Initial estimates of embryonic stem cell colonies available for research didn't take into account the trial-and-error nature of research. More support is needed to guarantee its progress.

Embryonic stem cell research appeared to get a major boost last month when President Bush pledged federal funding for work on more than 60 existing stem cell lines, or colonies. Those cells, the president said, "have the ability to regenerate themselves indefinitely, creating ongoing opportunities for research." As details have emerged, however, it is less clear that the available colonies are as abundant as the president indicated or that all are appropriate for human experimentation.

The hope is that stem cells can be coaxed into replicating human tissue to reverse the damage caused by diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, paralysis and other disorders. But without adequate funding and a sufficient number of cells, research would be slowed.

When the National Institutes of Health cataloged existing stem cells that met Bush's criteria -- from embryos destroyed before Aug. 9 -- they found 64 colonies of cells. Then problems arose.

More than a third of the colonies may never prove to be useful, researchers said. The largest collection of cells is at Goteborg University in Sweden, where only three of its 19 colonies are ready for research. Of 12 colonies in the early stages of development, only three could end up being useful, said professor Lars Hamberger.

Many of the 64 colonies were grown using mouse cells, which excrete a substance that helps keep the human cells healthy. But such close contact could make the resultant cell colonies unusable in human trials because the mouse cells could have passed on an animal virus. That and other potential barriers -- over patents and financial compensation -- are surmountable, but they show the importance of having enough stem cell colonies to withstand the trial-and-error nature of medical research.

The potential gains are worth the effort. Stem cells could hold the key to treatments or even cures for diseases that have so far stymied researchers. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology owns four of the identified stem cell colonies and has reported early success. Some stem cells have already shown the ability to transform into heart cells and insulin-producing cells, said Rafael Beyar, dean of the medical faculty.

But the promise of such advances only tantalizes if the financial and material support is insufficient to fuel the highest level of research. One day, medical science may need access to additional embryos. The embryos used to develop stem cell colonies come from fertility clinics, where they are unused and would be destroyed anyway. By ruling out federal money for research on embryos discarded after Aug. 9, 2001, the president may have erected a barrier that proves to be too restrictive in the future.

At the appropriate time, Congress owes it to the American people to consider additional support for promising research. The president is right when he says we stand at a "difficult moral intersection." If we choose the right direction, we should be able to uphold the sanctity of life and support research that could relieve the suffering of millions of adults and children.

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