Optiscan (ASX:OIL) has received European CE Mark approval for its flexible endo-microscope, jointly developed with Pentax. But the company and its Japanese marketing partner Pentax are awaiting a go-ahead from the US Food and Drug Administration before the marketing process gets underway. [ + ]

A research paper in the prestigious US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science this week has underscored the commercial potential of the platform vaccine technology being commercialised by Eqitx (ASX:EQX) subsidiary VacTX, the company has claimed. [ + ]

San Francisco-based biotechnology investment bank Burrill & Co has named its 'best of biotech' for 2004. [ + ]

Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has appointed former Reserve Bank economist Dr Peter Jonson as chairman, and extended the contract of chief executive officer and managing director Dr Deborah Rathjen until June 2008. [ + ]

CSIRO Plant Industry researcher, Peter Reid, has received a major CSIRO award for his work on developing hardier, more productive varieties of cotton suited specifically to Australian conditions.

Perth-based biotech project management company Gateway Capital is about to step into the ring with venture capital players and investment banks, announcing today it will aim to fast-track biotech research from research institute to ASX. [ + ]

Agenix (ASX:AGX) subsidiary AGEN Biomedical has secured a manufacturing and technology transfer alliance with US company Inverness Medical Innovations for its animal health diagnostic products. [ + ]

Queensland gene-therapy company Benitec Ltd (ASX:BLT) has licensed-in a novel, non-viral new technology from Stanford University that delivers prolonged RNAi-induced gene-silencing in mammalian cells. [ + ]

This month, an international movement was quietly born -- one that aims to loosen the grip of the world's biggest life science corporations on key enabling technologies and patents for biotechnology R&D. [ + ]

The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) and Griffith University have entered into a collaboration. [ + ]

Alzheimer's specialist Prana Biotechnology (ASX:PRR) has released data from an extension study of its Phase II PBT-1 (clioquinol) trial, showing that the drug appeared to slow the rate of decline. [ + ]

September was a kind month for the biotechnology sector -- the Intersuisse biotechnology index indicated that the sector more than made up for its loss in August, moving ahead by 4 per cent, almost 1 per cent more than both the All Ordinaries and the Nasdaq. [ + ]

Near enough isn't good enough when it comes to structure-based drug design and medicinal chemistry. That's the reasoning behind Avexa's (ASX:AVX) new collaborations with Melbourne's St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research and the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, according to CEO Julian Chick. [ + ]

Cytopia (ASX:CYT) will raise AUD$13.2 million in a fully underwritten non-renounceable rights issue. [ + ]

Brisbane company Tissue Therapies (ASX:TIS) has bolstered its cash reserves through a placement of $1.46 million before costs to institutional and sophisticated investors. [ + ]