Industry News
A new year, a new look and good news is rolling in already…
2011 ended on a high for the Australian biotechnology industry, and 2012 is already off to a strong start for the sector. [ + ]
Australian native plants found to have anti-microbial properties
A Queensland collaborative research programme has found common native Australian plums can extend the shelf life of meat products. [ + ]
Starpharma to advance with phase III studies for VivaGel
Phase III trials of VivaGel to commence shortly after receiving FDA agreement on study design in anticipation of application for regulatory approval. [ + ]
Bionomics scores deal worth up to US$345 million
Deal with US pharmaceutical company Ironwood to develop anti-anxiety compound BNC210 could be worth up to US$345 million for the Adelaide-based biotech. [ + ]
Web resource for biobanking
CryoFeed is a web-based information resource for researchers who cryopreserve biological specimens. The microsite, developed by Wheaton, is a place where scientists can find the latest biobank related news and technical tips for topics like sample containment, management (tracking, batching and storing) and processing. Visitors can sign up for free updates, post comments and suggest topics for articles. [ + ]
Feature: Catching the sequencing bug
Dr Tony Papenfuss has shifted his energies from astrophysics to bioinformatics, and is about to tackle the itchy problem of sequencing the scabies genome. [ + ]
Feature: Epigenetic mischief makers
Dr Fatima Valdés-Mora has added yet another epigenetic mechanism to the growing list that allow cancers to run amok. [ + ]
Feature: Fever pitch
Professor Suresh Mahalingam and his team have made some intriguing discoveries that could lead to treatments of some nasty mosquito-borne diseases. [ + ]
QRxPharma to form US sales partnership
Drug development company QRxPharma (ASX:QRX) has agreed to form a partnership with Actavis covering commercialisation of its lead product, MoxDuo, in the US market. [ + ]
Science and censorship: the deadly H5N1 paper debate
Scientists have reacted with consternation to news that key details will be removed from a paper outlining a new mutant and potentially deadly H5N1 virus. [ + ]
Viralytics raises $4.7m to fund melanoma trial
Cash levels boosted to over $8 million to help fund phase II melanoma trial. [ + ]
Feature: The delicate immunological negotiation of sex
Reproduction doesn’t just involve a negotiation process between partners, but it involves a complex interaction at the immune level. [ + ]
Trial success sees Clinuvel near European filing for Scenesse
Clinuvel’s photoprotective drug Scenesse has shown it has a significant benefit for sufferers of erythropoietic protoporphyria, bringing the company closer to filing in Europe for marketing authorisation. [ + ]
A look at year that was and what’s in store for 2012
In the year that AusBiotech celebrated 25 years since it began as the Australian Biotechnology Association, 2011 has been the most action-packed for many years. Dr Anna Lavelle, CEO of AusBiotech, takes a look at the year that was and what 2012 might hold for the biotechnology sector. [ + ]
HealthLinx prepares to wrap up OvPlex trial
Diagnostics product developer HealthLinx (ASX:HTX) will finalise recruitment for a large trial of its OvPlex ovarian cancer biomarker, on the strength of the early results. [ + ]
