A senior scientist from Brisbane-based biotech company Benitec (ASX:BLT) has told a conference that there is "incredible excitement" in the biomedical research community about the human therapeutic potential of RNA interference (RNAi) gene-silencing technology. [ + ]

A new service has been established to give researchers and biotechnology companies access to drug discovery and bioinformatics tools. [ + ]

ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX: CXS) has filed patent applications for another five novel depression-associated gene targets, bringing the total number of gene targets with patent protection from the CNS project to 10. [ + ]

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has entered into a collaborative agreement with Austrian-German drug development company Faustus to develop new anti-cancer leads from natural sources. [ + ]

Rockeby Biomed (ASX:RBY) has secured AUD$3 million from institutional and high net worth investors including current investors Queensland Investment Corporation and Thorney Holdings, which will both increase their holdings to become substantial shareholders. [ + ]

John Mattick, director of the Institute for Molecular Biosciences at the University of Queensland, has told an international RNAi conference that biology's central dogma is wrong -- at least as it applies to higher organisms. [ + ]

Tissue Therapies (ASX:TIS) has appointed Dr Stephen Mercer -- most recently managing director of Mercy Tissue Engineering -- as its new chief executive. [ + ]

The ambitions of Bone Medical (ASX:BNE) to bring the first oral version of osteoporosis drug calcitonin to the world market moved closer today, when the company announced encouraging results from a Phase I/IIa study of its lead candidate BN002. [ + ]

Brisbane-based biotech Genetic Solutions has earned a new client and an accolade at the 2004 Premier of Queensland Smart Awards. [ + ]

Reports of Peptech's (ASX:PTD) impending takeover of tiny DNA-analysis company Genera Biosystems are premature, according the heads of both companies. [ + ]

Ventracor (ASX:VCR) has begun a global trial of its VentrAssist device, with the implant of a patient suffering congestive heart failure at Royal Perth Hospital. [ + ]

Australian Cancer Technology (ASX:ACU) has acquired the North American licence for a developmental pancreatic cancer drug from German company RESprotect. [ + ]

Sleep disorder specialist company ResMed (ASX:RMD) has promoted Kieran Gallahue from president and American chief operating officer to president of ResMed Global. [ + ]

Prof Garth Cooper's ambition to build his second -- and new Zealand's first -- billion-dollar biotech company appears to be on track, with his Auckland-based biopharma company Protemix announcing remarkable results from a Phase IIa clinical trial of an oral drug that reverse heart disease in type 2 diabetics. [ + ]

European venture-capital investment rose 10 per cent in the second quarter of this year over the first quarter to 967.3 million euros, driven by more funding for healthcare, including biopharmaceutical and medical-device companies [ + ]