it may feel like the end of the fight is on the horizon.

這可能會讓人覺得戰鬥的結束就在眼前。

But there are still so many unanswered questions.

但仍有很多問題沒有答案。

One groundbreaking study wants to find the answers by deliberately infecting healthy human volunteers

一項突破性的研究想通過故意感染健康的人類志願者來尋找答案。

with the virus that we've all been avoiding.

與病毒，我們都在避免。

So understandably, there's a pretty big debate about if a study like this is worth the risk.

所以可以理解的是，關於這樣的研究是否值得冒險，有一個相當大的爭議。

Purposefully infecting human volunteers with a pathogen to gain more insight into how that pathogen works

有目的地讓人類志願者感染一種病原體，以更深入地瞭解該病原體的工作原理。

is called a 'human challenge trial'—

被稱為 "人肉挑戰賽"--

the human body is being 'challenged' by the infectious thing.

人的身體正在受到傳染物的 "挑戰"。

Human challenge trials are nothing new—researchers have been conducting them to help us understand

人類挑戰試驗並不是什麼新鮮事--研究人員一直在進行這些試驗，以幫助我們瞭解--人類挑戰試驗的目的是什麼？

diseases like malaria and influenza for decades, and they've given us some really important information.

瘧疾和流感等疾病幾十年，他們給了我們一些非常重要的資訊。

And although trials like this can be done safely,

雖然這樣的試驗可以安全地進行。

they've also been used unethically and controversially in the past.

它們在過去也曾被不道德地和有爭議地使用過。

This human challenge trial for COVID-19 will be run by a number of clinical research organizations in the UK.

此次COVID-19的人體挑戰試驗將由英國多家臨床研究機構進行。

It'll be led by research scientists at Imperial College London and will take place in a high-level isolation unit in a London hospital.

它將由倫敦帝國理工學院的研究科學家上司，並將在倫敦一家醫院的高級隔離病房進行。

Participants will be exposed to the virus by having it literally dripped into their noses.

參與者將通過將病毒滴入鼻子來接觸病毒。

They'll be closely monitored, with blood samples and nose swabs taken every day,

他們會受到密切監控，每天都會採集血液樣本和鼻拭子。

and participants undergoing a battery of tests on everything from their sense of smell to their cognitive abilities throughout the trial.

並在整個試驗過程中對參與者進行從嗅覺到認知能力的一系列測試。

The first phase of the study will aim to determine something really important: infectious dose,

研究的第一階段將旨在確定一些真正重要的東西：感染性劑量。

or how much virus does someone have to be exposed to… to actually get sick?

或者一個人要接觸多少病毒... 才會真正生病？

Then, after a participant has the disease, the researchers can measure their immune response to the virus and test potential treatments.

然後，在參與者患病後，研究人員可以測量他們對病毒的免疫反應，並測試潛在的治療方法。

This study could help us better understand questions we really need answers to, like:

這項研究可以幫助我們更好地理解我們真正需要答案的問題，比如。

How is the virus shed by those who have it?

感染病毒的人是如何脫落的？

What is the possibility and mechanism of reinfection?

再感染的可能性和機制是什麼？

Can we find clues that'll tell us which people are more likely to develop symptoms?

我們能否找到線索，告訴我們哪些人更容易出現症狀？

Another potential benefit of a human challenge trial is that it could be expanded to compare the efficacy and safety

人類挑戰試驗的另一個潛在的好處是，可以擴大試驗範圍，以比較療效和安全性。

of different vaccine formulations.

不同疫苗配方的。

See, in a typical vaccine trial, people who receive the vaccine go out into the world, living their daily lives.

你看，在典型的疫苗試驗中，接受疫苗的人走向世界，過著他們的日常生活。

This allows trial researchers to gather data about how well that vaccine protects that person as they encounter disease 'in the wild'.

這使得試驗研究人員可以收集有關該疫苗如何保護該人的數據，因為他們在 "野外 "遇到疾病。

But as more of the general population becomes vaccinated, it'll actually be harder to test how well new vaccines work.

但隨著越來越多的普通人群接種疫苗，新疫苗的效果如何，其實會更難測試。

It brings up questions like:

這就帶來了這樣的問題。

Is a person in a vaccine trial protected because of the new vaccine they received?

