasnot involved in the research. “They’ve been able to repeat the highest level of function ofneurons. It’s the best model I’ve seen.”

　　“从与大脑的机械相似性来看，这是一个相当不错的模仿，”詹姆斯·J·希克曼(James J. Hickman)说。他是中佛罗里达大学(University of Central Florida)的纳米科学与技术教授，没有参与这项研究。“他们能够复制出最高水平的神经元功能。这是我看到过的最好的模型。”

　　The research, led by David Kaplan, the chairman of the bioengineering department at TuftsUniversity, and published Monday in the journal PNAS, is the latest example of biomedicalengineering being used to make realistic models of organs such as the heart, lungs and liver.

　　该研究由塔夫茨大学(Tufts University)生物工程系主任戴维·卡普兰(David Kaplan)主持，于周一发表在《美国科学院院刊》(PNAS)上。这是用生物医学工程手段制造器官——比如心脏、肺和肝脏——仿真模型的一个最新例子。

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