Industry News
Psivida to collaborate with US firm Cirrus
Perth nano-biotech company Psivida (ASX:PSD, NASDAQ:PSDV, Xetra:PSI) has contracted North Carolina-based R&D organisation Cirrus Pharmaceuticals to develop a number of specific drug candidates formulated in Psivida's modified silicon product BioSilicon. [ + ]
Canola scare shows we're right: Chance
WA agriculture minister Kim Chance has claimed that concerns over a canola crop which may have contained some genetically modified material have supported the state's moratorium on GM crops. [ + ]
Solbec's Coramsine found safe and tolerable
Solbec Pharmaceuticals' (ASX:SBP) devil's apple-derived drug Coramsine (SBP002) has met the primary endpoint of safety and tolerability for the two-hour infusion cohort of its single agent phase I clinical trial for advanced solid tumours. [ + ]
Second Sunshine implant removed after infection
The second patient to receive Sunshine Heart's (ASX:SHC) C-Pulse device has had the device removed one month after it was implanted, after he developed a related infection. [ + ]
Eiffel hanging on as cash dwindles
Sydney drug re-engineering company Eiffel Technologies (ASX:EIF) has released its results for the 2004-05 financial year, showing losses of AUD$3.5 million -- down 8.3 per cent from the previous year -- but less than $630,000 cash in the bank. [ + ]
Bone to become subsidiary of Bone Medical
Perth-based Bone Medical (ASX:BNE) has signed a share purchase agreement with UK R&D company Proxima Concepts to acquire 100 per cent control of British biopharma firm Bone -- the company that holds the licenses to Bone Medical's platform technologies. [ + ]
GTG lists on Nasdaq national market
Melbourne-based Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has listed its Level II American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the US Nasdaq national market. [ + ]
Opara: biotech market needs education
Dr Richard Opara, a substantial shareholder in biotech companies Polartechnics (ASX:PLT) and Avantogen (ASX:ACU), is trying to raise money for a new start-up capital biotech fund, but is finding the going tough in Australia and may have to go overseas to find the cash. [ + ]
Tracking infectious disease 'barcodes'
The fastest and cheapest way yet of identifying and tracking the bugs that cause major human infections is being trialled at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
[ + ]Bionomics allowed US epilepsy gene patent
South Australian genomics company Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has received a notice of allowance for a US patent, forming part of the company's patent portfolio covering a diagnostic test for severe forms of childhood epilepsy. [ + ]
In brief: Avantogen, Novogen, Peplin, ResMed
Alastair Hood has resigned as a director of Avantogen (ASX:ACU), formerly Australian Cancer Technology, citing increased corporate and travel commitments with his investment company Bluespire as the reason for his departure. [ + ]
Clinical Cell Culture posts record revenues
Tissue-engineering biomedical company Clinical Cell Culture (ASX:CCE, C3) has posted record revenues of AUD$1.4 million, up 51 per cent in the 18 month period from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005 (2003: $0.95 million). [ + ]
Melbourne medical informatics group nets $4.4m in grant round
The Bio21 Molecular Medicine Informatics Model (Bio21:MMIM) is one of nine projects to share $19.4 million in recent funding from the Australian government under the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative (SII). [ + ]
Peter Mac tests tumour-cell zapper
Researchers at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre have begun testing a high-precision, antibody-mediated system to deliver short-range radionuclides to cancerous cells. [ + ]
Financial results in brief
Cancer therapy developer Meditech (ASX:MTR) has received an AusIndustry Commercial Ready Grant worth $2.988 million over the next three years towards the development and commercialisation of HyCAMP, its lead anti-cancer product which is in phase II clinical testing. Meditech has also reported a half year loss of $1.68 million and a cash balance of $3.4 million. [ + ]