The biomedical sphere is one of the toughest areas in which to gain funding – the level of competition, coupled with limited public funding makes it difficult to take many areas of research forward. With so many subjects worthy of development, private philanthropy is a significant enabler of vital research projects across Australia. [ + ]

The early identification of biomarkers to aid in the fight against diabetes, depression and other epidemic diseases will be the focus of a new Australian-German centre launched at The Australian National University.

Researchers at Monash University's Institute of Medical Research have used iPS (induced pluripotent stem cells) technology to become the first in Australia to create Type 1 diabetes cells in a laboratory. [ + ]

Liberals may owe their political outlook partly to their genetic make-up, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University.

Stem cell research will be a focus of Australia’s first international translational dental science research program, based at The University of Western Australia.

California-based biopharma company, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, has announced it will run three Phase Ib clinical trials in Australia and New Zealand testing its humanised monoclonal antibody therapies for cancer via local CRO, Novotech. [ + ]

Listed Australian biotech Holista CollTech announced today that it has signed two significant deals regarding the research and commercialisation of its halal food-grade sheep collagen. [ + ]

The popular Swiss-made antiemetic post-chemo drug Aloxi (palonosetron hydrochloride) has been approved for reimbursement under the PBS. [ + ]

The International Solar Biofuels Consortium was established in 2006 to promote scientific and industrial collaboration to promote biofuels and renewable energy. [ + ]

Dow AgroSciences has joined forces with PICSE (Primary Industry Centre for Science Education) to help attract Australia’s future scientists to careers in agribusiness and research.

The University of Western Australia’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson has announced his retirement from the position at the end of 2011.

Professor Peter Doherty has written his last grant application. But the 69-year-old Nobel Laureate hasn’t retired quite yet. [ + ]

Researchers at The University of Queensland believe they are a step closer to ridding the world of vaccinations with needles and syringes.

Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of organs or cells from a non-human animal into a human. [ + ]

When the immune system identifies a cell that needs to be eliminated, such as a virus-infected cell or cancer cell, natural killer cells descend and puncture the offending cell, injecting toxic enzymes to spell its doom. [ + ]