CSIRO may be able to control the spread of bat-borne diseases after discovering they can host deadly viruses without ill-effects.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals has acquired patents and assets from German company, Orphatec Pharmaceuticals, for a therapy to treat molybdenum cofactor deficiency (MoCD) Type A. [ + ]

Mesoblast to diversify product offerings with a $139 million cash injection from issuing a further 24.7 million shares to Cephalon. [ + ]

Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr announced the appointment of Mark Paterson AO and Hutch Ranck to the CSIRO Board. They replace outgoing board members Douglas Rathbone AM and Deborah O’Toole.

Dr Andrew Peele, the new head of science for the Australian Synchrotron, talks about the road ahead for life sciences at the facility. [ + ]

More than 600 of the world’s leading experts in human, animal and environmental health will discuss ways to tackle the increasing threat of new infectious disease outbreaks at the 1st International One Health Congress in Melbourne.

The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) aims to highlight the achievements and contributions of chemistry worldwide.

Researchers are now working to develop a new diagnostics platform with which lung cancer can be diagnosed in its early stages, even during a visit to the general practitioner.

The results of the Australian Government’s $700 million annual investment in health and medical research have been showcased in a new publication launched by the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler.

The Acting Director of the Australian Synchrotron, Dr George Borg, and La Trobe University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Tim Brown, have appointed a new Head of Science at the Australian Synchrotron - Dr Andrew Peele.

Cancer is an evolutionary throwback, resembling early multicellular life, and flourishes when the more evolutionarily recent genes that regulate cellular cooperation fail. [ + ]

With the rapid growth of nanotechnology-based products, researchers, manufacturers, regulators and consumers are increasingly concerned with their safety and environmental impact. To help address this issue, ISO has published an International Standard to support the inhalation toxicity testing of nanoparticles.

In the International Year of Chemistry, RMIT University will open a joint research centre with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad, India.

Two next generation genome sequencers donated by Perth businessman Charles Morgan have gone online at the Royal Perth Hospital. [ + ]

Australian researchers can look to the future with renewed confidence, thanks to a new Industry Doctoral Training Centre and the Australian Government’s Research Workforce Strategy.