Studies on diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s jeopardized if GOP-controlled Congress cuts funding for embryonic stem cell research.
In 2010, when renowned stem cell scientist Lawrence Goldstein, PhD, published his groundbreaking book “Stem Cells for Dummies,” with co-author Meg Schneider, the forecast for human embryonic stem cell research had just begun to brighten.
In 2001, former President George W. Bush cast a cloud over this field of science by barring the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from funding research that used embryonic stem cells beyond the 60 cell lines that already existed.
But in 2009, then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order repealing Bush’s policy.
Obama’s decision enabled researchers like Goldstein, director of the UC San Diego Stem Cell Program, and Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, to make real progress, inching closer to human clinical trials.
戈德斯坦（Goldstein）的工作着重于发现人类胚胎干细胞（也称为ESC）的临床应用。
His work looks specifically at clinical applications for neurodegenerative diseases such asamyotrophic lateral sclerosis（ALS）以及阿尔茨海默氏症，帕金森氏症和亨廷顿的疾病。
戈德斯坦告诉Healthline：“ 10年后，我们看到了许多使用胚胎干细胞的项目，这些项目更靠近临床应用和临床试验。”雷竞技app官网
“尽管花了一段时间，但我们越来越接近看到没有合适治疗方法的不同神经系统疾病的最有前途的方法。”
但是现在使用人类胚胎干细胞再次受到保守和亲生群体的抨击。
Contrary to popular belief, human embryonic stem cells do not come from aborted fetuses.
所有的人类胚胎干细胞林es currently in use are derived from unused embryos developed for in vitro fertilization and donated for research.
它们是只能被丢弃的细胞。
Nevertheless, their use in research is opposed by many in the pro-life movement, including a vocal coalition in Congress.
上个月，众议院的41名保守派敦促特朗普总统解雇全球最大的机构资助生物医学研究的NIH主任弗朗西斯·柯林斯博士，因为柯林斯支持胚胎干细胞研究。
However, Trump announced last week he was reappointing Collins, a widely respected physician-geneticist.
Several Republican leaders in Congress had reportedly urged Trump to retain him, calling Collins “the right person, at the right time, to continue to lead the world’s premiere biomedical research agency.”
但是特朗普的决定与他的投票基础和自己的内阁相处并不理想。
副总统迈克·彭斯（Mike Pence）以及健康与公共服务部长汤姆·普莱斯（Tom Price）都反对在道德上使用胚胎干细胞。
就在几周前，彭斯在国家天主教祈祷的早餐中鼓掌鼓掌，当时他提醒观众，他是“在美国参议院进行的抢七票，允许各州为计划生育捐款的人。”
呼吁特朗普解雇柯林斯的国会保守派对特朗普保留柯林斯的决定的愤怒表达了他们的愤怒。
众议员吉姆·班克斯（Jim Banks），R-Ind。告诉他的一份职业生命出版物Lifenews，他对特朗普政府的决定感到“失望”。
“Dr. Collins’ support of embryonic stem cell research, along with his comments that cloned embryos do not deserve the same moral protections as ‘naturally generated embryos,’ make him a less than an ideal fit for a pro-life administration,” Banks said. “I am hopeful that Dr. Collins will turn away from embryo-killing research as he continues his tenure as NIH director.”
Trump’s election has resulted in a new and unprecedentedly tenuous era for the NIH. Its funding has typically had bipartisan support.
Despite Trump’s seemingly pro-science pivot, the NIH still faces a potential
And this plank from the 2016 GOP platform remains in place:
“We oppose embryonic stem cell research. We oppose federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. We support adult stem cell research and urge the restoration of the national placental stem cell bank created by President George H.W. Bush but abolished by his Democratic successor, President Bill Clinton.”
Goldstein and several other scientists interviewed for this story said that while Trump’s decision to retain Collins is a positive, there’s still no guarantee that embryonic stem cell research will continue getting support from the federal government in this increasingly hostile and volatile political climate.
While human embryonic stem cells are just one of several types of stem cells being studied for their innate, but complex, abilities to treat diseases, Goldstein explained, they are an important weapon in a growing arsenal.
他指出，开发这些疗法需要大量时间，金钱和耐心。
“It would be a shame to go back to the dark age solution that we had under the Bush administration,” said Goldstein, who is currently focused largely on ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named for the legendary New York Yankee.
Gehrig died from the disease at age 37.
Goldstein said a lot of individuals and institutions are working to find treatments for ALS, which has enjoyed a boost in awareness and funding thanks to the recent “Ice Bucket Challenge” that caught on nationwide.
