Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) has received a $4.3m Tax Incentive reimbursement for its FY12 Australian R&D and plans to plough the funds back into its MPC development programs. [ + ]

Dr Esra Ogru has stepped down as CEO of Phosphagenics. [ + ]

Philanthropist, business leader and 2011 Australian of the Year Simon McKeon has been awarded the 2014 Academy Medal. [ + ]

Invion (ASX:IVX) has commenced patient enrolment in the company’s phase II clinical trial of INV103 in patients with mild systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). [ + ]

Researchers at the University of Melbourne have developed a one-step method for coating microscopic materials, such as bacterial cells, with thin films that assemble themselves. [ + ]

University of Adelaide research, published in The FASEB Journal, has shown that the sperm of obese fathers could increase the risk of both their children and their grandchildren inheriting obesity. [ + ]

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) invites manufacturers and sponsors of commercially produced in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) supplied in (or exported from) Australia to take part in a survey about the progress of the transition to the new regulatory framework for IVDs, introduced in 2010 and taking full effect on 1 July 2014. [ + ]

Alchemia’s (ASX:ACL) long-serving chairman, Mel Bridges, has left the company, while Timothy Hughes has joined as a non-executive director. [ + ]

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has appointed a second vice president for business development, as the company prepares to ramp-up commercial discussions for lead product VivaGel. [ + ]

A US specialist device company is evaluating using PolyNovo’s NovoSorb technology for devices used in hernia repair surgery. [ + ]

Scientific literacy is falling among young adults and to a lesser degree among the broader Australian adult population. [ + ]

Listening to the electrical activity of the brain may provide a more effective way of diagnosing and managing epilepsy. [ + ]

The report ‘Science literacy in Australia’, released today, presents the results of a survey to determine Australians’ level of science literacy and how it has changed over the past three years. According to Professor Les Field of the Australian Academy of Science, the results can be described as “a reality check.” [ + ]

Atomic clocks, medical diagnostics and astronomy all need tools for measuring different colours of light. These laser frequency combs are getting smaller and simpler to make. They are not quite DIY for the average home handyman but they are getting there. [ + ]

A new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Researchers’ Network will help to close the higher education gap by supporting aspiring postgraduate and mid-career Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers. [ + ]