首页
登录
职称英语
Last year, when President George W. Bush announced that federal funds could b
Last year, when President George W. Bush announced that federal funds could b
游客
2023-12-18
21
管理
问题
Last year, when President George W. Bush announced that federal funds could be used to support re search on human embryonic stem cells, he mandated that only those cell lines that existed at the time would qualify for such support. More than a year later it’s becoming increasingly clear that these existing cell lines are inadequate. Unless more are created, the research slowdown may exact a staggering cost in terms of human suffering.
Since this announcement, the U. S National Institutes of Health has tried to stimulate research on the existing cell lines with new funding and efforts to streamline the initially cumbersome process of obtaining approved cells. However, whether there are 60 cell lines, as originally stated, or nine, as now appear to be available to NIH-funded investigators, the number is not adequate. Given the genetic diversity within the population, scientists need access to new cell lines if they are to come up with the most effective cell therapies.
The issue is partly one of safety. In conducting research with human participants, we must minimize risks. The most effective cell line might not be the safest. When developing a new medicine, a large number of molecules must be screened to find a balance between effectiveness and safety. The same is true with cells: In the context of cell therapy, it will be important to minimize unwanted immune reactions and inflammation. This requires selection from a large number of cell lines to obtain the best match.
It’s clear from experiments with animals that stem--cell therapies can reduce human suffering. Parkinsonian mice have been cured with embryonic stem cells that were programmed to become dopamine-secreting, replacement nerve cells. Soon, cells induced to make insulin in tissue cultures will be used in attempts to treat diabetic mice. Similar successes have been achieved in animal models of spinal cord injury, heart failure and other degenerative disorders. We are at a frontier in medicine where tissues will be re stored in ways that were not imaginable just a few years ago. The ethical issues raised by human-embryo research are profound. The human costs of restricting this research must be taken into account as well. The cost in dollars of delaying new stem-cell research is difficult to estimate. It might measure in the hundreds of billions of dollars, especially if one adds the lost productivity of individuals who must leave work to care for victims of degenerative disorders.
A less obvious, but real, cost is the damage to the fabric of America’s extraordinary culture of inquiry and technical development in biomedical science. Our universities and teaching hospitals are unparalleled. We attract the very best students, scientists and physicians from around the world. But these institutions are fragile. Research and education play key roles in attracting the best physicians. A crippled research enterprise might add an unbearable stress with long-lasting effects on the entire system. If revolutionary new therapies are delayed or outlawed, we could be set back for years, if not decades.
To steer clear of controversy, some investigators will redirect their research. Others will emigrate to countries where such research is allowed and encouraged. Some will drop out entirely. The pall cast over the science community could extend far beyond stem-cell research. Many therapies have emerged from collaboration between government-sponsored researchers and private enterprise. Few of these discoveries would have emerged ii, for instance, recombinant DNA research had been outlawed 30 years ago. We face the same type of decision today with limits placed on human embryonic stem cells.
Safeguards will be necessary. But if we do not proceed embracing the values of objective, open, inquiry with complete sharing of methods and results, the field will be left to less rigorous fringe groups here and abroad. Patients and society will suffer. [br] The word "streamline" in the second paragraph probably means ______.
选项
A、strengthen.
B、simplify.
C、ascertain.
D、subvert.
答案
B
解析
语义理解题。由题干定位至第二段。首句指出、.stimulate research on the existing cell lines with new funding and efforts to streamline the initially cumbersome process…,解题重点在于cumbersome(麻烦的,沉重的),既然过程原来很麻烦,需要做的就是简化,故[B]为答案。[C]意为“查明,确定”;[D]意为“颠覆”,与语境无关,排除。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3282806.html
相关试题推荐
SuchjoyItwasthespringof1985,andPresidentReaganhadjustgivenMothe
SuchjoyItwasthespringof1985,andPresidentReaganhadjustgivenMothe
SuchjoyItwasthespringof1985,andPresidentReaganhadjustgivenMothe
[originaltext]EmbattledIndonesianPresidentAbdlurrahmanWahidwarnedyeste
WharfstheformerCypriotPresident’sattitudetowardsCyprus’entryintotheEu
WhenSecretaryofStateCondoleezzaRicestoodbesideAfghanPresidentHamid
[originaltext]GeorgeStephanopoulos:Mr.Wolfensohnwelcome.Youjustheardthe
[originaltext]GeorgeStephanopoulos:Mr.Wolfensohnwelcome.Youjustheardthe
[originaltext]GeorgeStephanopoulos:Mr.Wolfensohnwelcome.Youjustheardthe
[originaltext]GeorgeStephanopoulos:Mr.Wolfensohnwelcome.Youjustheardthe
随机试题
UnliketheircounterpartsinotherWesterndemocracies,theAmericanlabormovem
[originaltext]M:ThismorningonTakeItOffToday,stayinginshapeontheroa
Videogameshavebecomeincreasinglypopularinbotharcadesandtheaverage
国铁集团与各铁路局集团有限公司(以下简称“铁路局”)是以产权为纽带的企业关系,各
孕妇,于妊娠早期因先兆流产服用人工合成的孕激素保胎治疗。孕妇子女会有哪些临床表现
根据《关于外国投资者并购境内企业的规定》,外国投资者股权并购的,不考虑其他因素,
产后用药"三禁"是A.禁大汗,禁峻下,禁通利小便 B.禁大补,禁峻下,禁通利小
_______________。此前在租售并举的风口下,长租公寓成为资本市场香饽
A.胰岛素 B.蛋白同化制剂 C.利尿剂 D.麻醉止痛剂属于参照特殊管理药
与增量预算编制方法相比,零基预算编制方法的优点有()。A.编制工作量小 B
最新回复
(
0
)