韩国科学家建立世界干细胞银行(3)

        "When  the  use  of  these  stem  cells  is  limited  to  a  particular  country,  it  takes  much  too  long  to  create  technologies  usable  for  the  whole  humanity,"  Mr.  Hwang  said.  "By  creating  a  global  network,  we  plan  to  share  stem  cells  created  in  each  country  and  share  information  on  those  stem  cells."

        The  South  Koreans  are  working  closely  with  Dr.  Gerald  Schatten,  a  cell  biologist  at  the  University  of  Pittsburgh.  He  dismissed  moral  criticism  of  the  destruction  of  embryos,  comparing  stem-cell  science  to  the  organ  donation  process,  which  now  is  accepted.

        "We  hope  that  the  same  thing  will  happen  here,"  he  was  quoted  as  saying  in  a  staff-written  commentary  for  this  week's  New  England  Journal  of  Medicine.

        Many  scientists  are  aching  to  accelerate  research  on  embryonic  stem  cells,  which  can  grow  into  all  the  other  tissues  in  the  body.  The  cells  are  seen  as  a  potential  source  of  replacement  tissue  for  people  with  a  variety  of  ailments.

        However,  because  embryos  are  destroyed  in  the  process,  the  Bush  administration  forbids  government  funding  of  the  experiments.

        The  technique  favored  by  the  Koreans  is  even  more  morally  charged:  Instead  of  using  embryos  left  over  from  in  vitro  fertilization,  they  create  them  from  cloned  skin  cells.  That  process  is  favored  by  some  scientists  because  cloning  can  create  a  perfect  tissue  match  for  sick  patients,  but  critics  say  it  condones  creating  human  life  for  laboratory  research.

        The  Korean-led  consortium  hopes  to  create  about  100  cell  lines  per  year  with  genetic  defects  that  cause  such  diseases  as  diabetes,  Parkinson's,  Alzheimer's,  AIDS,  Lou  Gehrig's,  and  sickle  cell  anemia,  said  specialists  familiar  with  the  project.   (责任编辑：泉水)

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韩国科学家建立世界干细胞银行(3)