Professor Aidan Byrne is set to contribute greatly to Australia’s strong research future as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Council (ARC). [ + ]

Researchers from Curtin University have received a three-year Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grant to further investigate the early history of the moon. The work builds on previous uranium-lead dating of moon rocks from NASA’s Apollo 14 and 17 missions, adding samples from Apollo 12, 15 and 16. [ + ]

In an innovative and informal harmonisation endeavour, the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the British Pharmacopoeia Commission (BPC) developed two drug product quality standards that have been aligned in advance of inclusion in their respective compendia. [ + ]

A novel approach to the use of multiple databases containing information about individual patients and how they respond to different therapies is helping medical scientists to improve cancer treatments. [ + ]

QRxPharma (ASX:QRX) has been issued a key US patent for its MoxDuo pain formulation, extending its IP protection for the product until 2023. [ + ]

Scientists at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) have made exciting progress in their quest to help patients fight cancer using the body’s own immune system. [ + ]

Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has commenced a phase I/II trial of its BNC105 compound in ovarian cancer patients. [ + ]

Researchers from Western Australia have produced a targeted version of a natural protein that can open up cancerous tumours to attack by the body’s own immune system. [ + ]

Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher has announced applications are open for the 2012 Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation, and the 2012 Victoria Fellowships. [ + ]

Adding a new anti-inflammatory drug to conventional malaria treatments may help prevent irrevocable brain damage associated with cerebral malaria. [ + ]

The Building Brand Australia Program is designed around sourcing the best possible examples of contemporary Australian capability to show to the rest of the world. [ + ]

Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) has enlisted the aid of Germany's Labtec to help design the final version of drug delivery patch TPM/oxycodone, ahead of phase III trials. [ + ]

The DSMB overseeing Alchemia's (ASX:ACL) phase III trial of HA-Irinotecan in metastatic colorectal cancer has recommended that recruitment continue. [ + ]

Clinuvel (ASX:CUV) has commenced a final six-month trial of its Scenesse drug in patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). [ + ]

Canon’s local research and development arm CiSRA, in collaboration with Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum, is calling for Australian university students to enter the 2012 Extreme Imaging competition. [ + ]