A number of groups have held up California’s effort to provide $3-billion for stem-cell research, but this has not stopped prominent private donors from contributing to the venture, reports The Wall Street Journal.

High-profile donors include Ray Dolby, founder of Dolby Laboratories Inc.; the Los Angeles real-estate developer Eli Broad; and Irwin Jacobs, founder of Qualcomm Inc. They collectively have donated more than $100-million to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a new stem-cell research agency, as well as programs at state universities.

The debate over stem-cell research has created controversy among medical-research charities, The Chronicle reports.

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