2. Read the text “Merck’s new alchemist” and comment on the title.
MERCK’S
NEW ALCHEMIST
As a hotshot scientist at the Cambridge (Mass.)-based Whitehead Institute during the 1990s, Peter S. Kim never let minor obstacles stand in his way. Whitehead, the renowned biomedical research center affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, didn’t have quick access to powerful X-ray technology for Kim’s protein structure research. So he persuaded higher-ups to foot the multimillion-dollar bill for new equipment that would allow immediate use of the superpowerful X-ray source at the government’s Argonne National Laboratory. “His influence carried weight up to the highest levels,” says Phillip A. Sharp, a Nobel laureate and biologist who is a professor at MIT, where Kim also taught.
The 44-year-old Kim will need that vision and drive in his new role at Merck & Co. On Dec. 2, 2002, Merck announced that Kim, who became a scientific superstar at Whitehead doing research into viruses like HIV, will take over as chief of the drugmaker’s $2.7 billion at the start of 2003.
Kim, who was required to be executive vice-president of R&D at Merck in 2001, faces a daunting task. He must use his proven mastery of cutting-edge biology to help Merck harness the potential of the genomics revolution. The new science has raised costs for every drugmaker in the near term but has yet to yield a wave of new products. The result is that Merck, like virtually every drugmaker, is struggling with a weak pipeline. “We need extraordinary leaders with biotechnology and genomics expertise,” says Denise DeMan-Williams, founder of the pharmaceutical recruiting firm Bench International Search Inc.
At the core of Kim’s strategy is a drive to cut the notoriously high failure rate of drug development. Just months after joining Merck, he persuaded Chairman and CEO Raymond V. Gilmartin to make a big bet on the emerging science of molecular profiling, which can give an early read on a drug’s likely safety and effectiveness. Kim set his sights on the Kirkland (Wash.) biotech company Rosetta Inpharmatics Inc., striking a $540 million deal to buy it in just a few weeks. “We needed to do molecular profiling, and I knew it would take a long time to build it internally,” Kim says from his office at Merck’s West Point (Pa.) labs.
If he’s right, the Rosetta deal could pay big dividends. Rosetta studies patterns of how tens of thousands of genes are turned on and off in various tissues. Those tissues may be taken from people or animals with certain diseases or that are taking drugs with known side effects, for example. Merck then tests drug candidates against those patterns. “If it this cuts our failure rate, that is big,” Kim says.
Kim’s bold moves at Merck come as no surprise to those who have followed his career. He made headlines in the 1990s for helping discover the mechanism that HIV and other viruses use to gain entry into healthy cells. “That was absolutely beautiful work,” says Dr. Dani P. Bolognesi, chief executive officer of biotech player Trimeris Inc.
While Wall Streeters respect Kim’s research credentials, they warn he has a tough transition to make. Analysts are anxiously awaiting Merck’s meeting, where Kim will give an update on Merck’s pipeline. For now, though, most believe little quick improvement is in sight. With the $7.5 billion cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor likely to face generic competition in 2006, SG Cowen Securities Corp. analyst Stephen M. Scala figures earnings in Merck’s core drug business will grow at a compound annual growth rate of just 2% between 2001 and 2006. The industry should grow 8% to 10% for the period.
That’s why some investors want to see Kim go hunting for drugs to license. “I would hope an outside guy [like Kim] will be able to shake things up,” says Dr. John Borzilleri, portfolio manager at State Street Research & Management Co., a Merck shareholder. Revitalizing Merck’s R&D operation may make decoding natures most cunning viruses seem easy by comparison.
3. Find words and phrases in the text which show that the points below are true:
a) Whitehead Institute got a lot of money from the government;
b) The head of the R&D operation studies AIDS;
c) Cooperation of the two big biotech companies will help Merck to achieve its goals quicker;
d) Rosetta Inpharmatics Inc. has become part of Merck;
e) The company works with ill people or drugaddicts;
f) Merck shareholders want the new R&D operation chief to improve the situation in the company.
4. Translate the following word combinations into Russian:
a) a hotshot scientist;
b) affiliated center;
c) to foot the multimillion-dollar bill;
d) to do research into viruses;
e) to face a daunting task;
f) to raise costs;
g) to struggle with a weak pipeline;
h) to make a big bet;
i) at the core of the strategy;
j) to set sight on;
k) tens of thousands of genes;
l) known side effects;
m) annual growth rate;
n) to go hunting for drugs;
o) to shake things up;
p) to make headlines.
5. Match the words in the article with their meanings below:
a) group of organic compounds forming part of body tissues and making up an important part of the diet;
b) an organised effort to achieve a particular purpose;
c) innovative; pioneering;
d) a distinct sequence of DNA forming part of a chromosome, by which offspring inherit characteristics from a parent;
e) distinct types of material of which animals or plants are made, consisting of specialized cells and their products;
f) the smallest unit of a living organism that is able to reproduce and perform other functions;
g) a qualification, achievement, or quality, used to indicate a person’s suitability for something;
h) a compound which occurs normally in most body tissues and is believed to cause disease of the arteries if present in high concentrations in the blood;
i) a person given an award for outstanding creative or intellectual achievement.
6. Translate the following names of organisations into Russian:
a) the Cambridge (Mass.)-based Whitehead Institute;
b) the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
c) Argonne National Laboratory;
d) Merck and Co.;
e) Bench International Search Inc.;
f) Kirkland (Wash.);
g) Rosetta Inpharmatics Inc.;
h) West Point (Pa.) labs.;
i) Trimeris Inc.;
j) State Street Research & Management Co.
7. Translate the following job titles into Russian:
a) executive vice-president of;
b) Chairman;
c) chief executive officer;
d) analyst;
e) portfolio manager.
