Industry News
New Australian telescope set to find 700,000 galaxies
Australia’s newest radio telescope is predicted to find an unprecedented 700,000 new galaxies, say scientists planning for CSIRO’s next-generation Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). [ + ]
UNE herbarium records to join national online database
An event at the University of New England (UNE) last month marked the beginning of a new era of research on the plants of north-eastern NSW and the UNE’s contribution to botany. [ + ]
Stealing nature’s photosynthetic secrets
The prospect of creating clean, renewable hydrogen fuel is closer than ever after a breakthrough in our understanding of photosynthesis. [ + ]
BioDiem, Griffith Uni team for BDM-1 research
BioDiem (ASX:BDM) will collaborate with Griffith University's Institute of Glycomics to explore increasing the solubility of antimicrobial compound BDM-1. [ + ]
Garvan team solve autoimmune mystery
A team at the Garvan Institute has solved a longstanding mystery as to how some autoimmune diseases can be triggered by wayward B cells. [ + ]
Government IP report promotes research and business collaboration
A report issued today by the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property has recommended reforming incentives to encourage researchers to collaborate with business. [ + ]
New drug target found for cystic fibrosis lung disease
Vancouver researchers have discovered the cellular pathway that causes lung-damaging inflammation in cystic fibrosis (CF), and that reducing the pathway’s activity also decreases inflammation. The finding offers a potential new drug target for treating CF lung disease. [ + ]
RNA detection from ultrasmall sample in only 20 minutes
A power-free microfluidic chip developed by researchers at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute (ASI) enables detection of microRNA from extremely small sample volume in only 20 minutes. [ + ]
DSMB clears Alchemia to continue cancer trial
The DSMB overseeing Alchemia's phase III trial of HA-Irinotecan in metastatic colorectal cancer has recommended the trial continue on the strength of existing safety data. [ + ]
IND lodged for Bionomics anxiety compound
Bionomics (ASX:BNO) US partner, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, has lodged an Investigational New Drug application with the US FDA for anti-anxiety compound IW-2143 and has the go-ahead to conduct a phase I trial. [ + ]
Great Barrier Reef focus of international genome sequencing project
The Sea-quence project will study how corals respond to climate change, gathering the genomes of corals in the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea. [ + ]
Australian biotech looking ‘healthy’ as it gathers for AusBiotech 2012
The AusBiotech 2012 national conference has again showcased the great talent and intellectual capital within Australia’s biotechnology industry. [ + ]
Gene find turns soldier beetle defence into biotech opportunity
New antibiotic and anticancer chemicals may one day be synthesised using biotechnology, following CSIRO’s discovery of the three genes that combine to provide soldier beetles with their potent predator defence system. [ + ]
Multispectral imaging research grant program announced
Ocean Thin Films is calling for grant proposals featuring multispectral imaging applications that would utilise the SpectroCam platform. The grant gives participants the opportunity to add a high-end instrument to their lab at little or no cost. [ + ]
Measuring metabolism can predict the progress of Alzheimer’s
When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, scientists usually look to the brain as their first centre of attention. Now researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) say that early clues regarding the progression of the disease can be found in the brain’s metabolism. [ + ]