Aggregated News

TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey awarded $10 million in stem cell research grants Tuesday that Gov. Jon S. Corzine hoped would help skirt federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell work.

The state Commission on Science and Technology awarded money that Corzine included in the current state budget.

The awards include:

- $3 million to Rutgers University for a project collaborating with Reprogenetics, a genetics laboratory, to research human embryonic stem cells for developing therapies for central nervous system disorders.

- $2.5 million to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in conjunction with Rutgers for work focusing on genes and human embryonic stem cells.

The remainder will go to 16 researchers from university and nonprofit institutions in New Jersey.

Corzine said the grants will help develop a "vibrant world-class stem cell research community" in New Jersey that will help lead to groundbreaking treatments.

"While federal stem cell research funding continues to be limited, New Jersey has actively promoted vital programs and initiatives to foster this important research, further enhancing the state's reputation as a pre-eminent leader in the...