Industry News
In brief: Psiron, pSivida, Meditech Research, Optiscan Imaging
Greg Williams is Psiron's (ASC:PSX) new chief financial officer, a position he commenced on June 14. [ + ]
New insights into treating heart attack and stroke
Assoc Prof Shaun Jackson, from the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases at Monash University, has won this year's Amgen Medical Research Award for the discovery and development of a new treatment for coronary heart disease and stroke. [ + ]
The sheep genome project
Australia and New Zealand research and funding agencies are joining hands across the Tasman for a major genomics project on the animal on which both nations' economies were founded -- the sheep. [ + ]
Apollo Life Sciences IPO oversubscribed and closes early
Sydney-based biopharma Apollo Life Sciences has closed its AUD$9.5 million initial public offering early and heavily oversubscribed, its underwriter Blackwood Capital said. [ + ]
Government announces Fellowships for 2005
The Minister of Education, Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson has announced a total of 24 Federation Fellowships in Canberra early in June. The Australian Government, through the Australian Research Council, will provide A$40 million for new Fellows over the next five years.
[ + ]In brief: Mesoblast, Epitan, Acrux, Avantogen
Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) has appointed Dr Tamara Lewis as manager of clinical and regulatory affairs. [ + ]
Opara calls for changes at Polartechnics
Just under a week since Richard Opara stepped down from his role as interim chairman of Polartechnics (ASX:PLT) and resigned as director on June 8, his company Patonville, has served a requisition on Polartechnics to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting. [ + ]
Patent granted for Solbec's Cormasine
Perth biotech Solbec Pharmaceuticals (ASX:SBP) has been granted an Australian patent covering aspects of the manufacturing, purification process and formulation of the active pharmaceutical ingredients of the company's lead compound Coramsine. [ + ]
Lab-on-a-chip shows analytical prowess
The Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science (ACROSS) at the University of Tasmania has opened a new million-dollar laboratory to develop and manufacture microfluidics chips capable of analysing samples thousands of times smaller than a drop of water. [ + ]
Funding for ARC centres of excellence and federation fellowships
Eleven new ARC centres of excellence and 24 federation fellowship receipients will share $162 million in federal government funding. [ + ]
Metabolic raises $10 million
Melbourne based Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (ASX:MBP) has lifted its trading halt and reinstated its shares on the ASX's official quotation following the completion of a AUD$10 million private placement and the offer of a $10 million share purchase plan. [ + ]
Victorian Premier presents Award for Medical Research
Two Melbourne researchers, Dr Merlin Thomas and Dr Stephen Ting, have jointly won the 2005 Victorian Premier's Award for Medical Research. [ + ]
GroPep releases infertility data
Key pre-clinical data on GroPep's (ASX:GRO) infertility drug, PV903, showing a halving of the miscarriage rate in a strain of female mice susceptible to the immune rejection of the foetus, will be presented at a reproductive immunology meeting this week in the US. [ + ]
Metabolic shares suspended
Melbourne based Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (ASX:MBP) has suspended its shares from the ASX's official quotation in the lead-up to an announcement. [ + ]
US group to fund Australian spinal cord map
Researchers at the Spinal Injuries Research Centre at the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute have received AUD$200,000 from the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation to produce a three-dimensional map of the rat spinal cord that will be made publicly available on the internet. [ + ]