The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal of a lawsuit challenging (without success) the right of the federal government to finance research involving embryonic stem cells. The Association of American Medical Colleges was among the science and research groups praising the Supreme Court for letting the research continue. "This is good news for patients," said a statement from the medical school group. "Research using hESCs [human embryonic stem cells] conducted under rigorous ethical standards continues to offer great promise in the search for cures and treatments for a variety of intractable diseases. With the legislative, regulatory, and legal barriers cleared, we hope the promise of hESC research can now be realized."