HEALTH REPORT - New Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Developed for

HEALTH REPORT - New Embryonic² Stem Cell Lines Developed for Researchers
By Paul Thompson

Broadcast: Wednesday, August 11, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Health Report.

Researchers in the United States recently announced the development of seventeen new lines of human embryonic stem cells. The researchers work at Harvard University for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. They said the new stem cell lines will be offered for use by other scientists.

Stem cells have qualities that might make them useful in the treatment of diseases. Scientists are especially interested in stem cells from embryos³. These are able to develop into the different kinds of tissues of the body.

In two thousand two, President Bush restricted government support for such research. Federal money can only go to research on existing lines of embryonic stem cells.

Opponents of these limits include Ron Reagan, the son of the former Republican president. He gave a speech last month at the Democratic convention in Boston. He is not a scientist, but he described how stem cells might someday be used to treat a disease:

Doctors would take a cell from a patient and place the nucleus⁴ inside an egg. Chemicals or electricity would cause the nucleus to divide into more cells to form an embryo¹. The stem cells could then be used to replace unhealthy cells in the patient.

Many scientists have hope for the possibility of such cures. Not all think the promise is as great as some people might believe, at least not yet. But some people oppose the use of embryonic stem cells. They say human life is destroyed because the embryo is destroyed to collect the cells.

Private laboratories are not affected⁵ by the government limits. The new stem cell lines were developed by scientists in the laboratory of Douglas Melton. He is a Howard Hughes researcher at Harvard. The institute along with the university and the Juvenile⁶ Diabetes⁷ Research Foundation pay for his research.

The laboratory will use the stem cell lines to look for a cure for type one diabetes. Type one diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes. It is generally found in young people.

The disease is caused by a lack of cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. Douglas Melton's goal is to learn how to make embryonic stem cells that can grow the needed pancreatic cells. He says he hopes the new cell lines will speed this research and lead to new discoveries about other diseases, too.

This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Paul Thompson. This is Gwen Outen.

1 embryo   

n.胚胎，萌芽的事物

参考例句：

• They are engaging in an embryo research.他们正在进行一项胚胎研究。
• The project was barely in embryo.该计划只是个雏形。

2 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

3 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

4 nucleus   

n.核，核心，原子核

参考例句：

• These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
• These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 juvenile   

n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的

参考例句：

• For a grown man he acted in a very juvenile manner.身为成年人，他的行为举止显得十分幼稚。
• Juvenile crime is increasing at a terrifying rate.青少年犯罪正在以惊人的速度增长。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。