Stem cells are the basic fetal cells from which all of the body's tissues and organs develop.
With private funds, scientists have been able to grow those cells in labs. Potential applications for stem-cell research include treatments for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. Seventy members of the House of Representatives and seven senators said, in a letter to Donna E. Shalala, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, that use of federal funds for such research would violate both the letter and the spirit of a federal law banning research on human embryos. Florida struggles to match private gifts to public universities The Florida state legislature is having problems meeting its commitment to match private donations made to the state's 10 public institutions of higher education. The program began in 1979 and was modified in 1985 to deal with major gift programs.