NEWS
March 13, 2007.Tuesday

NEWSworthy Clips
New vaccines could immunize people against bad habits

Vaccines, the powerful medical weapons devised to vanquish deadly germs, are now being called on to do something totally different and culturally revolutionary inoculate people against bad habits like overeating, cigarette smoking and drug use.

   Whether this new era of vaccine research can actually subdue many of the poor lifestyle choices that are today's biggest threats to health causing obesity.cancer, heart disease and other problems hasn't yet been proven. But the research is promising enough for the U.S. government to spend millions on testing to see if the new vaccines work.

   The new vaccines for addictive drugs employ the body's natural immune system in an innovative way. Instead of building antibodies to destroy germs as traditional vaccines do, they construct antibodies that lock onto nicotine and cocaine molecules, preventing them from reaching the brain. Studies show that 42 percent of smokers receiving a nicotine vaccine by drug-maker Cytos remained smoke-free after an entire year.

   In the case of obesity vaccines, antibodies attach to the hunger protein called ghrelin, preventing it from reaching the brain and stimulating appetite. In experiments with mice, the animals that were given the obesity vaccine reduced their weight gain by 15 to 20 percent.

   To many researchers, the vaccines seem to be a potential answer to many of society's major ills. In the United States, there are 50 million cigarette smokers, 5 million drug addicts, 60 million obese adults and 9 million overweight youngsters. Most have one thing in common: They'd like to quit but can't.

   "What we're seeing is a renaissance in vaccine technology," says Dr. Gary Nabel. "It's only natural that when you have a technology that's this powerful, it can be applied to other medical problems."

Vocabulary Focus
subdue (v)--- to reduce the force of something, or to prevent something from existing or developing
promising (adj)--- showing signs that something is going to be successful or enjoyable

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Specialized Terms
inoculate (v)--- 预防接种 to give a person or animal a substance to prevent disease
antibody (n)--- 抗体 a protein produced in the blood that fights disease by attacking and killing harmful bacteria
nicotine (n)--- 尼古丁 a poisonous chemical found in tobacco which makes people who breathe it habitually want more of it
cocaine (n)---古柯碱 a drug used in medicine to prevent pain and also used illegally, often in the form of white powder which is inhaled through the nose