A public-health panel in Massachusetts voted unanimously on Wednesday to overturn controversial restrictions on embryonic-stem-cell research that were imposed during the administration of former Gov. Mitt Romney, The Boston Globe reported.

The panel — whose members were appointed by Mr. Romney’s successor, Gov. Deval L. Patrick, a Democrat — made a one-sentence change in a Romney-era regulation that prevents embryos from being produced “with the sole intent of using the embryo for research.”

Researchers, who routinely share stem-cell material, worried that the rule could place them in legal jeopardy if they accepted stem-cell lines from outside the state that had been derived for scientific use. The revised rule refers only to a prohibition on donating embryos specifically for research, and supporters told the Globe that they hoped Wednesday’s action foreshadowed an easing of that ban.

Mr. Romney, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has emphasized his opposition to embryonic-stem-cell research on the campaign trail. —Karin Fischer