Initial data from the world’s largest ever study correlating the genes of cancer sufferers with their responses to medications have been released indicating the potential for promising future treatments. [ + ]

Scientists from Sydney’s Garvan Institute have demonstrated that the drug candidate Lisofylline may be useful in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. [ + ]

Professor Ken Baldwin has been awarded this year's Barry Inglis Medal in recognition of his contribution to the science of measurement.

Protein from poplar trees can be used to greatly reduce size of memory elements and increase the density of computer memory.

Regenerative medicine specialists Mesoblast announced today that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has granted the company a license to manufacture and supply its Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) products in Australia [ + ]

RNA interference (RNAi) was little more than an enigmatic laboratory phenomenon just 15 years ago, but has since been fashioned into a Swiss Army knife, bristling with new blades and widgets for biological and medical research. [ + ]

US researchers have published the results of the first ever clinical trial examining the effectiveness of MDMA in treating sufferers of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [ + ]

Infuenza is a tough virus to crack. Today we’re fortunate to have two neuraminidase inhibitors - oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) - that are very effective at stunting the spread of influenza. [ + ]

The board of private Australian healthcare provider Healthscope has unanimously recommended shareholders accept an offer by a US consortium of $6.26 a share to buy the company. [ + ]

Neville Stevens, AO has been appointed chair of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Committee, commencing 18 July 2010.

Brisbane-based molecular diagnostics company, Athlomics, has provided the first of its SeptiCyte Lab kits for the diagnosis of sepsis to Brisbane’s Mater Pathology. [ + ]

Iron ore magnate Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forest is poised to make his foray into the Australian biotech industry with his medical devices company Allied Medical announcing it was undertaking a rights issue to buy a controlling interest in Brisbane vaccine specialists Coridon. [ + ]

Music training may bring about biological changes in the brain that could enhance music processing and even transfer to other domains. [ + ]

Hartland and her team at the University of Melbourne study highly specialised systems used by many pathogenic bacteria to boost their own virulence. One such bacterial system is the Type III secretion system (T3SS), which was identified in the early 1990s in Yersinia, a genus of bacteria infamous for causing plague. [ + ]

The Australian share market closed slightly down today after a lacklustre session in which investors kept to the sidelines following weak economic data out of the U.S overnight, while anticipation of a federal election being called in the next few days contributed to the subdued mood. [ + ]