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时间:2019-07-03
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1、Sunday,Jul.30,2006StemCells:TheHopeAndTheHypeByNANCYGIBBSWhenthere'snothingelsetoprescribe,hopeworkslikeadrug.Aquadriplegicpatienttellsherselfit'snotamatterofiftheyfindacurebutwhen.Who'stosaywhethersalvationisstill10or15yearsaway?Afterall,researchershavebeeninjectingstemcellsintoparalyzedratsan
2、dwatchingtheirspinalcordsmend."Stemcellshavealreadycuredparalysisinanimals,"declaredChristopherReeveinacommercialhefilmedaweekbeforehedied.Butwhatisthecorrectdoseofhopewhenthediseasesaredreadfulandtheprospectsofcuredistant?Lastmonth,whenPresidentGeorgeW.Bushvetoedthebillthatwouldhaveexpandedfun
3、dingforhumanembryonic-stem-cell(ESC)research,doctorsgotcallsfrompatientswithParkinson'sdiseasesayingtheyweren'tsuretheycouldhangonforanotheryearortwo.Thedoctorscouldonlyreplythatinthebest-casescenario,curesareatleastadecadeaway,thathopeisnosubstituteforevidence,thatstem-cellscienceisstillinitsi
4、nfancy.Itisthenatureofsciencetomixhopewithhedging.Itisthenatureofpoliticstooverpromiseandmopuplater.Butthepoliticsofstem-cellscienceisdifferent.OpponentsofESCresearch--startingwithBush--arguethatyoucan'tdestroylifeinordertosaveit;supportersarguethataneight-cellembryodoesn'tcountasahumanlifeinth
5、efirstplace--notwhencomparedwiththelifeitcouldhelpsave.Opponentssaythepromiseofembryoresearchhasbeenoversold,andtheypointtothecuresthathavebeenderivedfromadultstemcellsfrombonemarrowandumbilicalcords;supportersretortthatadultstemcellsarestilloflimiteduse,andtofullyrealizetheirpotentialwewouldne
6、edtoknowmoreabouthowtheyoperate--whichwecanlearnonlyfromstudyingleftoverfertility-clinicembryosthatwouldotherwisebethrownaway.Backandforthitgoes,thepoliticsdrivingthescience,thesciencepushingback.Stem-cellresearchhasjoinedglobalwarmingandevolutionscienceasfieldsinwhichtheveryfactsareputtoavote,
7、apublicspectacleinwhichdatawrestledogma.Scientistswhoarehavingsurprisingsuccesswithadultstemcellsfindtheirprogressbeingusedbyactiviststoarguethatembryoresearchisnotjustimmoralbutalsounnecessary.Buttothoseinthefield,theonlyansweris
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