The proposal from Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Green would have the state investing $25million in the WiCell Research Institute. It would fund research to create new stem cell lines without destroying human embryos. Green says WiCell is the perfect group to help evaluate peer reviewed research on new techniques. The firm currently serves at the National Stem Cell Bank. Congressman Green says it would be the first time the state directly invests in stem cell research, although Anson Kaye, a spokesman for Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, says that's no true. Kaye says the Doyle administration has invested millions into boosting stem cell research in Wisconsin. Kaye also says Green is just trying to distance himself from his past opposition to stem cell research.
A study released last month by Advance Cell Technology claimed to isolate stem cell lines without destroying embryos. The authors recently admitted that all 16 embryos used in their research were actually destroyed.