The Global Innovation Index 2014 has ranked Australia 17th out of 143 economies for having a well-linked innovation ecosystem. [ + ]

Virax Holdings (ASX:VHL) has selected US cancer specialist Dr Joseph Sparano to lead phase I/IIb trials of breast cancer treatment candidate GGTI-2418. [ + ]

Researchers from Harvard University have found that the blisters on bubble wrap can be used as a sheet of small, test-tube-like containers for the analysis of medical and environmental samples. [ + ]

Simultaneously inhibiting the expression of another gene makes targeting telomerase much more effective in suppressing tumour growth. [ + ]

Blocking the malaria parasite's access to proteins needed for its survival may lead to the development of new treatments for this deadly disease. [ + ]

Nominations for The KuDos - Hamilton Science Excellence Awards are now open. The awards were launched in 2007 to celebrate science and innovation from within New Zealand's Waikato region. [ + ]

An international team of scientists has sequenced the genome and characterised the genes of the Asian liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini. [ + ]

The NHMRC has launched the Advanced Health Research and Translation Centre initiative. [ + ]

EY's annual report on the global biotechnology industry shows the industry rebounded strongly in 2013, with public companies achieving double-digit revenue growth and a sharp rise in funds raised. Product successes have boosted revenues, drawn investors and motivated large companies to invest strongly in R&D. [ + ]

Calzada (ASX:CZD) plans an organisational restructuring involving appointing a managing director for its PolyNovo business and recruiting new clinical, regulatory, commercial and manufacturing talent. [ + ]

Advanced Cell Diagnostics, a developer of cell- and tissue-based analysis tools, has announced that its RNAscope RNA in situ hybridisation technology has reached two major milestones: the publication of over 100 peer-reviewed papers featuring the technology and an inventory of over 4000 target probes. [ + ]

It appears that we share more with our friends than we thought, with US researchers discovering that friends who are not biologically related still resemble each other genetically. [ + ]

Brisbane-based start-up DoseMe has picked up $500K in investment funding to expand the market reach and supported medications for its personalised dosage calculation software. [ + ]

The National Stroke Foundation has mapped the impact of stroke across the Australian landscape demonstrating the significant burden of stroke across the country. [ + ]

Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) has launched a $19.3m capital raising to fund trials for its two TPM/opioid patches as the company ramps up its commercialisation efforts. [ + ]