British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be fully resistant to the influenza, or flu virus.
Wendy Barclay is one of the leaders of the gene-editing project. She is a professor of virology at Imperial College London. She said the first chickens will be born later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
The scientists are using a new gene-editing technology known as CRISPR to change the birds' DNA. The scientists removed parts of a protein on which the flu virus normally depends. That makes the chickens completely flu-resistant.
Chickens for sale are seen in a cage at Kibuye market in Uganda's capital Kampala, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/James Akena
Barclay said the idea is to produce birds that cannot get the flu and would form, in her words, a "buffer between wild birds and humans."
Health experts say the threat of a human flu pandemic is one of their biggest concerns.
About 500,000 people died worldwide in the last large flu outbreak in 2009 and 2010. The historic 1918 Spanish flu killed around 50 million people.
The greatest fear now is that a deadly form of flu could spread from wild birds into poultry and then into humans. The virus could then become an airborne form that can pass easily between people.
"If we could prevent influenza virus crossing from wild birds into chickens, we would stop the next pandemic..." said Barclay.
Barclay's team of scientists published their research in the journal Nature in 2016. They found that a gene present in chickens makes a protein that all flu viruses depend on to infect a host. Tests of cells created to not have the gene showed they cannot be infected with flu.
Barclay said the plan is to use CRISPR to edit the chickens' DNA so that only one part of the protein is changed. The rest of the bird would be exactly the same as it was before.
Barclay said poultry producers may have concerns about the public's opinions of gene-edited food. She said that people have been eating food from farmed animals that have been changed over many years by traditional breeding.
But she added, "They might be nervous about eating gene-edited food."
I'm Jonathan Evans.
The Reuters news service reported this story. Jonathan Evans adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in this Story
pandemic – n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world
poultry – n. birds such as chickens and ducks that are raised on farms for their eggs or meat
buffer – n. something that gives protection by separating things; a protective barrier
journal – n. a magazine that reports on things of special interest to a particular group of people
British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens designed to be fully resistant to the influenza, or flu virus.
英國科學家正在培育經過基因編輯、可以完全抵抗禽流感的雛雞。
Wendy Barclay is one of the leaders of the gene-editing project. She is a professor of virology at Imperial College London. She said the first chickens will be born later this year at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
溫迪·巴克利（Wendy Barclay）是這項基因編輯項目的領導者之一。她是倫敦帝國理工學院的一名病毒學教授。她說，第一只（經過基因編輯的）雛雞將于今年年底在蘇格蘭愛丁堡大學的羅斯林研究所孵化出來。
The scientists are using a new gene-editing technology known as CRISPR to change the birds' DNA. The scientists removed parts of a protein on which the flu virus normally depends. That makes the chickens completely flu-resistant.
科學家們采用一項名為CRISPR的基因編輯技術來修改這種家禽的DNA，他們去除了流感病毒所依賴的蛋白質部分，這使得這些雞可以徹底抵抗流感。
Barclay said the idea is to produce birds that cannot get the flu and would form, in her words, a "buffer between wild birds and humans."
巴克利表示，其目標是孵出不會感染流感的家禽，用她的話來說就是，“在野生鳥類和人類之間形成緩沖?！?/P>
Health experts say the threat of a human flu pandemic is one of their biggest concerns.
衛生專家表示，人類流感大爆發的威脅是他們最大的擔憂之一。
About 500,000 people died worldwide in the last large flu outbreak in 2009 and 2010. The historic 1918 Spanish flu killed around 50 million people.
2009年和2010年的最近一場大流感疫情造成了全球大約50萬人死亡。歷史上1918年西班牙流感造成了大約5千萬人死亡。
The greatest fear now is that a deadly form of flu could spread from wild birds into poultry and then into humans. The virus could then become an airborne form that can pass easily between people.
現在最大的擔憂是某種致命流感從野生鳥類傳播到家禽，進而傳播給人類。然后這種病毒變異成一種可以在人與人之間通過空氣輕松傳播的形態。
"If we could prevent influenza virus crossing from wild birds into chickens, we would stop the next pandemic..." said Barclay.
