Industry News
Tension high as Federal Budget looms
Reports of potential reduction of industry-support programs, on the back of the Commission of Audit report, are causing angst in the biotech sector as the industry fears decisions that could seriously damage Australia's hard-won momentum in innovation. [ + ]
Early work begins on nuclear medicine facility
Early work has begun on the ANM Project - a $168 million plan to build a nuclear medicine manufacturing plant and waste treatment plant to treat by-products for permanent, safe storage. [ + ]
Admedus closes $8m placement
Admedus (ASX:AHZ) has raised $8m in a placement, with plans to put the proceeds towards expanding its US and EU reach for CardioCel and to help fund a phase II trial of its HSV-2 vaccine. [ + ]
3D-printed mouthpiece to treat sleep apnoea
A new 3D-printed customised mouthpiece is set to provide relief for patients with sleep apnoea. [ + ]
Researchers explore the evolution of enamel
Geneticists and evolutionary anthropologists at Duke University have identified two segments of DNA where natural selection may have acted to give modern humans their thick tooth enamel - a feature which distinguishes the genus Homo from our primate relatives and forebears. [ + ]
$42 million for tropical health and medicine research
The federal government has announced $42 million for tropical health and medicine research to be conducted at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), based at James Cook University (JCU). [ + ]
Orthocell acquires IP and a new chairman
Regenerative medicine company Orthocell has acquired key pieces of intellectual property (IP) from its research partners at The University of Western Australia (UWA). The company has also welcomed the appointment of Dr Stewart Washer to its board as chairman. [ + ]
Male guppies produce faster sperm with their sisters
In many species, in-built mechanisms are in place to prevent siblings from breeding with each other. Researchers from the University of Western Australia have investigated such mechanisms in the male guppy, a live-bearing freshwater fish - with unexpected results. [ + ]
Awards for research excellence open
Nominations are open for the annual Research Australia Awards and the 2014 GlaxoSmithKline Award for Research Excellence. [ + ]
Fluorescent dye for DNA detection
Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a highly sensitive way to detect specific sequences of DNA. [ + ]
New CSIRO lab and board member
CSIRO and Deakin University have officially opened the new Biosecure Immunology Laboratory. CSIRO has also announced the appointment of biotechnologist Dr Peter Riddles as a part-time member of the organisation's board. [ + ]
Qiagen products cleared by FDA
The US FDA has cleared the Qiagen artus C. difficile QS-RGQ MDx Kit to qualitatively detect Clostridium difficile, a widespread healthcare-associated infection. The test was developed in partnership with IntelligentMDx and CE marked in December 2013. [ + ]
Aussie scientists develop blood test for bowel cancer
Clinical Genomics and CSIRO have developed a DNA blood test for bowel cancer that has a detection rate of 65%, or 73% for cancers at stage II or higher. [ + ]
Employee share schemes need repair in Budget
As the Federal Budget looms, AusBiotech and Employee Ownership Australia and New Zealand are urging the government to remove impediments to Australian innovation by returning Employee Share Scheme (ESS) provisions to the pre-2009 position. [ + ]
pSivida implant provides sustained antibody release
pSivida (ASX:PVA) has announced the findings of preclinical research showing that its Tethadur implant can provide long-term sustained release of Avastin and other antibody treatments. [ + ]
