The vision to create an Australian-first home for medical research, clinical trials and treatment commercialisation reached an historic milestone with the official start of construction on the $354 million Translational Research Institute in Brisbane.

Any doubts as to the marketability of the Australian biotech and life sciences industries were thoroughly dispelled this week with 150 investors from more than 100 companies - foreign and Australian - attending AusBiotech’s Australasian Life Sciences Investment Summit in Melbourne as part of AusBiotech 2010. [ + ]

Premier John Brumby has launched a $55 million action plan to strengthen Victoria’s leadership in biotechnology, help in the fight against serious illnesses and create jobs across the state.

The gene patenting debate is complex, says Tania Obranovich, partner at law firm Davis Collison Cave, who spoke yesterday at the AusBiotech 2010 Conference on a panel entitled ‘Busting the myths about gene patenting.’ [ + ]

The DuPont Australia & New Zealand Innovation Awards is now calling for entry into the 2010/2011 Award Program.

Scientists investigating the anticancer effects of a microRNA molecule have become the first in Western Australia to secure funding from a multimillion-dollar fund set up to help commercialise early-stage medical research discoveries.

A new Centre for Forensic Science, bringing together The University of Western Australia’s expertise in all areas of forensics, has been officially opened.

The future of engineered body parts will be discussed and scrutinised by the world’s leading tissue engineers at the University of Sydney in November.

The groundbreaking work of CSIRO researchers was recognised at the 2010 CSIRO Awards Ceremony.

There are benefits, tangible and intangible, to clustering life science companies together. The Thebarton Bioscience Precinct in South Australia shows how it can lend a boost not only to the companies involved, but to the entire biotech industry. [ + ]

Two Australian universities have received funding and technology from Agilent Technologies to help kick start new research initiatives. [ + ]

It appears the Government and Opposition agree. Research and development (R&D) is fundamental to business growth and to Australia’s long term prosperity. Agreement ends at this point. We disagree on how we can get the ‘biggest bang’ out of the $1.6 billion the Government invests every year to enhance Australia’s productivity through the existing R&D tax concession. [ + ]

Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) has entered into a commercial agreement with New Jersey-based biotech BD to develop the institute’s reagents for research and diagnostic tools. [ + ]

The new M² building, part of the Materials and Minerals Sciences Learning and Research Hub at the University of South Australia, will foster Australia’s next generation of engineering, material and mineral science graduates.

Health and medical research spending not only delivers economic benefits and supports highly skilled jobs, but it delivers significant savings in terms of health benefits. [ + ]