EARNIE GRAFTON /Union-Tribune Scientist Brian Strem prepared dyes for stem cell research at MacroPore, which has a way to extract stem cells from fat.

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TECHNOLOGY INC. | BIOTECHNOLOGY
Will this research pay off?

Stem cell studies could escalate if investors see profit motive

By Terri Somers 
STAFF WRITER

Much of the debate about stem cell research – and how much the government should be spending to fund it – has focused on controversial ethical issues surrounding embryonic stem cells.

By Kathryn Balint
STAFF WRITER

Federal regulators decided yesterday that local phone companies that build fiber-optic lines to individual homes do not have to share that part of their networks with rivals.

By Michael Gormley
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued insurance brokerage Marsh & McLennan yesterday, alleging that its brokers have been taking payoffs from insurance companies to steer corporate clients their way rather than get the best prices for policies as required.

By Penni Crabtree
STAFF WRITER

Federal regulators said yesterday that they won't approve La Jolla Pharmaceutical's experimental lupus drug without an additional human study to prove its benefits.

By Michael Liedtke
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOUNTAIN VIEW – Google Inc. yesterday became the first tech heavyweight to tackle the daunting task of uncluttering computers, introducing a program that quickly scours hard drives for documents, e-mail, instant messages and past Web searches.