8. Find the following abbreviations in your dictionary and translate them into Russian:
a) R&D;
b) MIT;
c) CEO;
d) Inc.;
e) Ltd.;
f) SG;
g) HIV;
h) AIDS;
i) Wash.;
j) Pa.;
k) Mass.;
l) Co.;
m) Corp.
9. Find scientific medical terms in the test and translate them into Russian.
10. Find the slang words in the test and give their equivalents.
11. Explain the meaning of the phrase “drug business”.
12. Explain the difference between the following words:
a) obstacle, barrier, block, catch, difficulty, impediment, problem;
b) drug, medicament, medicine, dope;
c) safety, immunity, invulnerability, protection, sanctuary, security, shelter;
d) update, amend, correct, modernize, review;
e) compound, complex, complicated, multiple;
f) decode, crack, decipher, explain, interpret, solve, unscramble;
g) industry, business, commerce, manufacturing, production, trade;
h) harness, control, domesticate, exploit, make use of, tame, use, utilize.
13. Analyse the grammatical structure of the sentences:
a) His influence carried weight up to the highest levels,” says Phillip A. Sharp, a Noble laureate and biologist who is a professor at MIT, where Kim also taught;
b) The result is that Merck, like virtually every drugmaker, is struggling with a weak pipeline;
c) If he’s right, the Rosetta deal could pay big dividends;
d) For now, though, most believe little quick improvement is in sight.
14. Read the following variants of translation and name their strong and weak points:
a) Нам нужны сильные лидеры в области биотехнологий и генетики, говорит Дениз ДеМен-Уильямс, основательница Бенч Интернешнл Серч Инк., фирмы по найму специалистов для фармацевтических компаний.
b) Мы нуждаемся в сильных лидерах, обладающих знаниями по биотехнологии и генетике, говорит Дениз ДеМен-Уильямс, основавшая компанию Бенч Интонешнл Серч Инк., занимающуюся поиском работников для фармацевтических фирм.
c) Нам нужны выдающиеся биотехнологи и генетики, говорит основательница компании Бенч Интернешл Серч Инкорпорейтед Дениз ДеМен-Уильямс. Ее компания ищет специалистов для фармацевтических компаний.
* * *
a) Розетта изучает, как десятки сотен генов взаимодействуют в различных образцах тканей. Эти образцы берутся у людей или животных, страдающими какими-то заболеваниями или принимающих лекарства с известными побочными эффектами.
b) Розетта изучает модели взаимодействия десятков сотен генов в различных тканях. Эти образцы тканей берутся у людей или животных, страдающих какими-то заболеваниями, или, например, у людей, принимающих лекарственные препараты с известными побочными эффектами.
c) Розетта занимается изучением образцов тканей и того, как десятки и сотни генов взаимодействуют в них. Эти образцы могут быть взяты, например, у животных или у людей, которые болеют, или у тех, кто использует лекарства с какими-то побочными эффектами.
15. Choose the best in your opinion variant of translation of the title:
a) Алхимик из Мерка
b) Фармакопея и алхимия
c) Мерк ищет философский камень
d) Алхимик поможет фармацевтам
e) Новое лекарство Мерка “Алхимик”
f) Алхимик во главе биохимической компании
16. Translate the text “Merck’s new alchemist” into Russian in writing.
17. Listen to the tape and put down the main points. Render the information in Russian using your notes.
18. Read the newspaper article given below and render its contest in English:
Подарок фармацевтическим магнатам
(дается в сокращении)
Во второй половине прошлого века, с 60-х до конца 80-х годов, в разных странах появились и стали доступны препараты, содержащие женские половые гормоны.
Женщины, следившие за своим здоровьем и всеми медицинскими новинками, начали активно принимать такие препараты не только по рекомендации врачей, но и по собственной инициативе, для профилактики. Результаты исследований 20-летней давности выявили, что эти женщины отличаются завидным здоровьем и дали толчок для широкого внедрения гормонозаместительной терапии. Почуяв многомиллионные прибыли (гормоны – удовольствие не из дешевых), в дело вступили фармацевтические компании. Миллионы женщин во всех странах мира «подсели» на гормоны.
И вот итог: через 40 лет после появления первых препаратов и 20 лет их повсеместного применения эта терапия признана смертельно опасной и, за исключением особых случаев, фактически запрещена.
19. The conversation given below takes place between two persons speaking different languages – English and Russian. Students A and B read the dialogue, and student C acts as an interpreter.
A : Гость нашей программы собирается рассказать нам о новом лекарстве против рака – Авастине.
B: Yes, thirteen years ago one of the Genetech’s scientists found a gene that regulates blood flow to tumors, and started looking for a way to turn it off.
A : Эта работа заняла у него пять лет, насколько нам известно.
B: And three years more to fashion the antibody into a drug.
A : Лекарство тестировалось на животных?
В : There were animal tests, then came safety tests, and large-scale human trials to gauge the drug’s effectiveness.
A : Наконец, компания заявила, что Авастин продлевает жизнь пациента, когда применяется наряду с химиотерапией. Это открытие позволяет надеяться, что подобное средство лишь первое в ряду новых лекарств против рака.
B: But be careful – the trials aren’t complete, and government approval isn’t guaranteed. Still, the company’s scientists are finding fundamentally different ways of treating people who are suffering and desperate.
20. Write an essay on one of the following topics: “Discoveries that worsened our life”, “Effective managers can be dangerous”, “Scientific development and its influence on our life”.
Unit VII
1. What kind of environmental problems are people facing nowadays? What do you think people should do about these problems?
2. Read the text and make notes on the environmental problems, and compare them with the problems you’ve described in assignment 1.
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