Melbourne drug discovery biotech Cryptome Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CRP) has turned on its income tap after signing a collaboration agreement with Germany's Xantos Biomedicine to validate Xantos' lead anti-cancer molecule. [ + ]

With many biotechnology companies struggling to find investor support, the idea of banding together against the harsh elements -- merging or acquiring a like company -- is gaining currency. But there are many snares for the unwary, warns mergers and acquisitions specialist Nathan Drona. [ + ]

Sydney-based biopharma Apollo Life Sciences lodged its prospectus with the ASX yesterday to raise AUD$9.5 million from its IPO in June. [ + ]

Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved a clinical trial of a new immunotherapeutic vaccine for chronic hepatitis C infection, developed by VacTX, a joint venture between EqiTX (ASX:EQX) and the CRC for Vaccine Technology [ + ]

The harvest of Australia's 2004/05 cotton crop, the first to involve full-scale production of new-generation, pest-resistant Bollgard 2 varieties, is nearing completion. [ + ]

Pfizer Australia has received a "massive" response to its first internal global call for submissions after it successfully won an AUD$10 million pharmaceutical partnerships program (P3) grant earlier this year. [ + ]

Breast cancer researchers and health-service agencies in NSW have formed a consortium to establish a national tissue bank, containing annotated tissues from breast cancer patients, as resource for Australian researchers. [ + ]

Sydney biomedical company Sirtex Medical (ASX:SRX) has promoted Gilman Wong from chief operating officer to chief executive officer. [ + ]

Psiron (ASX:PSX) has presented a research paper at the International Meeting on Molecular Biology of Picornaviruses showing anticancer activity of a new strain of its lead product (CVA21) against a wider range of colorectal cancer cells. [ + ]

The US Food and Drug Administration and Applied Biosystems researchers have recently collaborated on a comparative study of the genetic effects of the three commercialised glitazone drugs, using the company's microarray platform technology. [ + ]

Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has acquired unlisted Melbourne discovery company Iliad Chemicals for 40.9 million Bionomics shares - approximately AUD$6.1 million at current market prices. [ + ]

Melbourne-based health-management house HealthLinx has signed a collaboration agreement with US clinical proteomics company Bruker Daltonics to develop a multiplex, in vitro diagnostic (IVD) assay for ovarian cancer. [ + ]

A network that brings together over 60 leading Australian researchers who advance cutting-edge fluorescence technologies has been launched at Macquarie University.

Sydney's Ventracor (ASX:VCR) has announced the first European implant of its VentrAssist device as part of its CE Mark Trial. [ + ]

Auckland-based biotech Genesis Research (ASX/NZSX:GEN) has received a valuable boost to its bottom line after an out-of-court settlement of its long-running dispute with former US ally, Delaware-based forestry biotech company ArboGen. [ + ]