The commercialisation of new Australian inventions, including an influenza test kit for pandemics, is being supported by $13m of federal government funding.

Trials by the CSIRO have shown that an experimental vaccine can protect horses against the deadly Hendra virus. Stopping the disease in horses could also help protect people from the disease.

Dr Matthew McCormack and his team are hunting down the precancerous stem cells that are responsible for leukaemia, opening up the possibility new treatments. [ + ]

The CSIRO, through a new quadrennial funding agreement with the Australian Government, will receive $3 billion over the four years from 2011.

While the Australian Academy of Science welcomes the Budget decision not to cut science research funding, it is disappointed there will be no increase in the research budget and no ongoing support for scientists to collaborate internationally.

Dr Mark Shackleton has made great strides in understanding how melanomas form and propagate. [ + ]

Health and medical research spending was not cut as expected in the 2011 budget to the relief of many scientists. [ + ]

A program offering the services of Industrial Research Ltd’s scientists and engineers aims to encourage New Zealand businesses to focus on how R&D can improve their producitivity and profitability.

Teva has outbid Valeant in its offer to buy Cephalon, citing interest in Mesoblast's stem cell therapies. [ + ]

The winner of the Australian Academy of Science's 2011 Fenner Medal, Dr Bryan Fry, has found that venom from the Komodo dragon could lower your blood pressure.

Marine molluscs are a potential source of new anticancer drugs and other medicines, according to Dr Kirsten Benkendorff of Southern Cross University.

Established jointly by CSIRO and The University of Western Australia (UWA), a new laboratory for research into the molecular workings of plants and the genomes of crops has been opened in Perth.

Leading British and Australian researchers have critiqued the way western governments encourage innovation and have called for fundamental change.

Professor Mahananda Dasgupta, a new Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, continues to encourage and pave the way for women in the physics and science arena.

Associate Professor Fred Meunier has finally shed some light on the role played by the protein Munc18 in nerve function. [ + ]