“It’s important that we develop an aggressive set of cell therapy programs so that we have multiple ‘shots on goal,’” Goldstein said. “We need to attack the disease from as many angles as possible.”
For the last 25 years,Frances Saldañahas been on a mission to increase awareness of Huntington’s disease (HD), a debilitating, incurable, and often inherited disease.
“It’s become my mission in life to advocate for support of HD research and for excellence in patient care,” said Saldaña, whose husband, Hector Portillo, didn’t tell her he had the disease.
他们的三个孩子从父亲那里继承了高清。萨尔达尼亚（Saldaña）的两个女儿都去世了，她的儿子表现不佳。
“My son Michael is fighting for his life every single day, but time is running out for him too,” she said. “The suffering endured at the end of life for HD patients is unimaginable. My daughter, Margie, and her husband did not have the money to go through IVF when they started their family. They had two beautiful children. I live in fear that my two grandchildren, now 19 and 21, are also at risk of inheriting HD.”
When Saldaña learned that members of Congress were urging President Trump to fire Collins, her heart sank.
她说：“让这项研究的门关闭，因为他们有这种信念将是悲惨的。”“在我看来，胚胎卵直到胎盘附着在胎盘上才是生命。”
Saldaña said that if she had the opportunity, she would ask people who oppose this research, “Have they ever seen their own children dying devastating deaths? Have they ever seen their own children lose the ability to talk, to swallow? Have they ever had their own child die in their arms, and yet know that there is hope, that there is a chance with this research to find a cure?”
她说：“我致力于支持这项研究，从希望步行到烘烤销售，一切都可以找到治疗方法。”
Leslie Thompson, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior, and professor of neurobiology and behavior, at the University of California Irvine, has devoted her entire career to unlocking the mysteries of Huntington’s disease and finding treatments.
汤普森（Thompson）说，她的许多高清患者都像家人一样，他说人类胚胎干细胞对寻找HD治疗的寄予厚望。
经过数十年的艰苦研究，她告诉Healthline，她的工作可能会在两到三年后立即为HD患者进行人类雷竞技app官网临床试验。
Thompson keeps a picture of Saldaña’s children in her office to remind her of what her research is really all about.
“I’m deeply concerned how this could move the field backwards,” she said, but added that she is “hopeful” her work and that of others will be allowed to continue.
她说：“我们正处于一个令人兴奋的，前所未有的机会使用干细胞进行治疗的时间。”
当前总统乔治·W·布什（George W.Prop 71passed.”
加利福尼亚干细胞研究和治疗计划通过60-40的利润通过了加州再生医学研究所. It has provided millions of dollars in stem cell research in the state, including embryonic stem cell research.
The public vote on this initiative has helped California become the national leader in stem cell research.
干细胞社区也有团结。即使是不使用人类胚胎干细胞的科学家，仍然支持他们的同事。
珍妮·洛林（Jeanne Loring）博士，发育神经生物学教授，加利福尼亚州拉霍亚（Scripps）研究所再生医学中心主任，大约十年前从人类胚胎干细胞转变为诱导的多能干细胞（IPS）），这是她从皮肤活检中培养的细胞制作的。
“There are certain advantages to IPS,” she said, but added that she still fully supports embryonic stem cell research.
“It’s hard to predict what President Trump will do,” said Loring, whose lab is working on finding treatments for Parkinson’s disease, discovering the cause of autism, ways to treat it, and more.
Loring指出，关于胚胎干细胞研究以及细胞来自何处的误解。
“There is always an undercurrent of misunderstanding about sources of human stem cells. People think they are associated with abortion but they are not.” she said.
任何人的猜测是人类胚胎干细胞研究的未来。
When Obama signed the order to lift Bush’s ban on new embryonic stem cell research, he said, “In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values.”
“In this case, I believe the two are not inconsistent. As a person of faith, I believe we are called to care for each other and work to ease human suffering. I believe we have been given the capacity and will to pursue this research — and the humanity and conscience to do so responsibly.”
Goldstein said he hopes Trump, too, will embrace the importance of this research that seeks to find treatments for deadly diseases.
“这是在本届政府早期,仍然存在time for them to staff up with people who will give the President the appropriate scientific advice,” Goldstein said. “There are many challenges facing us that are technological in nature. You can’t have a humming economy without robust investment in science. It drives the development of new technologies and devices. An investment in science pays far more than what you put in.”
戈德斯坦说，在科学上进行大量投资有助于使美国现在所享有的生活质量。
他说：“我们对科学技术的投资可能是赢得第二次世界大战的原因。”“而且我们对生物技术的投资彻底改变了医学，并且对于在许多州提供工作非常宝贵。”