pSivida has secured US$15 million (AUD$20 million) in additional funding from a New York institutional investor to assist in the development of its platform technology BioSilicon. [ + ]

It would take only four years to completely replace today's farmed chickens with genetically modified breeds fully resistant to infection to avian influenza, according to a visiting British molecular virologist. [ + ]

Microbiologists from the University of Bradford in England believe they may be closer to developing a vaccine that can protect newborn babies from being infected by the common and potentially fatal bacteria Group B Streptococcus.

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. [ + ]