UK-based NeuroSolutions, the fully owned subsidiary of NeuroDiscovery (ASX:NDL), has signed its first Australian revenue contract with Perth-based biopharmaceutical company Alzhyme. NeuroSolutions' Alzheimer models will be used to investigate the potential of three Alzhyme peptides to impede the progression of the disease. [ + ]

Mimotopes, a wholly owned subsidiary of PharmAust (ASX:PAA), is to supply California-based life science technology group Invitrogen Corporation (NASDAQ:IVGN) with custom pre-clinical peptides for Invitrogen's customers worldwide. [ + ]

Prima Biomed (ASX: PRR) has entered into an agreement to sell all the assets of its subsidiary Arthron to Toronto-based private company Trillium Therapeutics. [ + ]

Sydney's Peptech (ASX:PTD) has appointed Dr John Chiplin as its new chief executive officer, effective January 2006. [ + ]

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and EvoGenix (ASX:EGX) have signed a deal to apply the antibody developer's EvoGene technology to optimise selected compounds from GSK's product pipeline. [ + ]

Melbourne drug developer Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has been awarded a US$20.3 million (AUD$26.4 million) contract from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), for the development of its HIV preventative product VivaGel. [ + ]

The annual Prime Minister's prizes for science and science teaching were awarded last night at Parliament House in Canberra. [ + ]

Protein chemists at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) have produced a new freeze-dried form of Brisbane-based Tissue Therapies' (ASX:TIS) wound-healing technology VitroGro. [ + ]

Bermuda-based investment manager Orbis Mutual Funds has acquired a 12 per cent stake in Melbourne-based drug delivery company Acrux (ASX:ACR). [ + ]

Antisense Therapeutics (ASX:ANP) has produced positive results from a 'proof-of-concept' study of its second generation antisense drug ATL1101 to suppress the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R), which is under development as a cream for the topical treatment of the skin disorder psoriasis. [ + ]

Perth nano-biotech company pSivida (ASX:PSD; NASDAQ:PSDV; Xetra:PSI) has agreed to purchase privately owned US drug delivery company Control Delivery Systems (CDS) for US$104 million (AUD$139 million), as part of its on-going US growth strategy. [ + ]

Resonance Health Analysis Services (RHAS), a subsidiary of Perth-based Resonance Health (ASX:RHT), has been awarded a health supply contract from the government of Western Australia's department of health, for its FerriScan diagnostic test. [ + ]

Could 'farmer power' force Australian state governments to back down on their moratoria on GM crops? Graeme O'Neill reports. [ + ]

The full range of BDH chemicals and laboratory products including the AnalaR, ARISTAR, Spectrosol and GURR brands are now available again.

On the eve of a leading livestock conference, CSIRO Livestock Industries chief Shaun Coffey looks at why there are more questions than answers in agriculture -- and why scientists need to join in the debate. [ + ]