VOA常速英语2007-Conference Says Stem Cell Research is Robust

By Victoria Cavaliere
New York
16 October 2007

An annual stem cell research conference in New York has been bringing together some of the field's top scientists to discuss breakthroughs in stem cell research and what proponents¹ call its long-term application for curing major diseases. Victoria Cavaliere reports from VOA's New York Bureau that scientists say they have made great strides in the decade since the research began.

Stem cells are the body's master cells, acting² as a source for the various cells and tissues in the body. Those taken from days-old embryos³, called embryonic⁴ stem cells, are more malleable⁵ than stem cells from adults, and can transform into cells in every tissue and organ in the body.

Scientists want to use stem cells to find cures for such debilitating⁶ diseases as Parkinson's, cancer and diabetes⁷.

The science of stem cells is at a fledgling stage, and stem cells have not yet been successfully used to treat or cure human disease.

But participants at the second annual New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Conference called the study of both adult and embryonic stem cells "robust⁸" and "optimistic."

"We are learning about cell differentiation⁹ and the molecular¹⁰ basis of it. We are hoping eventually to be able to direct these stem cells with higher frequency into the cell types of interest that we want," said Dr. John Gearhart, a professor and leading researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School.

Stem cell research, however, has sparked intense debate.

Critics condemn¹¹ embryonic stem cell research as morally offensive because it leads to the destruction of human embryos.

In June, President Bush vetoed for the second time legislation to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research. Congress has been unable to override¹² his vetoes.

The Vatican supports stem cell research as long as it does not harm human embryos, which the Catholic Church says are human beings from the moment of conception.

Scientists at the conference say the possibilities for curing diseases through stem cell research are limitless. Dr. Douglas Melton, the co-director of Harvard University's Stem Cell Institute addressed another controversial issue, the concept of "cloning." He says there are no efforts to replicate¹³ people, just individual cells.

"I think this has been purposely confused in the debate of stem cell research. That is the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer, or cloning, to study degenerative disease. As far as I know, there is no credible¹⁴ scientist who has ever said he or she wants to clone people. In fact, the reason we want to do somatic cell nuclear transfer, or cloning, is because we want to make genetic¹⁵ copies of cells because it holds the possibility, perhaps for the first time, of studying complex degenerative diseases," he said.

Scientists point to a recent breakthrough in Britain, where researchers successfully implanted lung cells grown from embryonic stem cells into the lungs of mice. They say the cells successfully colonized¹⁶ and began growing into normal lung cells within two days. Scientists say this provides hope that such a method could eventually be used to repair damaged human lungs.

1 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

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 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。

5 malleable   

adj.(金属)可锻的;有延展性的；(性格)可训练的

参考例句：

• Silver is the most malleable of all metals.银是延展性最好的金属。
• Scientists are finding that the adult human brain is far more malleable than they once thought.科学家发现成人大脑的可塑性远超过他们之前认识到的。

6 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

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。

8 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

9 differentiation   

n.区别，区分

参考例句：

• There can be no differentiation without contrast. 有比较才有差别。
• The operation that is the inverse of differentiation is called integration. 与微分相反的运算叫做积分。

10 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

11 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

12 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

13 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

14 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

15 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

16 colonized   

开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The area was colonized by the Vikings. 这一地区曾沦为维京人的殖民地。
• The British and French colonized the Americas. 英国人和法国人共同在美洲建立殖民地。