The California Court of Appeal has upheld the state’s $3-billion stem-cell-research program, rejecting lawsuits that challenged the legality of an agency established to distribute funds for the research, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Voters approved the agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, in 2004.

In a 3-to-0 ruling issued on Monday, the court denied claims by opponents of embryonic-stem-cell research that the agency suffers from built-in conflicts of interest and a lack of state supervision. Opponents said they would probably appeal to the state’s Supreme Court, which would have until June to decide whether to review the case.

Despite the continuing legal challenges that have blocked its own funds, the agency issued this month its first research grants, worth a total of nearly $45-million, using money from loans advanced by the state and private investors.