Articles
US patent verdict “troubling”: BIO
The head of US biotech industry group BIO has argued that the recent Supreme Court verdict on DNA patents could cause problems but he welcomed the ruling that the restrictions do not apply to composite DNA (cDNA) that is distinguishable from naturally occurring sequences. [ + ]
Tour of microbes - lessons not learned from history
The emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis on the border of North Queensland is raising concerns about this becoming a public health disaster in Australia. [ + ]
Why water quality tests don’t always accurately capture health risks
A toxin dangerous to humans may help E. coli fend off aquatic predators, enabling strains of E. coli that produce the toxin to survive longer in lake water than benign counterparts, a new study has found. [ + ]
The body electric: researchers move closer to low-cost, implantable electronics
New technology is paving the way for low-cost electronic devices that work in direct contact with living tissue inside the body. [ + ]
Why was there a sudden drop in the incidence of leprosy at the end of the Middle Ages?
Scientists have reconstructed the genome of medieval strains of the pathogen responsible for leprosy by exhuming centuries-old human graves to investigate why the incidence of leprosy decreased after the Middle Ages. [ + ]
Patrys’s antibody written up in melanoma journal
An article summarising the early-stage development of Patrys’s PAT-SM6 as a melanoma treatment has been published in Melanoma Research. [ + ]
Tour of microbes - eating organochlorides
Optimising growth conditions and matchmaking bacteria is all in a day’s work when bioremediating contaminated sites. [ + ]
Biomolecule engineering with nanoparticle tracking analysis
Particle and Surface Sciences Australia has reported on how nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), from NanoSight UK, is being used in the research project ‘Engineering of Biomolecules’ at the Lorraine University, based in Nancy. [ + ]
16 months on: the RV Investigator
In 2009, the Australian Government committed $120 million to the purchase of a new research vessel for the Marine National Facility, dubbed the RV Investigator. On 31 January 2012, construction on the vessel began in Singapore. To coincide with World Oceans Day on 8 June, a time-lapse video showing its progress so far has been released. [ + ]
Bioniche signs licensing, funding deal with Paladin
Bioniche (ASX:BNC) has entered a debt refinancing, funding and Urocidin licensing agreement with Canada’s Paladin Labs. [ + ]
Timing it right
John Shine reflects on his impressive career as a research scientist, including a foray or two into the world of biotech and 22 years as head of the Garvan Institute - he says it helped being in the right place at the right time. [ + ]
Cochlear shares slump on word of weaker sales
Cochlear Limited (ASX:COH) revealed its 2H sales have been lower as its customers awaited the now-in-process launch of its Nucleus 6 sound management product line. [ + ]
Newcastle Uni researchers target bowel disease
Researchers from the University of Newcastle, the University of Colorado and Aerpio Therapeutics have demonstrated the potential for a new class of drugs to treat inflammatory bowel disease. [ + ]
Links found between genetic variants and educational attainment
A multinational team of researchers has identified genetic markers that predict educational attainment by pooling data from more than 125,000 individuals in Australia, the US and 13 western European countries. [ + ]
Single virus detection techniques for faster disease diagnosis
Two new optical techniques show promise for counting individual viruses outside the laboratory. [ + ]
