Botanical therapeutics specialist Solagran (ASX:SLA) has defended its financial position, after receiving a 'please explain' from the Australian Stock Exchange. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has signed an agreement with health and lifestyle industry supplier Sportsstyle for the marketing and distribution of its ACTN3 SportsGene Test throughout Japan. [ + ]

Bone Medical (ASX:BNE) has received approval for a level one American Depository Receipt (ADR) program with receipts tradable in the over-the-counter market under the code BMEDY. [ + ]

Brisbane-based materials science specialist Bio-Layer is planning a backdoor listing on the ASX through SSH Medical (ASX:SSH) in September, aiming to raise between $3.5 and $5 million in capital to commercialise its products. [ + ]

Brisbane biopharma Alchemia (ASX:ACL) has been named the overall winner of the Queensland Government's Smart Awards 2005 for its efforts towards commercialising a new treatment to fight cancer. [ + ]

Agenix (ASX:AGX, NASDAQ:OTC:AGXLY) has signed a multi-million dollar contract with US company Diosynth Biotechnology to begin the process of manufacturing its ThromboView blood clot imaging product for phase III clinical trials and commercial sale. [ + ]

Medico and property investor Richard Opara resigned as interim chairman of Polartechnics (ASX:PLT) on June 8. The next day, US biotech executive Len Firestone stepped down as a director. [ + ]

Resonance Health Analysis Services (RHAS), a subsidiary of Perth-based Resonance Health (ASX:RHT) and formerly known as Inner Vision Biometrics, has agreed to provide its FerriScan diagnostic test to Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis Pharma for use in its clinical studies. [ + ]

Sydney-based Biosignal (ASX:BOS) has revealed plans to raise AUD$1 million for additional working capital, as it prepares to take its biofilm technology into contact lens clinical trials. [ + ]

In medicine, good things are coming in increasingly tiny packages: microscopic delivery systems made from polymers or other bio-friendly materials, and stuffed with therapeutic genes, proteins or small synthetic molecules, that can be implanted strategically in the brain or body. [ + ]

The legal battle between artificial heart firms HeartWare (ASX:HTW) and Ventracor (ASX:VCR) has intensified, with HeartWare filing a strong rebuttal to patent infringement action commenced against it by Ventracor and the University of Technology, Sydney. [ + ]

Just what is the centre of the Australian biotech universe? Is it Melbourne, or Sydney, or Brisbane? [ + ]

Melbourne drug developer Starpharma (ASX:SPL) has received the 2005 Frost & Sullivan Growth Strategy Leadership Award for the company's development of VivaGel and other polyvalent dendrimer-based products relating to the world nanobiotechnology market. [ + ]

Genesis Biomedical (ASX:GBL) will be undertaking a non-renounceable rights issue to raise about AUD$1 million. [ + ]

SciGen (ASX:SIE) executive vice-chairman and founder Saul Mashaal has been reappointed as CEO, a position he held until September 2001 when executive management of the company was transferred to Australia. [ + ]