Kim Robak, a University of Nebraska vice president, defended the research, which Medical Center officials said began as AIDS-dementia research and has evolved into Alzheimer's studies.

The controversy stands in contrast to the brief research summaries submitted earlier to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents for its information.

Those summaries do not explicitly use the term "human fetal tissue." One summary does refer to "fetal sources."

The Catholic bishops - Elden Curtiss of Omaha, Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln and Lawrence McNamara of Grand Island - were drafting a statement Tuesday condemning the use of human fetal tissue derived from elective abortions.

"It will be a very clear statement of why we look upon this as immoral," said Jim Cunningham, director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference.

Also Tuesday, Gov. Mike Johanns was drafting a letter to university officials asking them to stop the use of tissue from aborted fetuses. University officials were awaiting the letter and were hoping to meet with Johanns to explain the research.

The World-Herald reported Sunday that Medical Center researchers are using human fetal brain cells in studies that ahthey hope will lead to a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease and, perhaps, to better treatment.

The fetal tissue comes from Dr. LeRoy Carhart, who operates an abortion clinic in Bellevue. He is not paid for the tissue, Medical Center officials said.

The governor's spokesman, Chris Peterson, said that the Johanns letter will indicate his "very grave concern" about the research.

Robak, Nebraska's lieutenant governor before taking the NU position, said university officials are ready to discuss the Medical Center's human fetal-cell research with Johanns and policy-makers. University spokeswoman Dara Troutman said Robak has discussed the issue with the governor's chief of staff.

"We want to discuss the importance of this research and why we are doing it," Robak said. "I think it's very important that we explain the potential positive benefits of the research. We have the possibility of finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease."

It is a very emotional issue, Robak said, but the fetal tissue would be destroyed if not used for research.

The Medical Center on Monday issued a statement defending its research into "neurodestructive" ahdiseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.

The research is particularly important to Nebraska because of its aging population, the statement said. Nebraska can play a critical role in uncovering the reasons for such diseases of the brain and in developing therapies or preventive measures.

The university's central administration offices provided copies of research summaries that show that about $400,000 in federal funds were received both in 1997 and 1998 for the research that a university spokeswoman said involved the human fetal tissue.

The grants are part of $2.3 million over two years awarded to Dr. Howard Gendelman, director of the Center for Neurovirology and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

One summary says "this research will supply brain tissues from autopsy, animal and/or fetal sources to investigators. . ." It says one of the Medical Center's neuroscience center programs deals with "the isolation, cultivation and experimentation of brain tissues/ cells from a variety of mammalian sources ..."

The summaries of the other three research projects make no mention of fetal cells.

The summaries of three projects deal with HIV as a cause of dementia in some AIDS patients. The fourth project summary does not mention any specific disease.

Dr. James Linder, interim University of Nebraska medical dean, said the federal money was initially granted to look at AIDS-related dementia.

But in the course of research, it was found that some of the basic disease processes in AIDS dementia might be related to the basic process in Alzheimer's disease, he said.

A finding by NU researchers that inflammatory and immunological reactions were occurring in the brain was a research breakthrough, Linder said.

Gendelman told the National Institutes of Health about the finding, and NIH wanted him to redirect the work toward Alzheimer's disease because of a national push to make advances against this disease, Linder said.

Linder said he did not know exactly when the change in research direction came.

Gendelman was expected to return to Omaha late Tuesday.

The research that has already been done at the Medical Center puts it at the forefront in Alzheimer's research, Linder said.

Asked if the redirection of the research lowers the priority for AIDS-related dementia, Linder said he did not believe that it does. "Any treatment arising from this research should be beneficial to both," he said.

Chuck Hassebrook of Walthill, a member of the NU Board of Regents, said he does not have a problem with the research.

Hassebrook said he is confident that the university is neither performing nor encouraging abortions through the research project. Scientists, he said, "are simply using tissue to do research . . . that can benefit people, ultimately."

Hassebrook said university administrators should have called the regents' attention to the federal grants that fund the research instead of including it in a long quarterly list provided for information only.

"How many regents do you think carefully study all that?" he asked. "These are not the sorts of things you go through with a fine-tooth comb."

He also said the limited notification that was given to the board apparently came last year after the funding had started.

The National Alzheimer's Association endorses the use of fetal tissue for research as long as there are safeguards to "protect against exploitation and commercialization of this procedure," according to a policy statement from the organization.

"Research into innovative treatment approaches must be encouraged in order to reduce the devastating effects of this disease," the policy statement says.

The association supports what it says are guidelines developed by the National Institutes of Health. Those include:

The decision to terminate a pregnancy and the procedures of abortion should be kept independent from the retrieval and use of fetal tissue.

Fetal tissue from induced abortions should not be used in medical research without the prior consent of the pregnant woman.

Payments and other forms of . . . compensation associated with the procurement of fetal tissue should be prohibited, except for reasonable expenses (for) actual retrieval, storage, preparation and transportation of the tissue.

Potential recipients of such tissues, as well as research and health-care participants, should be properly informed as to the source of the tissues in question.

Procedures must be adopted that accord human fetal tissue the same respect accorded other cadaver human tissues.

World-Herald staff writer Julia McCord contributed to this report.

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