In a major coup for the biotechnology industry and Australia, the International Biotechnology Symposium (IBS), a premier international conference in the rapidly growing field of biotechnology, is heading to Melbourne in 2016. [ + ]

ResMed (ASX:RMD) has nominated US health sector veteran Carol J Burt to take long-serving director Michael Quinn's place on the board once his final term expires. [ + ]

Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has completed the SPP stage of its capital raising and revealed that underwriter Cygnetl has committed to buy an extra $1m worth of shares. [ + ]

Microbiologists from Flinders University in Adelaide and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) in Israel are teaming up to study how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics. [ + ]

Queensland's key health research institutes have joined forces to create the Queensland Mental Health Research Alliance. [ + ]

Dr Peter Smith, former CEO of Alchemia (ASX:ACL), has joined Ascend Biopharmaceuticals as its board chairman. [ + ]

On the premise that by 2050 the world will have a population of nine billion people, the OECD has declared a need to address the energy, water, food and agriculture nexus. More than 100 people gathered recently to discuss the role of biotechnology in addressing these issues and opportunities in food production. [ + ]

Progressing research on potential targets for Parkinson's disease is likely to involve testing in neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. [ + ]

The 2014 University of Western Australia Research Collaboration Awards have given almost $775,000 to research projects across the globe. [ + ]

Research Alliance advocates for science, research and innovation to have steady and purposeful support. [ + ]

The UK's NICE has issued a final draft recommendation in favour of reimbursement for pSivida (ASX:PVA) licensee Alimera Sciences' Iluvien in a subgroup of DME patients. [ + ]

Seal Analytical - a global supplier of automated colorimetric analyser instrumentation - has acquired Thomas Cain. Seal Analytical says the acquisition will enhance its capabilities in the water and soil analysis markets. [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have developed a process for turning plastic bags into high-tech and expensive nanomaterials called carbon nanotube membranes. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are tiny cylinders of carbon atoms, one nanometre in diameter, and are the strongest and stiffest materials ever discovered. [ + ]

Illusions increase understanding of how the brain generates our body representation. [ + ]

Online voting for the 2013 AusBiotech board election ballot is now open. The board has two positions available for election. [ + ]