PricewaterhouseCoopers has released its BioForum report for the fourth quarter FY10 showing a fall of 9.5 percent for the local Life Sciences Index, which performed slightly better than the broader market. [ + ]

Cancer specialists ChemGenex today announced that its recent Type A Meeting with the FDA has resulted in discussions outlining a regulatory path for the approval of its Omapro (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) treatment for patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). [ + ]

Australian regenerative medicine company Mesoblast has formally begun perusing FDA approval for Phase III clinical trials of its bone marrow transplant allogeneic following positive results from a trial at the University of Texas Md Anderson Cancer Centre. [ + ]

Malaria is not only devastating to the individuals who suffer from it, but it also prevents many of the poorest countries around the world from emerging from poverty. A 2001 report by the Center for International Development found that countries with widespread malaria infection had income levels only one third that of similar countries without malaria - and that's adjusting for all other variables. So malaria is not just a health issue, it's a massive socio-political problem, the solving of which could benefit untold millions. [ + ]

There may be a relatively simple, shared explanation for equivalent behaviours of ultracold atomic gases and high-temperature superconductors.

Ultrasound is being investigated by University of Adelaide researchers as an environmentally friendly way of controlling blue-green algal blooms in fresh water supplies.

Melbourne biotech Sigma Pharmaceuticals has assured shareholders that it is trying to negotiate a better deal than the revised $0.55 a share offered for the company by South African generics producer Aspen Pharmacare Holdings. [ + ]

Dr Ellen Sheets has been appointed to lead Qiagen’s biomarker discovery strategy and its evaluation program for new molecular diagnostic content.

The Australian stock market managed its strongest close in a month today spurred by better-than-expected Australian employment data as well as improved confidence in the U.S economy following three days of consecutive gains on Wall Street. [ + ]

Researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta have identified chemicals that help to grow neurons in the brains of mice, potentially leading to new treatments for mental illness and cognitive disabilities. [ + ]

HIV drug company Avexa has appointed industry veteran Joe Baini as its new chairman after shareholders voted on Tuesday to remove his predecessor Nathan Drona and virtually the company’s entire board. [ + ]

Melbourne biotech Clinuvel (ASX:CUV) has struck the first commercial manufacturing deal for its UV-protection drug Scenesse. [ + ]

Sales of generic HIV drugs will double to more than $US1.2 billion by 2019 making up 10 percent of the entire retroviral market, according to industry analysts Datamonitor. [ + ]

Peak industry body AusBiotech said today that it was confident of working with new prime minister Julia Gillard to develop a more effective legislative framework for the Australian biotechnology industry. [ + ]

AtCor Medical announced today that it has signed a US$1.77 million contract for the supply of its SphygmoCor blood pressure measurement system to a U.S customer. [ + ]