A new study published in the British Journal of Surgery (BJS) has demonstrated for the first time that a simple breath analysis could be used for colorectal cancer screening. [ + ]

Sirtex Medical (ASX:SRX) has entered a research collaboration with Singapore's SingHealth to explore the applications of Carbon Gage Nanoparticles in combating difficult-to-treat cancers. [ + ]

Iconic Australian biotech, CSL, is rebranding its two core business units covering plasma and pharmaceuticals in line with a company global reorganisation. [ + ]

Scientists in Australia and India can look forward to greater levels of cooperation and collaboration after the Australian Academy of Science and Indian National Academy of Science today renewed their commitment to work more closely together. [ + ]

A group of Curtin University researchers has been awarded a Diabetes Australia Research Trust Grant for research to improve diabetes treatment, potentially eliminating the need for insulin injection. [ + ]

Optibrium and Digital Chemistry, providers of software and database solutions for drug discovery, have announced an agreement to collaborate on the integration of Digital Chemistry’s Bioster database of precedented bioisostere replacements with Optibrium’s StarDrop software suite. [ + ]

While some states have already begun Christmas celebrations, three states are about to host AusBiotech's free Christmas events as their final networking events of 2012. [ + ]

Osprey Medical (ASX:OSP) has signed up the first of a planned 25 patients for an Australian trial of its Limb Recovery System in diabetic patients with limb infections. [ + ]

Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) has resolved crystallisation issues holding up its TPM-Oxycodone pain patch project and expanded the program to include another opioid-based product. [ + ]

The UK’s reimbursement agency has knocked back Illuvien again, saying its benefits do not justify the price. [ + ]

In a remarkable piece of detective work, a team of ‘retired’ CSIRO scientists have revealed the group of artists responsible for the iconic scribbles found on smooth-barked Eucalyptus trees in south-eastern Australia. [ + ]

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have discovered a cognitive biomarker - a biological indicator of a disease - for young adolescents who are at high risk of developing depression and anxiety. Their findings have been published in the journal PLoS ONE. [ + ]

Following news that a phase III trial of VivaGel failed to reach its primary end point, Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has emphasised the potential of its platform technology across multiple applications. [ + ]

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have combined the ability to detect cancer DNA in the blood with genome sequencing technology in a test that could be used to screen for cancers, monitor cancer patients for recurrence and find residual cancer left after surgery. [ + ]

The latest Access to Medicine Index, which ranks the top 20 pharmaceutical companies on their efforts to improve access to medicine in developing countries, finds that the industry is doing more than it was two years ago. [ + ]