Breaking with his boss, Elias A. Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, told members of Congress on Monday that President Bush’s restrictions on funds for research on human embryonic stem cells are blocking progress in the field and should be relaxed.
At the same hearing, four university scientists and Dr. Zerhouni testified that the agency’s flat financing also threatens to slow the pace of research advances in cancer and other diseases just as scientists are poised for major strides.