4-12 克隆创造人类胚胎（在线收听）

Cloning¹ Creates Human Embryos

Scientists in South Korea and America report that they have created human embryos through cloning and extracted embryonic² stem cells³, the universal cells that hold great promise for medical research. Their goal, the scientists say, is not to clone humans but to advance understanding of the causes and treatment of disease.

The experiment, the first reported cloning of human stem cells, means the so-called therapeutic⁴ cloning is no longer a theory but a reality. “Our approach opens the door for the use of these specially developed cells in transplantation medicine,” Dr. Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University in Korea, who led the study, said in a statement.

Woo Suk Hwang and his colleagues took the genetic⁵ material from normal cells in women donors and combined it with their eggs. The resulting embryos were then grown up to produce so-called stem cells that can divide into any tissue in the body. The aim is to use the cells to replace ones that have failed in patient’s body. It is what patients with diseases like Parkinson's⁶ and diabetes⁷ have been waiting for, the start of so-called therapeutic cloning. The idea is to clone a patient’s cells to make embryonic stem cells that are an exact genetic match of the patient. Then those cells, patients hope, could be turned into replacement tissue to treat or cure their disease without provoking⁸ rejection from the body's immune⁹ system.

Even though the new work clears a significant hurdle¹⁰, scientists caution that it could take years of further research before stem cell science turns into actual therapies¹¹.

Since British researchers in 1997 produced Dolly, the first cloned sheep in the world, the attempt of human cloning has been widely condemned due to ethical and biological concerns. However, the research of cloning for medical use has won worldwide recognition.

注释：

1.clone [klEJn] vt.＆vi.（使）无性繁殖，克隆

2.embryonic [7embri5Cnik] a. [生] 胚的，胚胎的

3.stem cell [生] 干细胞

4.therapeutic [7WerE5pju:tik] a. 治疗的；有疗效的

5.genetic [dVi5netik] a. [生] 基因的

6.Parkinson's即Parkinson's disease [医] 帕金森氏病

7.diabetes [7daiE5bi:ti:z] n. [医] 糖尿病

8.provoke [prEJ5vEJk] vt. 诱导，导致（身体或物质上的反应）

9.immune [i5mju:n] a. 免疫的；有免疫力的

10.hurdle [5hE:dl] n. 障碍；难关

11.therapy [5WerEpi] n. [医] 疗法；治疗

克隆创造人类胚胎

　　韩国和美国科学家报告称，他们已通过克隆创造出人类胚胎，并从中提取出胚胎干细胞。胚胎干细胞是在医学研究方面具有广阔前景的普适细胞。科学家们表示，他们的目标不是克隆人类，而是促进对疾病的起因和治疗的认识。

　　这是首次报告的克隆人类干细胞的试验，它意味着所谓的治疗性克隆已不再是一种理论，而是现实。领导这一研究的韩国汉城国立大学的黄禹石博士在一项声明中说：“我们的研究为在移植医学中运用这些专门培育的细胞打开了大门。”

　　黄禹石和他的同事从女性捐献者的正常细胞中提取出基因，并将其与她们的卵细胞结合，由此产生的胚胎随后发育产生可分化成人体内任何组织的所谓干细胞。这样做的目的是，利用培育的细胞取代病人体内已丧失功能的细胞。这就是所谓的治疗性克隆的开始，它正是诸如帕金森氏病和糖尿病患者一直期待的。科学家们的设想是，克隆病人的细胞，制造出与病人的基因绝对匹配的胚胎干细胞；随后，病人希望，这些细胞能被转变成替代组织治疗他们的疾病，而不会导致身体免疫系统产生排斥。

　　科学家们提醒说，虽然这项新工作消除了一个重要障碍，但要将干细胞技术运用到实际治疗中，可能还需要进行多年的进一步研究。

　　自1997年英国研究人员制造出世界上第一只克隆羊多莉后，由于伦理和生物学方面的担忧，克隆人类的试图一直受到广泛谴责。然而，将克隆技术用于医学的研究则得到了全世界的认可。