Immune therapy developer and Norwood Abbey (ASX:NAL) subsidiary Norwood Immunology (AIM:NIM) has entered into an option to acquire all the share capital of Netherlands-based Bestewil Holding, the 100 per cent owner of Virosome Biologicals Group, for up to 25 million euros (AUD$40.5 million). [ + ]

Australian owned, technical-based manufacturer for the global analytical science industry, SGE International was named Victorian Exporter of the Year 2005 at the 2005 Governor of Victoria Export Awards.

Newly listed Perth meditech BioPharmica (ASX:BPH) has taken the wraps off a new tumour-suppressor gene candidate that shows high promise as a therapeutic and diagnostic target for many cancers, as well as in AIDS and the brain disorder Huntington's disease. [ + ]

Sydney-based biopharma Novogen's (ASX:NRT, Nasdaq:NVGN) US subsidiary, Glycotex, has appointed Dr Reinhard Koenig as CEO and president. [ + ]

A phase Ib clinical trial of Melbourne-based Phosphagenics' (ASX:POH, AIM:PSG) TPM-01 transdermal delivery system has demonstrated that therapeutic levels of morphine in plasma were achieved and maintained for more than 48 hours using the technology. [ + ]

Sydney-based drug developer Pharmaxis (ASX:PXS, Nasdaq:PXSL) has signed a European distribution agreement for its first product, Aridol. [ + ]

Melbourne and California-based ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CXS, Nasdaq:CXSP)) has signed a new three-year alliance agreement with industry partner Merck KGaA, of Germany, to provide preclinical support in the fields of diabetes, insulin resistance and complications. [ + ]

Internationally renowned embryonic stem cell expert Martin Pera will leave Monash University and the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC) in April to head the newly created Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) at the University of Southern California. [ + ]

The failure of the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu to save the lives of patients with established H5N1 avian influenza infections may be a consequence of the drug's design, mode of delivery, and the uniqueness of the virus itself, according to experts. [ + ]

Following a board stoush last year and calls by shareholders at the company's AGM for a change in management, Polartechnics (ASX:PLT) CEO Victor Skladnev was yesterday replaced by Ben Dillon. [ + ]

Melbourne based adult stem cell company, Mesoblast (ASX:MSB), has been granted what it says is a key adult stem cell patent. [ + ]

Winston Churchill called it his 'black dog'. Abraham Lincoln suffered from bipolar disorder, as did German composer Robert Schumann, and Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. And a slew of poets including Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Blake, Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron and Sylvia Plath lived with manic depression. [ + ]

For the first time DNA analysis can identify paper-degrading microorganisms. This is made possible by a molecular process developed for fungal infected documents at the University of Vienna with support from the Austrian Science Fund FWF.

Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey, USA, researchers have found that the curry spice turmeric holds real potential for the treatment and prevention of prostate cancer, particularly when combined with certain vegetables.

Tissue engineering specialist Clinical Cell Culture's (ASX:CCE, C3) share price took a blow today, in the wake of a request by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for more performance data before it can approve C3's ReCell for sale in the US. [ + ]