A program sponsored and administered by ASTM International - the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity - will be a major benefit to suppliers, by verifying to their customers their conformance with ASTM test methods. [ + ]

AusIndustry has launched a new publication outlining what will be required when businesses commence registering for the R&D Tax Incentive from 1 July 2012. [ + ]

A phase IIa trial of Pharmaxis’ (ASX:PXS) experimental allergic asthma drug, ASM8, has been shown safe, but more trials will be required to demonstrate efficacy. [ + ]

Optical components provider Edmund Optics is now accepting applications for their 2012 Edmund Optics Higher Education Grant Program. [ + ]

Sigma-Aldrich has acquired all outstanding shares of Cleveland-based company Research Organics to expand its buffer production capacity and to increase its portfolio of PharmaGrade raw materials for the biopharmaceutical and diagnostic markets. [ + ]

Innovative new technology has been used to identify and profile a novel combination of proteins that may improve treatment for prostate disorders. [ + ]

There’s no gene for genius, but scientists have found that a tiny change in a single gene has an impact on brain size and general intelligence. [ + ]

Science is set to become one of the hottest subjects on the timetable for students in Years Nine and 10, following the launch of the inaugural Science for Growth Awards. The awards are being piloted in New South Wales and Queensland before a national launch in 2013. [ + ]

Researchers have uncovered why some individuals with X-linked lymphoproliferative live far longer than expected, which could lead to a gene therapy for the disease. [ + ]

Researchers have uncovered why some individuals with X-linked lymphoproliferative live far longer than expected, which could lead to a gene therapy for the disease. [ + ]

RMIT will sell its toxicology testing unit, RDDT, to vivoPharm Technologies in exchange for a 20% stake in the contract research organisation (CRO). [ + ]

An international scientific team has carried out the world’s first analysis of the impact of ocean acidification on every gene in the coral genome, throwing new light on the likely fate of corals under climate change. [ + ]

An international collaborative study including researchers from The University of Western Australia (UWA) has identified at least two new gene variants that increase the risk of common childhood obesity. [ + ]

The Government of South Australia has announced it will fund a new $1 million initiative over three years to help South Australia’s three main universities seek patent protection for their intellectual property (IP). [ + ]

The capacity of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) has been reinforced by a $10 million government commitment to the Council’s new arrangements. [ + ]