With more than 332,000 Australians currently living with dementia and this figure expected to increase to 400,000 in less than a decade, AusBiotech will hold a free public forum with Australia's leading experts discussing what the future holds for the treatment and prevention of dementias and Alzheimer's and the supports available for those affected.

Antara Lifesciences (ASX:ANR) will use the proceeds from its recent IPO to help commercialise non-antibiotic diarrhoea treatment Detach in livestock animals and develop a version for humans.

A new mathematical method provides a more efficient way to mine and analyse genetic data. [ + ]

Lab equipment distributor LabFriend has announced the Live Chat feature on the company's website - the main communication portal between LabFriend and its clients. The portal offers live support, whether users need help finding something or are simply having trouble navigating the 30,000 products available. [ + ]

Genera Biosystems has announced a business collaboration with Beckman Coulter Lifesciences for molecular diagnostics assays and promoted director Richard Hannebery to the post of CEO.

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) and partner Ansell (ASX:ANN) have registered their VivaGel coated condom on the ARTG and plan to launch the product in Australia this month.

A collaboration between researchers, Indigenous communities and landholders to better manage fire in landscapes is helping reverse the decline of native mammals in northern Australia. [ + ]

A $28.8 million program, designed by CSIRO and funded by the BHB Billiton Foundation, has been launched to increase interest and achievement among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). [ + ]

The Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research (Garvan) have announced a collaboration to facilitate Australia's access to whole human genome sequencing. [ + ]

Genetic Technologies has launched the enhanced version of its breast cancer risk test and appointed two new non-executive directors to help with its restructuring.

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Curve Tomorrow have won first place in the Launch! session of the Annual Fall Health 2.0 conference in California.

A study on the human genetics of malaria has found that certain genes determine a person's level of resistance to this disease. [ + ]

A cocktail of fungi and pre-treatment with heat facilitates the breakdown of wine waste into potentially useful commercial metabolites. [ + ]

Australia needs to actively drive the uptake of assistive healthcare technologies to allow people to stay at home longer and live more independently, according to a new Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) report. [ + ]

The National Environmental Science Program will receive funding of $102 million over four years from the Australian Government. [ + ]