A group of entrepreneurial PhD students from a number of Melbourne's premier medical research facilities has developed an innovative biology experiment kit to promote science among school-aged children.

Melbourne's Antisense Therapeutics (ASX:ANP) has been granted approval to restart the phase IIa trial of its antisense compound ATL1102 for patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. [ + ]

Tissue engineering specialist Clinical Cell Culture (ASX:CCE, C3) has clarified aspects of its application for approval to market its ReCell product in Australia, following a decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in December to reject approval for the product. [ + ]

Sydney-based biopharma Novogen's (ASX:NRT, Nasdaq:NVGN) US subsidiary, Glycotex, is to postpone its IPO on the Nasdaq national market. [ + ]

Consulting firm Innovation Dynamics has added a new string to its bow, after being granted an Australian Financial Services licence by ASIC. [ + ]

Cell therapy company Living Cell Technologies (ASX:LCT) has raised more than AUD$3 million through a placement of ordinary shares to US shareholders and an Australian investor. [ + ]

Researchers have begun trials which will allow radiation doses in computed tomography (CT) scans to be estimated much more accurately.

Anti-viral drug developer Narhex Life Sciences (ASX:NLS) has commenced recruitment of healthy volunteers for the phase I clinical trial of its anti-HIV protease inhibitor drug DG17. [ + ]

Artificial heart firm HeartWare (ASX:HTW) has been granted its first regulatory approval to commence human implants of the HVAD left ventricular assist device from the Austrian Ministry of Health. [ + ]

The NSW government's health department is to run a series of forums to explain an ethical review of multi-centre research, including progress towards a model of single ethical and scientific review. [ + ]

Systems biology guru Dr Leroy Hood has entered into a strategic consulting relationship with US molecular testing equipment specialist LabCorp. [ + ]

Australian biotech stocks underperformed both the All Ordinaries and the Nasdaq Biotech Index in 2005, but the second half of the year was brighter with stocks gaining 23.2 per cent, according to the Intersuisse Biotechnology Index. [ + ]

Australian stem cell research experts have spoken out, in a series of statements, of their disappointment in the wake of findings by an independent review panel that a team led by South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk fabricated research on potentially groundbreaking papers on embryonic stem cells. [ + ]

GroPep (ASX:GRO) has begun to recruit healthy women volunteers into a phase I trial of its infertility drug PV903, targeted to treat recurrent miscarriages caused by an abnormal immune response to the foetus. [ + ]

Brisbane based Bio-Layer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SSH Medical (ASX:SSH), has entered into a development and marketing agreement with a US-based life sciences company for the use of its surface coating product Mix&Go. [ + ]