巴克利表示：”如果我們能夠阻止流感病毒從野生鳥類傳播到雞群，我們就能阻止下一場流感大爆發?！?/P>
Barclay's team of scientists published their research in the journal Nature in 2016. They found that a gene present in chickens makes a protein that all flu viruses depend on to infect a host. Tests of cells created to not have the gene showed they cannot be infected with flu.
巴克利的科學家團隊在2016年的《自然》雜志上發表了他們的研究成果。他們發現，雞身上存在的一種基因可以讓流感病毒依賴的蛋白質感染宿主。對創造出來不含該基因的細胞進行的測試表明它們不會感染流感病毒。
Barclay said the plan is to use CRISPR to edit the chickens' DNA so that only one part of the protein is changed. The rest of the bird would be exactly the same as it was before.
巴克利表示，他們計劃利用CRISPR來編輯雞的DNA，這樣就只改變這種蛋白質的一個部分，其它的蛋白質將維持不變。
Barclay said poultry producers may have concerns about the public's opinions of gene-edited food. She said that people have been eating food from farmed animals that have been changed over many years by traditional breeding.
巴克利表示，家禽生產商可能會擔心公眾對基因編輯食物的看法。她說人們一直食用的養殖動物也經過了多年傳統育種的改變。
But she added, "They might be nervous about eating gene-edited food."
但是她補充說，“他們可能會對食用基因編輯食物感到緊張?！?/P>
I'm Jonathan Evans.
我是喬納森·埃文斯。(51VOA.COM原創翻譯，禁止轉載，違者必究！)
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[ti:Scientists Produce Gene-Edited Chickens to Stop Spread of Flu Virus]
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[00:00.00]更多聽力請訪問24EN.COM
[00:00.00]British scientists are developing gene-edited chickens
[00:04.46]designed to be fully resistant to the influenza, or flu virus.
[00:10.94]Wendy Barclay is one of the leaders of the gene-editing project.
[00:17.78]She is a professor of virology at Imperial College London.
[00:23.40]She said the first chickens will be born later this year
[00:28.44]at the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
[00:34.48]The scientists are using a new gene-editing technology
[00:39.41]known as CRISPR to change the birds' DNA.
[00:44.82]The scientists removed parts of a protein
[00:49.76]on which the flu virus normally depends.
[00:53.18]That makes the chickens completely flu-resistant.
[00:58.46]Barclay said the idea is to produce birds
[01:02.98]that cannot get the flu and would form,
[01:05.82]in her words, a "buffer between wild birds and humans."
[01:11.68]Health experts say the threat of a human flu pandemic
[01:17.21]is one of their biggest concerns.
[01:20.03]About 500,000 people died worldwide
[01:24.76]in the last large flu outbreak in 2009 and 2010.
[01:30.74]The historic 1918 Spanish flu killed around 50 million people.
[01:38.48]The greatest fear now is that a deadly form of flu
[01:43.47]could spread from wild birds into poultry and then into humans.
[01:49.92]The virus could then become an airborne form
[01:54.07]that can pass easily between people.
[01:57.08]"If we could prevent influenza virus crossing from wild birds into chickens,
[02:03.32]we would stop the next pandemic..." said Barclay.
[02:07.60]Barclay's team of scientists published their research
[02:12.75]in the journal Nature in 2016.
[02:16.59]They found that a gene present in chickens makes a protein
[02:21.74]that all flu viruses depend on to infect a host.
[02:26.99]Tests of cells created to not have the gene
[02:30.98]showed they cannot be infected with flu.
[02:35.19]Barclay said the plan is to use CRISPR to edit the chickens' DNA
[02:42.01]so that only one part of the protein is changed.
[02:46.87]The rest of the bird would be exactly the same as it was before.
[02:52.61]Barclay said poultry producers may have concerns
[02:57.21]about the public's opinions of gene-edited food.
[03:01.78]She said that people have been eating food from farmed animals
[03:07.01]that have been changed over many years by traditional breeding.
[03:12.44]But she added, "They might be nervous about eating gene-edited food."
[03:19.10]I'm Jonathan Evans.
[03:21.56]更多聽力請訪問24EN.COM