疫苗試驗中的人是否因為接受了新疫苗而受到保護？

Or are they protected by others around them who have been vaccinated with a different kind?

還是被身邊其他接種過不同種類疫苗的人保護起來了？

So, a human challenge trial may help us fill in the gaps about the effectiveness of new vaccine candidates,

所以，人體挑戰試驗可能會幫助我們填補關於新候選疫苗有效性的空白。

especially as new variants of the virus emerge.

特別是隨著新的病毒變種的出現。

But there's still the key question: how ethical is this?

但關鍵問題還是在於：這到底有多大的道德含量？

And will its potential benefits outweigh the very real risks?

它的潛在利益是否會超過非常現實的風險？

The trial will be held under tight medical supervision,

審判將在嚴格的醫療監督下進行。

and the selection process will make sure all participants are in accordance with WHO guidelines.

和選拔過程將確保所有參與者都符合世衛組織的指導方針。

They'll be healthy young adults ages 18-30,

他們會是18-30歲的健康年輕人。

whose health history would make them unlikely to develop severe disease from the COVID-19 virus.

其健康史將使他們不太可能因COVID-19病毒而患上嚴重疾病。

But there's still always the very small possibility that someone could become really sick or even die

但仍有極小的可能性，有人可能會真的生病，甚至死亡。

because we don't have guaranteed treatment for the disease once someone has it.

因為一旦有人得了這種病，我們的治療沒有保障。

And we still don't fully understand the lingering effects the disease can cause, which may affect some individuals for a really long time.

而且我們仍然不完全瞭解這種疾病可能造成的揮之不去的影響，這可能會影響一些人很長一段時間。

And there are those who argue that these studies are not useful for evaluating vaccines because

而有人認為，這些研究對評估疫苗沒有用，因為

those chosen to take part are so young and healthy…

那些被選中參加的人都是如此年輕和健康...

whereas a vaccine must be proven safe and effective for populations of all ages and health statuses.

而疫苗必須證明對所有年齡和健康狀況的人群都是安全和有效的。

Regardless, the UK government has already invested 33.6 million pounds to fund this research,

無論如何，英國政府已經投入3360萬英鎊資助這項研究。

and they're not the only ones.

而且他們不是唯一的人。

The Belgian government has invested 20 million euros for a similar human challenge trial of its own,

比利時政府已投資2000萬歐元，用於自己的類似人類挑戰試驗。

although the planned timing of this is unclear.

儘管計劃中的時間還不清楚。

The US is developing its own plans for similar trials,

美國正在制定自己的類似試驗計劃。

although it's waiting on more vaccine trial data and no concrete plans are currently in place.

雖然它在等待更多的疫苗試驗數據，目前還沒有具體計劃。

As I wrote this script, over 20 million people have received a vaccine dose in the UK alone,

在我寫這篇稿子的時候，僅在英國就有超過2000萬人接受了一劑疫苗。

and by the time you see this it will probably be more.

而當你看到這個的時候，可能會更。

And the boundary-pushing human challenge trial was approved to begin in March of 2021!

而突破邊界的人體挑戰試驗也獲准在2021年3月開始!

Its proponents hope the information we'll gain from the trial will give us an advantage over the novel coronavirus

它的支持者希望我們將從試驗中獲得的資訊將使我們獲得比新型冠狀病毒更多的優勢。

as we fight to make normal life as normal and as safe as possible.

在我們為使正常生活儘可能正常化和安全化而奮鬥的時候。

And maybe, it'll make us better prepared for anything new the virus may throw our way too.

也許，這將使我們更好地準備任何新的病毒可能扔我們的方式了。

Because the virus isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

因為這個病毒不會很快消失的

What do you think? Would you take part in a human challenge trial?

你覺得呢？你會參加人體挑戰試驗嗎？

Should a study like this wait until we have a better way to treat those infected with the disease?

這樣的研究是否應該等到我們有更好的方法來治療那些感染了這種疾病的人？

Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below,

讓我們在下面的評論中知道你的想法。

and subscribe to Seeker for all your important COVID-19 research updates.

並訂閱Seeker以獲得所有重要的COVID-19研究更新。

As always, thanks for watching. I'll see ya next time.

一如既往，謝謝你的觀看。下次見。