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When a new pathogen emerges, our bodies and healthcare systems are left vulnerable.
当一个全新的病原体出现时，我们的身体很容易受到侵害。
In times like these, there's an urgent need for a vaccine to create widespread immunity with minimal loss of life.
这时候，我们就迫切需要疫苗来激活人体的免疫系统，挽救更多的生命。
So how quickly can we develop vaccines when we need them most?
那么在紧急状态下，最快需要多久可以研发出疫苗呢？
Vaccine development can generally be split into three phases.
疫苗研发大体可以分为三个阶段。
In exploratory research, scientists experiment with different approaches to find safe and replicable vaccine designs.
在早期研发阶段中，科学家们会尝试各种各样的方法，去寻找安全并且可以复制的疫苗。
Once these are vetted in the lab, they enter clinical testing, where vaccines are evaluated for safety, efficacy, and side effects across a variety of populations.
在经过实验室检验后，它们将进入临床测试阶段，针对不同群体，对疫苗的安全性、高效性和副作用进行评估。
Finally, there's manufacturing, where vaccines are produced and distributed for public use.
最后，是制药阶段，疫苗将被生产和发配给大众接种。
Under regular circumstances, this process takes an average of 15 to 20 years.
在正常情况下，这个过程会持续15到20年。
But during a pandemic, researchers employ numerous strategies to move through each stage as quickly as possible.
但是在疫情大流行期间，研究人员会应用大量的方法，去尽可能快的通过每个阶段的试验。
Exploratory research is perhaps the most flexible. The goal of this stage is to find a safe way to introduce our immune system to the virus or bacteria.
早期研发阶段是最具有灵活性的。这个阶段的目的是找到一个安全的途径将病毒或细菌引入人体的免疫系统。
This gives our body the information it needs to create antibodies capable of fighting a real infection.
这将给人体提供所需要的信息，以产生足以对抗真正感染的抗体。
There are many ways to safely trigger this immune response, but generally, the most effective designs are also the slowest to produce.
许多方法可以安全地激活免疫反应，但通常来说，最有效的方法，其研发时间也是最久的。
Traditional attenuated vaccines create long lasting resilience.
传统的减毒活疫苗会产生长效的免疫效力。
But they rely on weakened viral strains that must be cultivated in non-human tissue over long periods of time.
但是它所依赖的弱毒株必须在非人体组织中培养很长一段时间。
Inactivated vaccines take a much faster approach, directly applying heat, acid, or radiation to weaken the pathogen.
灭活疫苗则需要花费更长的时间去研发，它需要通过加热，酸处理或者辐射来弱化病原体。
Sub-unit vaccines, that inject harmless fragments of viral proteins, can also be created quickly.
亚单位疫苗，即注射病毒蛋白的无害片段，也可以被快速的研制。
But these faster techniques produce less robust resilience.
但是这些相对快速的技术会导致较弱的效力。
These are just three of many vaccine designs, each with their own pros and cons.
这些只是众多疫苗设计中的三种方法，每一种都有其优缺点。
No single approach is guaranteed to work, and all of them require time-consuming research.
没有任何一种技术是100%有效的，并且所有的技术都需要经历耗时的研究。
So the best way to speed things up is for many labs to work on different models simultaneously.
所以加快疫苗研发的最佳方法是让许多实验室同时研究不同的模型。
This race-to-the-finish strategy produced the first testable Zika vaccine in 7 months, and the first testable COVID-19 vaccine in just 42 days.
这种竞争策略让科学家们在7个月内研制出了可实验的寨卡疫苗，并且在42天内研制出了第一支可实验的新冠病毒疫苗。
Being testable doesn't mean these vaccines will be successful.
拥有实验性疫苗并不代表这些疫苗已经研发成功。
But models that are deemed safe and easily replicable can move into clinical testing while other labs continue exploring alternatives.
但那些被认为安全并且易于复制的模型可以在研发其他方案的同时进行临床试验。
Whether a testable vaccine is produced in four months or four years, the next stage is often the longest and most unpredictable stage of development.
无论实验性疫苗在四个月还是四年内研制出来，下一个阶段往往是研发过程中最漫长且最不可预测的。
Clinical testing consists of three phases, each containing multiple trials.
临床试验由四个阶段组成，每个阶段包含多次试验。
Phase I trials focus on the intensity of the triggered immune response, and try to establish that the vaccine is safe and effective.
第一阶段重点观察引起免疫反应的强度，并且确保疫苗是安全有效的。
Phase II trials focus on determining the right dosage and delivery schedule across a wider population.
第二阶段着重确定对大范围群体的注射剂量和接种方案。
And Phase III trials determine safety across the vaccine's primary use population, while also identifying rare side effects and negative reactions.
第三阶段试验负责确认疫苗在主要群体中的安全性，以及疫苗引起的副作用和不良反应。
Given the number of variables and the focus on long-term safety, it's incredibly difficult to speed up clinical testing.
面对如此多的不确定因素并且着眼于长期的安全性，想要加快临床试验是极其困难的。
In extreme circumstances, researchers run multiple trials within one phase at the same time.
在极端情况下，研究人员会在同一个阶段进行很多次实验。
But they still need to meet strict safety criteria before moving on.
但是他们在进入下一个阶段前，仍然需要满足严格的安全标准。
Occasionally, labs can expedite this process by leveraging previously approved treatments.
偶尔，实验室可以通过借助已批准的技术来加快这个过程。
In 2009, researchers adapted the seasonal flu vaccine to treat H1N1 -- producing a widely available vaccine in just six months.
在2009年，研究人员曾采用季节性流感疫苗来治疗H1N1--在六个月内生产出了可大规模接种的疫苗。
However, this technique only works when dealing with familiar pathogens that have well-established vaccine designs.
然而，这项技术只有在处理和已拥有成熟疫苗设计的病毒相似的病原体时才可以使用。
After a successful Phase III trial, a national regulatory authority reviews the results and approves safe vaccines for manufacturing.
当第三阶段实验成功后，国家监管机构会审查结果并批准安全达标的疫苗投入生产。
Every vaccine has a unique blend of biological and chemical components that require a specialized pipeline to produce.
每种疫苗都拥有其独特的生物和化学成分，需要一种专门的生产线进行生产。
To start production as soon as the vaccine is approved, manufacturing plans must be designed in parallel to research and testing.
为了让疫苗在得到批准后尽快投入生产，生产计划必须和疫苗的研发、测试同步进行。
This requires constant coordination between labs and manufacturers,
这需要实验室和生产商之间不断协调，
as well as the resources to adapt to sudden changes in vaccine design -- even if that means scrapping months of work.
并随时调整资源配置，以应对疫苗设计中的突然变化---尽管那意味着几个月的努力将付诸东流。
Over time, advances in exploratory research and manufacturing should make this process faster.
随着时间的推移，探索性研究和生产中的技术进步应该会加快这一进程。
Preliminary studies suggest that future researchers may be able to swap genetic material from different viruses into the same vaccine design.
初步研究已表明，未来的研究人员将有可能在同一种疫苗设计中替换不同病毒的遗传物质。
These DNA and mRNA based vaccines could dramatically expedite all three stages of vaccine production.
这些基于DNA和mRNA的疫苗会大大加快疫苗研发的所有三个阶段。
But until such breakthroughs arrive, our best strategy is for labs around the world to cooperate and work in parallel on different approaches.
但是在取得这项突破之前，最好的策略就是全世界的实验室共同合作，并且同时进行多种方案的研发。
By sharing knowledge and resources, scientists can divide and conquer any pathogen.
通过共享知识和资源，科学家们将能够辨别并且攻克任何病毒。
