Following the discovery by Mayo Clinic scientists of biomarkers for prostate cancer, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified a new biomarker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer, an often-fatal disease for which there is currently no reliable method for early detection or therapeutic intervention. Read more »
Drawing on powerful computational tools and a state-of-the-art scanning transmission electron microscope, a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison and Iowa State University materials science and engineering researchers has discovered a new nanometre-scale atomic structure in solid metallic materials known as metallic glasses. Read more »
One of Australia’s foremost astronomers, Professor Matthew Colless, has, today, been announced as the new Director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at The Australian National University (ANU). Read more »
Researchers at the University of South Australia’s Ian Wark Research Institute and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Science at Monash University have cracked a way to use innovative nanotechnologies to ensure disease-controlling drugs are absorbed in the body much more efficiently. Read more »
UniQuest, The University of Queensland’s (UQ) main commercialisation company, has facilitated a strategic research collaboration and antibody production agreement between Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) researchers and Biosceptre International to develop a bioprocess for producing certain monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancer. Read more »
A leading UK scientist who helped map the bacterial ecosystems of British soil in a world-first study will join The University of Western Australia (UWA) to lead an expert team in soil rehabilitation research. Read more »
Alterations to the ‘on-off’ switches of genes occur early in the development of prostate cancer and could be used as biomarkers to detect the disease months or even years earlier than current approaches, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Read more »
GE Healthcare has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Xcellerex, a supplier of manufacturing technologies for the biopharmaceutical industry. Read more »
Research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal BMC Biotechnology shows that products from genetically modified crops can be identified at low concentration, using bioluminescent real time reporter (BART) technology and loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). Read more »
A new coating technique that can make fabrics ‘self-cleaning’ has been developed by Deakin University scientists. The technique creates a fabric coating that repels water, dirt, grease and other materials. Read more »
An international research breakthrough with bees means machines might soon be able to see almost as well as humans. Read more »
A new study, published in the international scientific journal Cell, has identified that a novel defect in gene regulation, never before seen in a human disease, is the cause of one of the most common forms of muscular dystrophy: Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Read more »
Researchers are an important step closer to finding a vaccine that protects against a wide range of strains of meningococcal B - the most common cause of meningococcal disease in Western Australia. Read more »
Researchers at The University of Western Australia (UWA) say the ‘next frontier’ of agricultural science is understanding the root system and function of crop plants to significantly increase Australian grain production, keep farms viable and help continue to feed the world despite the onset of increasing drought and climate change. Read more »
The Gillard government intends to secure Australia’s competitive economic edge by boosting funding for science and research in universities by more than $126 million in 2012-13. Read more »
IVD Australia, the industry body representing manufacturers and sponsors of pathology tests, has congratulated Dr John Skerritt on his appointment as the new National Manager of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Read more »
Qiagen NV has announced the acquisition of AmniSure International LLC, a privately owned Boston company that markets the AmniSure assay for determining whether a pregnant woman is suffering rupture of foetal membranes (ROM), a condition in which fluid leaks from the amniotic sac prematurely. Read more »
A research team at the University of Adelaide, led by Professor Tanya Monro, is working to create a whole range of new high-tech tools that use light for measuring, including new devices for early detection of cancer and smart bungs that monitor wine quality. Read more »
A team of Victorian university students has invented a digital stethoscope that could help millions in the developing world by assisting in the early diagnosis of childhood pneumonia. The four students, known as ‘Team StethoCloud’, triumphed against four other teams to win the Australian finals of the 2012 Microsoft Imagine Cup challenge. Read more »
Australian researchers now have the freedom to carry out research without the fear of being sued for patent infringement following the introduction of new laws, according to Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation Mark Dreyfus. Read more »