Russia’s approval this week of Merck Serono’s Movectro (oral cladribine) marks a major shift towards new oral treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), according to industry analysts Datamonitor. [ + ]

The Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, part of the Australian National Fabrication Facility, may position Australia at the forefront of nanotechnology research.

Australian and French researchers will be working together to fight neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson’s disease, thanks to funding through the 2010 French-Australian Science and Technology (FAST) Program.

CSL announced today that it will invest $235 million over the next five years to develop a large scale biotechnology facility at its manufacturing site in Broadmeadows focussed on the late-stage development of new therapies for cancer, bleeding disorders, inflammation and infection. [ + ]

Melbourne biotech Clinuvel has reported positive results from a Phase III trial of its UV protection drug Scenesse in treating sufferers of the rare genetic disorder erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). [ + ]

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. [ + ]