Its US rivals' pain is proving to be AstraZeneca's gain -- at least in the short term. The withdrawal of Merck & Co's Vioxx last September has lifted demand for AstraZeneca's Nexium heartburn and ulcer treatment, and the suspension of Pfizer's Bextra may give a further boost, industry analysts said on Friday. [ + ]

A workshop on new methods of detecting and controlling the spread of one of the world's most deadly frog diseases – chytridiomycosis – was recently held at CSIRO Livestock Industries' Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) in Geelong, Victoria.

Traditionally if scientists wanted to look at something small they would put a sample under a microscope but now researchers have managed to shrink the microscope itself to the size of a single human cell.

New Zealand Crown Research Institute AgResearch is selling off its wholly owned subsidiary, sheep vaccine distributor AgVax, under its policy of divesting itself of its profitable start-ups. [ + ]

Do you want sugars with that? Sydney protein specialist Apollo is planning an IPO next month to raise funds to develop its extensive portfolio of glycosylated proteins as research agents and therapeutics. [ + ]

Melbourne-based drug-development company ChemGenex (ASX:CGX) has begun a Phase II trial of its developmental drug Ceflatonin to re-sensitise late-stage chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) who have developed resistance to the Novartis 'miracle' drug Gleevec. [ + ]

In the science fiction series Star Trek, the Klingons use cloaking technology to render their spaceships invisible to the Enterprise's sophisticated sensor systems. But like many other futuristic ideas, that cloaking technology was invented by nature first. The tiny vampire Plasmodium falciparum, which causes the deadliest form of human malaria, has up to 60 ways of cloaking itself against its host's immune defences. [ + ]

Regenera (ASX:RGA) has signed deal with an affiliate of US opthamology giant Alcon, which one independent source has valued at US$100 million (AUD$130 million), for a steroid technology it licensed in only last year which is used in eye surgery. [ + ]

The opportunities for research have been widened with the recent lifting of a ban on using recently created embryos.

Sydney peptide therapeutics developer Peptech (ASX:PTD) has taken delivery of its hot new anti-inflammatory domain antibody (dAb) from UK ally Domantis, and plans to begin human clinical trials in 2007. [ + ]

Start small, but think big, could be Melissa Little's motto. The kidney disease researcher, an associate professor at the University of Queensland's Institute of Molecular Bioscience, is hunting molecules that may stimulate failing kidneys to repair themselves -- but her ultimate goal is to be able to program stem cells to grow new kidneys from scratch. [ + ]

A new technique that involves seeding 3D biodegradable polymer scaffolds with human embryonic stem (hES) cells is showing promise as a way to create human tissues for therapeutic applications, an Israeli researcher has told a workshop in Sydney. [ + ]

Some of Australia's most eminent researchers have warned that Australia must get creative to stay on top in the increasingly competitive global stem cell research and business landscape. [ + ]

RNAi specialist Benitec (ASX:BLT) has lodged a prospectus with ASIC to raise up to AUD$9.7 million in a rights issue, underwritten by Bell Potter. Capital raised will go towards clinical development and expansion of Benitec's California operations, it said. [ + ]

Unlisted Brisbane biotech Xenome has secured $2.5 million in new funding from its major shareholder, the Queensland Biocapital Fund (QBF), to accelerate development of its product pipeline, including its pain-killing peptide from cone-shell toxin, Xen2174. [ + ]