In an exclusive interview with Australian Life Scientist federal minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr has launched a scathing attack on the federal opposition’s lack of vision on science and innovation warning that a victory for Tony Abbott tomorrow would represent a huge backward step for the nation. [ + ]

Professor Philip Hogg, Director of the new Lowy Cancer Research Centre at the University of NSW, has received the prestigious 2010 Industry & Investment NSW Eureka Prize for Medical Research Translation. [ + ]

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests provide access to a person’s genomic information without necessarily involving a doctor or insurance company in the process. Sadly, there is no guarantee that the consumer is aware of the limitations or implications of the tests.

Who would have thought that a staid structural part of the cell could be so treacherous in cancer, determining life or death? Maria Kavallaris at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia is using a mixture of proteomics and good old-fashioned biology to fight such treachery head-on. [ + ]

Predicting where Australia’s next mineral boom will come from is serious business. Data collected using satellite sensing, airborne surveys, seismic crews and prospecting teams is immense and is piling up rapidly. But what use is all this data?

CSL, Australia’s biggest biotech and the world’s second largest producer of plasma blood products, today reported an eight percent dip in full year net profit to $1.05 billion, as a rising Australian dollar dented overseas revenues. [ + ]

A compassionate program run by Melbourne biotech Specialised Therapeutics (STA) has helped more than 240 Australian cancer patients to benefit from a world-leading new treatment based on nanoparticles, the company said. [ + ]

Phylogica has entered into an agreement with MedImmune to evaluate Phylogica’s proprietary Phylomer peptide library for novel antimicrobial peptides.

This year’s prestigious GlaxoSmithKline Australia Award for Research has gone to Monash University’s Professor Charles Mackay for his work on immunology and inflammation, particularly the discovery of GPR43 as a major regulator of innate and inflammatory response. [ + ]

Millar Instruments and Telemetry Research have set a new standard for telemetry research by developing the TRM53P. [ + ]

Regenerative medicine specialists Mesoblast today announced that it has provided market guidance to the FDA regarding its Phase 3 bone marrow transplantation program, which it hopes will create more options for patients as well as a reduction in incidences of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). [ + ]

Regenerative medicine specialists Mesoblast today announced that it has provided market guidance to the FDA regarding its Phase 3 bone marrow transplantation program, which it hopes will create more options for patients as well as a reduction in incidences of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). [ + ]

Back when Living Cell Technologies's (LCT) current Medical Director and Founder, Professor Bob Elliott, was working in his Auckland clinic, he decided that the treatments available for patients with Type I diabetes simply weren't good enough. [ + ]

Researchers from Sydney's Garvan Institute have challenged the dominant view in immunology circles as to how a special type of immune cell, called a T follicular helper cell (Tfh), is generated. [ + ]

The Australian stock market ended slightly up today as miners helped the bourse to resist to drag of poor performers such as Telstra, although it wasn’t enough to continue the run of five consecutive weekly gains. [ + ]