Perhaps most importantly, ViaCell received the rights to growth factors that could be useful in making stem cell products.

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According to ViaCell Chief Executive Marc Beer , there are about 180 other stem cell firms, but Amgen had previously given the growth factors only to academic labs.

FORBES: Small Stem Cells Find Big Backers

The probability of actually catching the flu or a bacterial infection as a result of cell phone contact is actually dependent on a number of factors how long the viruses or bacteria have been on the phone surface.

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"There is evidence that certain hormones, or growth factors such as insulin, act to stimulate cancer cell growth, " he says.

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The other thing it does is it makes it extremely easy now to tailor a stem cell to an individual because all I have to do is get a few skin cells from you and then put in these magic factors, and suddenly I've got an embryonic stem cell line that's tailor made directly to you.

NPR: Scientists Create Embryonic Stem Cells from Skin