Combination therapy trial for refractory hep C begins. [ + ]

The genomics revolution is helping food scientists to better predict microbial presence and possible toxin production as well as respond more rapidly should a food calamity occur, according to Professor Stanley Brul, University of Amsterdam.

Fullerenes, the nanoparticles also known as buckyballs, may be used to fight allergies. [ + ]

US researchers link defect in CHD7 gene to idiopathic scoliosis. [ + ]

Researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have reported a new and efficient strategy, using eggs alone, for creating mouse embryonic stem cells that can be transplanted without the risk of rejection because the cells are compatible with the recipient’s immune system.

After the initial infection, the Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) virus usually remains in the body, hiding out in nearby nerve cells where the victim’s immune defenses cannot reach it, causing no symptoms at all.

A new cancer research facility will be built at the University of NSW. [ + ]

The 54th Annual Conference of the Genetics Society of Australasia will be held at the University of Sydney from 26 to 29 June.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) have been able to identify neural signatures of effective, real-time coordination between two interacting humans.

A simple test to diagnose Parkinson’s disease before symptoms appear by measuring the levels of a protein in blood is being developed by researchers from the Howard Florey Institute, the University of Melbourne and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.

Nutrigenomics could be used to help solve the growing obesity crisis. [ + ]

Mesoblast announces strong interim results in fracture repair trial. [ + ]

CSIRO and the Kolling Institute of Medical Research at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital have discovered two new biological markers that can identify different types of aggressive brain tumours. The discovery will help neuropathologists more accurately diagnose brain tumours and better predict patient survival.

Scientists at La Trobe University have made a breakthrough by discovering signalling problems in cells may be responsible for mitochondrial diseases, a set of rare and incurable conditions affecting thousands of people worldwide.

Diagnostic microbiology could be turned on its head with the use of real-time PCR in the clinical setting. [ + ]