Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That’s certainly the case with pharmaceutical company, QRxPharma. Not only does its lead product, MoxDuo, combine two existing drugs to give a superior effect with fewer side effects than current products, but the company has combined a strong background in science with a prudent approach to clinical trials to build a robust biotechnology company with global aspirations. [ + ]

Two thousand and nine was an extraordinary year. When I last wrote twelve months ago, we were in the thick of a global economic crisis. The biotechnology industry, like most Australian industries, was feeling the effect of the downturn. Thanks to swift action by the Commonwealth, Australia has fared better than just about any other developed nation. [ + ]

According to an analyst at Datamonitor, it's a bumpy road ahead for the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry in the United States as a result of the recently passed healthcare bill along with the 'patent cliff' due to arrive around 2011. [ + ]

Monozygotic - or identical - twins have provided science with the ideal platform for distinguishing between genetic and environmental influences for anything from personality, risk of cardiovascular disease or even voting habits. [ + ]

A team of researchers from McGill/MUHC validates a novel screening tool in the fight against Chagas disease.

The results of two separate research studies taking place at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics will help physicians predict which newborns may require readmission to the hospital shortly after birth. The studies will also help physicians identify which of their young patients are likely to respond well - or not - to steroid therapy for asthma.

Cloud computing - where IT assets and raw computing power are outsourced over the internet - is rapidly growing in popularity, particularly amongst biotechnology companies in Japan, India and China, according to analysts, Ovum. [ + ]

Venture capital looks for three things in a biotechology company: people, people and people. So said Michael Quinn, managing partner at Innovation Capital, speaking at the inaugural Australian Life Scientist Roundtable discussion on Friday. [ + ]

Termites hate it, but home owners may come to love it. It's the termite repellent developed by Australian natural products developer, BioProspect. [ + ]

If you excuse the mixed metaphor, there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re not out of the woods yet. That appears to be the sentiment amongst the Australian biotechnology community in the opening months of 2010. [ + ]

Queensland-based private biopharma company, Xenome, has raised $10 million in funds in the form of convertible notes to fuel continued development of its flagship pain drug, Xen2174. [ + ]

Researchers have discovered 2,363 new DNA sequences corresponding to 730 regions on the human genome that were not charted in the reference map produced to date. [ + ]

The biotechnology sector has seen another quarter of strong growth, with the majors - CSL, ResMed and Cochlear - putting in healthy performances, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' latest BioForum report. [ + ]

Over half the Australian population is either overweight or obese, with many experiencing corresponding health effects, such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes. [ + ]

The Australian biotechnology industry is warming up for BIO 2010, to be held in Chicago from May 3-6, and Queensland is planning on being well represented at the world's largest biotech convention. [ + ]