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WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 100 university presidents have asked President George W. Bush to maintain federal rules that permit funding for limited embryonic stem cell research, which many anti-abortion activists oppose.
In a letter sent Monday, 112 university leaders called the discovery of such cells ``one of the most promising biomedical developments in years.'' They said the research holds promise toward finding cures for Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's disease, heart disease and spinal cord injuries.
At issue are stem cells, the building blocks for all human tissue. They can be derived from aborted fetuses, fertility clinics' discarded embryos or from adults. All types are under intense study, but embryonic stem cells have generated the most scientific excitement because they appear to be the most flexible.
Many anti-abortion groups oppose such research, and Bush has signaled he may block federal money from financing it. He wants scientists to focus only on adult stem cells.
Privately financed scientists have culled stem cells from embryos donated by parents, a process that destroys the embryo, and multiplied those cells in laboratories. Now the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, plan to pay for embryonic stem cell research using only those lab-grown cell lines since NIH scientists can't touch additional embryos.
An NIH committee will meet in late April to begin evaluating three applications by researchers seeking the first federal funds to work with embryonic stem cells. The earliest that any money could be allocated is Oct. 30.
The university presidents wrote Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who is evaluating the NIH plans for Bush. As governor of Wisconsin, Thompson congratulated state scientists for stem-cell research.
The signatories to the letter were joined by the American Council on Education, the Association of American Universities and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
Last week, 95 members of Congress, mostly Democrats, urged Bush and Thompson to keep the current guidelines for embryonic stem cell research in place.
On the Net: ACE letter: http://www.acenet.edu/washington/home.html and click on link to letter
Rep. McDermott site: http://www.house.gov/mcdermott
NIH: http://www.nih.gov
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