Texas'$3B cancer program draws controversy

Texas voters will have the final say on a proposed $3 billion effort to support cancer research over 10 years inside the Lone Star state. This is the brainchild of the governor, who's clearly anxious to match the $3 billion stem cell program underway in California. And even though it emphatically has no connection to embryonic stem cell work, Texas' proposed program is already generating controversy.

Some researchers are uncomfortable with the way an 18-member panel is supposed to be selected to manage the money. Some say that with half of the committee made up of non-voting representatives of schools and the other half drawn from cancer groups, physicians and treatment centers, a majority may not have a very solid understanding of what they should be evaluating. Others want a significant number of non-Texans to be involved in peer review to help eliminate any conflicts that could arise.

- read the report from the Wall Street Journal

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