Name: 那些拿錢生病的人！ (The people who get paid to get sick)
Uploaded: 2026-01-18T17:43:04.000Z
Duration: 6 min

反身代名詞

While I was researching this video, there was a brief moment where I thought actually I might volunteer myself to get infected with some disease here.

我在研究這支影片的時候，曾經有那麼一瞬間，我真的覺得我可以自己當志願者去感染某種疾病。

情態副詞

But unfortunately, spending a couple of weeks in quarantine and taking a small but genuine risk with my health wasn't something I could reasonably afford to do.

但很可惜，花個幾週隔離，並且冒著一點點但真實的健康風險，這不是我能負擔得起的。

Fortunately, there are people willing to do that and some of them are inside here in this former hotel in East London, taking part in a challenge trial for rsv, a respiratory virus.

幸好，有些人願意這麼做，其中一些人就在這裡，在倫敦東區這間前飯店裡，參加 RSV 的挑戰試驗，RSV 是一種呼吸道病毒。

So with suitable precautions, we're going to take a look.

所以，做好適當的預防措施後，我們來看看。

What we're essentially doing is we are recruiting healthy volunteers and we're deliberately exposing them to a virus.

我們基本上就是在招募健康的志願者，然後故意讓他們暴露在病毒之下。

We're giving them a virus that we know they're going to recover from.

我們給他們一種病毒，我們知道他們會康復。

But the idea is by making them sick, we can then test if a vaccine or an antiviral is efficacious at protecting against that disease.

但這樣做的目的是，讓他們生病後，我們就能測試疫苗或抗病毒藥物是否能有效預防這種疾病。

We're not taking those vulnerable populations which might become severely ill with the viruses.

我們不會找那些脆弱人群，因為他們可能會因為病毒而重病。

They are healthy such that we can recruit them, we can inoculate them with a virus, and

他們是健康的，這樣我們才能招募他們，給他們接種病毒，然後

they would be expected to recover naturally on their own from the viruses that we're giving them.

我們預期他們可以自行從我們給予的病毒中自然康復。

Half will get the placebo, half will get the vaccine, and

一半會拿到安慰劑，一半會拿到疫苗，

we'll typically come back in about one month later, which is enough time to get response to the vaccine and then all of them will be exposed to the challenge virus.

我們通常會在一個月後回來，這時間足夠讓疫苗產生反應，然後所有人都會暴露在挑戰病毒之下。

Pharmaceutical companies, before they come to us, they would have tested to make sure that that vaccine or antiviral is safe in humans first, but

製藥公司，在他們來找我們之前，他們會先測試確保該疫苗或抗病毒藥物對人體是安全的，但是

without the disease, then they're ready to do human viral challenge studies, which we then bring the next element, which is the disease itself.

沒有疾病，那麼他們就準備好進行人類病毒挑戰研究，接著我們引入下一個元素，也就是疾病本身。

So recruiting a volunteer and making sure they're suitable for the trial really does fit into two categories.

所以招募志願者並確保他們適合試驗，確實可以抽成兩類。

One is, are they healthy enough in their body, their heart, their lungs, are they functioning normally and truly healthy from a medical perspective?

第一是，他們的身體、心臟、肺部是否足夠健康，功能是否正常，從醫學角度來看是否真的健康？

Similarly, they are going to be quarantined for up to two weeks at a time.

同樣地，他們一次最多會被隔離長達兩週。

So we want them to be happy in that environment and able to cope in that environment.

所以我們希望他們在那個環境裡是開心的，並且能夠適應那個環境。

So both their bodily and their mental health capacity are both vital.

所以他們的身體健康和心理健康能力都非常重要。

This is what a quarantine room looks like from the inside.

Not in use right now, obviously, and it will be fully deep cleaned again after I leave.

顯然現在沒有在使用，等我離開後也會徹底清潔乾淨。

But yeah, this will be someone's home for a couple of weeks while they're being paid to risk their health.

但沒錯，這將是某人接下來幾週的家，同時他們還能賺錢來冒健康風險。

Any viral infection, flu, Covid, whatever, does carry a risk of long term effects.

任何病毒感染，像是流感、新冠肺炎等等，都可能會有長期的影響。

And there are serious ethical questions about whether it is right to pay someone to risk their health, but

關於付錢讓人冒健康風險是否正確，這確實有嚴肅的倫理問題，但是

to Be fair, there are much more difficult jobs that also involve physical risk and the chance of bodily injury, and

說句公道話，還有很多更艱難的工作，也同樣涉及身體風險和受傷的可能，而且

that usually don't involve sitting in a room with a TV and a PlayStation.

通常不會有電視和 PlayStation 陪你待在房間裡。

So the volunteers who come onto the trial actually are compensated for their time, and

所以來到試驗的志願者，其實是會為他們的時間獲得報酬的，而且

it's important that we phrase it like that.

我們用那樣的方式來表達很重要。

Four and a half thousand pounds would be the typical amount that's set in conjunction with the Research Ethics committee to make sure people on our trials are compensated for their time.

