The degree of genetic difference to a tumour rapidly decimating the ranks of Tasmanian devils is not a factor in their likelihood of contracting the disease, according to research led by the University of Sydney. [ + ]

Thermo Fisher Scientific has signed an asset purchase agreement with Nephromics, which includes a patent licence for exclusive rights to use PlGF (Placental Growth Factor) for the diagnosis of pre-eclampsia or eclampsia. [ + ]

Researchers from Murdoch University have assisted in a groundbreaking discovery which could lead to the dramatic improvement of drug safety. [ + ]

Allied Healthcare (ASX:AHZ) has lodged an application for a CE Mark for CardioCel, the cardiovascular patch developed by subsidiary Celxel. [ + ]

Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) said in vitro tests of new adhesives in its TPM/oxycodone patch show superior performance to that developed by patch partner 3M. [ + ]

The NSW government has responded to the NSW Health and Medical Research Strategic Review 2012 by committing $70 million to implement many of the report’s recommendations. [ + ]

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between AusBiotech and the Hong Kong Biotechnology Organisation (HKBIO) is expected to boost cooperation between Hong Kong and Australia. [ + ]

The US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) has announced two new standards related to elemental impurities: General Chapters <232> Elemental Impurities - Limits and <233> Elemental Impurities - Procedures. The standards provide procedures for the detection of selected impurities in drug products based on modern analytical methods, as well as acceptable limits for their presence based on toxicity data and exposure levels. [ + ]

Scientists have pinpointed the ‘stay green’ DNA in barley in new research that may help farmers to grow better crops in areas of drought, heat and salinity. [ + ]

RMIT University’s Games and Experimental Entertainment Laboratory has opened a European centre in the German city of Karlsruhe. Professor Daine Alcorn, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation and Vice-President, travelled to Karlsruhe to sign an agreement with Mayor Margret Mergen in a ceremony attended by Austrade. [ + ]

Less than three months after Starpharma (ASX:SPL) started recruiting patients for trials of VivaGel as a bacterial vaginosis treatment, enrolment levels have reached 60%. [ + ]

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu and Minister for Health David Davis have announced that Dr Stefan Gehrig has been awarded the prestigious Premier’s Award for Health and Medical Research for 2012. [ + ]

The Australian Academy of Science today announced a new Australia-India Fellowship program to enable Australian scientists to work with leading Indian research institutions. [ + ]

Bionomics (ASX:BNO) will use this week's ASCO meeting to present results of trials showing that the phase II dose level of BNC105 is safe and well-tolerated. [ + ]

Nearly 15 years after their discovery of siRNA-mediated gene silencing, CSIRO Plant Industry’s Ming-Bo Wang and Peter Waterhouse propose a mechanism that may explain how gene-silencing spreads from cell to cell. [ + ]