President George W. Bush rejected calls yesterday from Ronald Reagan's family and others to relax restrictions on stem-cell research in order to pursue potential cures for illnesses, reported The Associated Press.

Bush, who opposes using embryos for stem-cell research, signed an executive order in August 2001, limiting federal funding for stem-cell research to the 78 embryonic stem-cell lines then in existence.

Shortly before Reagan's death, 58 senators asked Bush to relax the restrictions. The call to do so increased last week after the former president’s death.