四千五百英鎊是我們通常會設定的金額，這個金額會和研究倫理委員會一起討論，確保參與我們試驗的志願者能獲得他們時間的報酬。

And similarly to any other trial in the uk.

You are exactly two stories below me right now.

We're obviously not allowed to talk in person.

I don't want to say better than when I actually came in before, but

我不想說比我剛進來的時候還好，但

So not everybody will become infected on these studies.

所以不是所有人都會在這些研究中被感染。

So, yes, some of them will feel completely well for the entire time, and that's expected.

所以，是的，有些人會全程感覺良好，這是預料之中的。

What we're trying to do, of course, is to.

To give the minimum amount of virus to cause a reproducible amount of disease.

盡量用最少的病毒量來引起可重複的疾病。

The outcome of that, normally is that means not 100% of people will be infected, but

結果是，通常這意味著不是 100% 的人會被感染，但

There are quite a few organisations around the world who run similar trials.

全世界有許多組織在進行類似的試驗。

This one is descended from the UK government's Common Cold unit, which started just after the Second World War and ran experiments for nearly half a century.

這個試驗源自英國政府的普通感冒研究中心，該中心在二戰後不久成立，並進行了近半個世紀的實驗。

They didn't cure the common cold, obviously, but they did identify what we now call coronaviruses.

他們當然沒有治癒普通感冒，但他們確實發現了我們現在稱為冠狀病毒的東西。

Back then, they'd run adverts in Newspapers offering 10 days free holiday and travel expenses paid.

當時，他們會在報紙上刊登廣告，提供 10 天的免費假期和支付旅費。

The catch being, of course, that you would be in quarantine and infected with something during that holiday.

當然，唯一的條件是，你在假期期間會被隔離並感染某種疾病。

These days, the advertising is a bit more straightforward.

Initially, I found out about it on Google and then I saw more Instagram ads.

一開始我是在 Google 上看到的，然後又在 Instagram 上看到更多廣告。

You know what that is for getting the virus?

你知道那是什麼來感染病毒的嗎？

You basically lay down and they use a pet with a diluted virus in it that's dropped into each of your nostrils.

你基本上就是躺下來，他們會用一種稀釋過的病毒，滴進你的鼻孔裡。

It's quite daunting when you're laid there and you've got a team of people around you in clinical care and you're receiving a virus.

當你躺在那裡，有一群醫護人員在你周圍，而你正在接種病毒，這感覺挺嚇人的。

It was a scary place to be in, albeit for a short amount of time.

那段時間雖然不長，但確實是個可怕的經歷。

There was one part of challenge trials that it took me a while to figure out.

挑戰試驗中有一個部分，我花了一段時間才弄清楚。

Somewhere they have to manufacture the viruses that they're infecting volunteers with to specific standards of quantity and quality, the same as you would for any other scientific supply.

他們必須按照特定的數量和品質標準來製造用於感染志願者的病毒，這和製造任何其他科學用品一樣。

So how do you make and transport things like the common cold?

那麼，要如何製造和運送像是普通感冒這樣的東西呢？

It would start by taking a clinical swab from someone who has contracted the disease naturally in the community.

這會從社區裡一位自然感染了疾病的人身上採集臨床拭子開始。

Then that swab is then grown in tissue culture and amplified up, all done under very controlled conditions.

然後，這個拭子會在組織培養中生長並放大，所有這些都在非常受控的條件下進行。

Now, this process of producing human channel's virus is actually really similar to the way a lot of vaccines are made.

現在，這種生產人類病毒的過程，其實跟很多疫苗的製作方式非常相似。

You need to grow up the virus first and then you inactivate the virus or you denature the virus in some way and that becomes the vaccine.

你需要先培養病毒，然後將病毒滅活，或者用某種方式使病毒變性，這就成了疫苗。

So that early part of the pathway of producing a vaccine is very, very similar actually to how we produce challenge viruses.

所以，生產疫苗的早期路徑，其實跟我們生產挑戰病毒的方式非常非常相似。

They've got days or weeks left in one of these rooms, depending on which trial they're in.

他們還要在這些房間裡待上幾天或幾週，這取決於他們參加的是哪個試驗。

But I did have one more question before I went.

但在我離開前，我還有一個問題。

We've seen a lot of drugs and vaccines accelerated through the work that we've done, Channel studies.

我們看到很多藥物和疫苗因為我們所做的、人類病毒挑戰研究的工作而加速問世。

They're being used really to understand very early on, have I got a proof of concept?

它們其實是用來早期瞭解，我是否有了概念驗證。

Can I see if my, my drug is working and give me confidence to take it forward or the reverse?

我能不能看到我的藥物是否有效，並給我信心繼續推進，或者反過來呢？

Can I kill it quickly and then they can put their money into, into other better drugs or redevelopment?

我能不能快速殺死它，然後他們就可以把資金投入到其他更好的藥物或重新開發上？