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Nature News 11.11——California 通过支持人类干细胞研
这一想法最初由加州一些有家族糖尿病史的电影制片人和商人提出。
Nature 431, 723; 2004
“Joys match fears as California agrees to stem-cell proposal”。
The dream has come true for biologists in California who want
to work with human embryonic stem cells. A large sum of
money ($300 million annually for ten years), the promise of
new buildings, a state research institute dedicated to the field and
a constitutional guarantee of the right to do the work all sailed
through in a referendum last week (see page 135).
The passage of Proposition 71, as the measure is called, reflects
the faith of the public in science’s potential to make life better. The
infrastructure it creates will make California one of the most suitable
places in the world for pushing the frontiers of human embryonic
stem-cell research.We have signalled a need for caution (see Nature
431, 723; 2004), because Proposition 71 is an unusual experiment in
science funding.Nevertheless, many leading researchers have staked
their reputations on its success and deserve credit for their hard work
to pass the measure.
There is still a chance that President George Bush and his allies in
Congress who oppose the research could undermine Proposition 71
with a federal ban on essential techniques such as ‘therapeutic cloning’.
But such a bill has failed twice in the Senate already, and the chances
that it would pass are less now that some prominent conservatives
have lent their support to embryonic stem-cell research.
Researchers outside California will be right to worry that Proposition
71 could weaken embryonic stem-cell research elsewhere.
Strong privately funded US research centres exist outside California
— at the University of Wisconsin and Harvard, for instance — but
young researchers especially are likely to feel the pull westwards, and
even senior people may find it hard to pass up the lure of new cash and
more lab space.
Current limitations on federal funding for the research mean that
there are relatively few groups already working with human embryonic
stem-cell lines in California. The administrators of the institute,
who are to be appointed within 40 days, and the grant review board
they will nominate, must avoid merely enhancing existing programmes
and recognize the potential of newcomers to stimulate
innovation.At the same time, Californian stem-cell research should
strive where possible to grow from within. ■ 干细胞研究：加州为创新买单
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【CBS.MW旧金山11月9日讯】干细胞(Stem-cell)研究公司与90年代许多网际网路初创公司有一个共同点：它们承载太重的期望，但仅有很少公司能够实现。
加州居民上周投票决定，赞成今后十年内由州财政投资30亿美元用于干细胞研究。这是加州花钱最多的事业之一了，更何况也是最具争议的问题。
尽管我在社会问题上是保守派--毕竟干细胞来自婴儿的胚胎，也明白这项预算对我们备受赤字折磨的州财政来说是个沉重负担，但我还是投了赞成票。此举是在为未来新的再生医学(regenerative medicine)开道，并最终降低健保成本。届时，不仅加州的老年人、而且全美甚至全球的老年人都将深受其益。
如果你认为传统的分子药物或生技药物在治疗退化性疾病(degenerative disease)方面作用不大，那么就应当大力支持干细胞的研究。退化性疾病如老年痴呆症(Alzheimer's)和巴金森氏症(Parkinson's)，这些疾病的治疗非常昂贵。老年痴呆症协会(Alzheimer's Association)预计，医疗保险(Medicare)体系中治疗这种疾病的成本将从2000年的319亿美元上升至2010的的493亿美元。
MPM Capital是一家生技和健保领域内的创投公司。该公司的创投资本家伊夫宁(Luke Evnin)说，“干细胞治疗这类疾病的前景非常好。”
所谓前景，就是说即使能开发出一种突破性的新药，投资回报期也非常之长。最乐观的估计是，加州纳税人可望在十年内享受到更低的健保；悲观的话，加州会因为进行这项本该由联邦政府以及资金雄厚创投资本家承担的宏伟计划而永远背上“愚蠢的穷光蛋州”的笑名。
伊夫宁预计，一开始，每年接近3亿美元预算中绝大部分(90%)将拨给学术研究机构。
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作者:admin@医学,生命科学 2010-11-04 05:11
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