CGS-authored
By restricting research on stem cells, the Bush administration has spurred many top U.S. science institutions to break from their traditional reliance on federal research grants and strike out on their own to keep the controversial field alive.
UCSF, Stanford and Harvard, among other universities, have set up privately funded programs, in some cases using labs separate from their main campuses, to sidestep the federal restrictions. UCSF and Stanford have raised $11 million and $12 million, respectively, while Harvard reportedly hopes to raise $100 million.
By far the most ambitious proposal is a $3 billion bond measure that appears headed for the November ballot. Designed to fuel stem-cell research at California institutions, the initiative is backed by a coalition of state scientists, private financiers and patient-advocacy groups.
Supporters of the "California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act" argue it will turn the state into a world leader in stem-cell research. But the initiative faces critics who object to the research on moral grounds, as well as fiscal opponents who maintain the state can ill afford the program.
One state --...