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Superman has been able to focus his heat and X-ray vision to microscopic levels since 2001,
自2001年起，超人就能以显微镜级别的精度聚焦他的热量和X射线透视眼，
but it’s only thanks to recent advancements in "molecular imaging" that this is moving from comics to medicine.
然而，这一愿景能从漫画过渡到医学领域，还得感谢“分子成像”技术最近的突破。
There are lots of different ways doctors look inside your body.
医生能够通过很多方式检查我们的身体。
MRIs let us view structures based on water content, and X-rays based on tissue density.
核磁共振的检测原理是我们身体的含水量，X射线的则是我们的组织密度。
And, while this can give us beautiful anatomical information,
尽管这些方法能够为我们提供非常漂亮的解剖信息，
the standard techniques are quite limited in what they can tell us about a given structure.
但这些标准的技术能够提供给我们的信息量其实非常有限。
For example, mammograms use low-energy X-rays to produce images of breast tissue,
比如，乳房X线摄影使用低能X射线拍摄乳房组织图像，
so a doctor can check for any lurking tumors.
从而帮助医生检查是否有任何潜伏的肿瘤。
But they’re not a perfect test by any means.
然而，无论如何，这种测试都称不上完美。
Up to 50% of women have dense breast tissue, that makes it difficult to get a clear image and, consequently, there are lots of false positive results.
将近一半的女性乳房组织都较密集，很难拍出清晰的图像，于是便有了很多假阳性结果。
One study estimated as many as 1 in 3 women are initially told they have an abnormal result, only to find there’s no cancer after repeat or more sophisticated tests
某研究估计，初次检查被告知结果异常而在复查或者做了更全面的检查之后发现并没有患上癌症的女性多达三分之一，
And,on top of that, the more sophisticated tests we do have, like MRIs,
而且，我们的确会做更全面的检查，比如核磁共振，
often they require an injection to make the target tissues stand out,
但这些检查通常需要注射才能让目标组织变得更显眼，
and that means tons of sterile tools, trained professionals to do the injection, and extra time at the hospital for the patient.
这就意味着要用到大量的无菌器械以及训练有素的专业人员来进行注射，同时也意味着病人在医院等待检查的时间会更长。
No one wants that.
这可不是大家想看到的结果啊。
But, a new study offers what could be a better solution,
不过，一项新的研究为我们提供了更好的解决方案。
a technique called molecular imaging, paired with a different way to deliver the dye -- a simple pill.
这是一种被称之为“分子成像”的技术，搭配另外一种提供染料的方式 - 一种简单的药丸。
Molecular imaging isn’t going to give us superhuman sight,
分子成像虽然无法给我们超人般的视力，
buuut it CAN make it easier for doctors to detect tumors during screening tests.
但它可以帮助医生筛查时检测肿瘤。
It uses specially designed dyes to illuminate different tissues based on their biochemical properties,
因为它使用了特殊设计的染料，能够根据它们的生化特性照亮不同的组织，
giving an extra layer of information about what you’re looking at.
从而为大家提供关于正在检查的组织更多的信息。
This new technique took advantage of the fact that cells in a breast cancer tumor have a lot of a protein receptor called integrin.
这项新技术利用了乳腺癌肿瘤细胞中含有大量蛋白质受体——“整合素”这一事实。
Integrins are found in cells all over the body, so this type of dye wasn’t totally exclusive to the tumor cells,
整合素全身上下的细胞都有，因此这种染料并非只有肿瘤细胞才有，
but it did let them detect tumors as small as 2 cm in mice, which is pretty small.
但它的确让研究人员们在小鼠体内检测到了小到2厘米的肿瘤。而这个尺寸已经算是很小的了。
The thing is, it’s based on a pill.
问题是，这一切靠的都是一颗药丸。
And whenever something is ingested instead of injected,
而且，只要是内服而不是注射的药物，
it means you have to worry about whether it’ll get absorbed by the gut into the bloodstream where it can travel to go do its business.
就意味着你不用担心那个药会进入你的内脏，从而进入血液系统发挥作用。
And while they didn’t have as high of doses as they would’ve hoped because of all these metabolic processes,
尽管它们的剂量并没有原来期望的那么高，毕竟有那么多代谢过程，
the researchers could still detect breast cancer tumors and some support cells in mice.
研究人员还是在小鼠体内检测到了乳腺癌肿瘤和支持细胞。
No injections required.
整个过程无需注射。
As we continue to identify biomarkers of aggressive tumors,
随着我们逐渐能够识别恶性肿瘤的生物标记，
this would mean that screening tests using molecular imaging would not only be able to check if a mass is present --
这就意味着，使用分子成像的筛查检查不仅能够检测出肿瘤是否存在 -
they could also give insight as to whether it’s benign or something more worrisome that needs to be removed right away.
还能检测出肿瘤是良性的还是已经发展到了更令人忧心，需要马上切除的地步。
Since molecular imaging is less confounded by the density of tissue,
由于分子成像不太受组织密度的影响，
the hope is that it would have higher accuracy than the current standard.
所以其准确性有望高于当前检测水平。
While this still needs to be tested in humans -- and with dyes for different targets --
尽管这项技术还需要进行人体测试- 并且要用针对多个目标的多种染料 -
this type of pill is inexpensive, estimated by the authors at about $1/dose,
这种药丸价格便宜，作者估计每剂仅1美元左右，
and it’d be a big improvement over the current standard in terms of accuracy and efficiency.
而且，就准确性和效率而言，也要比目前的标准好很多。
So when it comes to scanning inside our bodies, there’s still a lot to learn.
所以，谈到扫描我们身体内部的构造时，我们还任重而道远呐。
Mammograms are the current standard for screening tests,
乳房X线摄影是当前筛查检测的标准做法，
and the American Cancer Society recommends once women reach 45 they start getting them.
美国癌症协会建议，女性一过45岁就应开始接受这一检查。
But, I don’t know about you -- I’m terrified of needles, so I’d pick a pill over an injection any day.
但是，不知道大家怎么样 - 反正我害怕打针，所以，不论怎样，我都会选吃药不选打针。
For more medical mysteries,
想了解更多的医学奥秘，
check out this video Julian did about surgeries that might not work at all -- placebo surgeries!
大家可以去看看朱利安这个介绍有些手术，安慰剂手术，根本不起作用的视频！
Oh and one last thing: the dye used in this study was one that already existed --
哦，对了：这项研究中使用的染料现在已经有了 -
it was made by a pharma company,
是由一家制药公司生产的的，
but it failed to do what it was designed for, good thing is these folks found another use for it!
但这种染料并未能发挥预期的作用......好在他们发现了它的另一种用途！
