Biopharmaceutical research and development company Antisense Therapeutics reported on Wednesday a net loss of $6.3 million for the 12 months to June 30, 2002, driven largely by heavy early-stage expenditure on R&D, the company said. [ + ]

CSIRO has launched a biotechnology strategy in an attempt to strengthen its focus in the field. [ + ]

Australian drug discovery company International Drug Technologies has announced a record 14 per cent jump in full year net profit to $4.2 million. [ + ]

Leading scientist Catherine Verfaillie has told a briefing in Melbourne it was "unfortunate" that her work was held up as evidence that embryonic stem cell research was unnecessary. [ + ]

The Federal government is gambling $250,000 that Australian researchers can produce a commercial payoff from world-leading work on an unusual family of circular proteins. [ + ]

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane last night warned scientists that the real threat to the future of stem cell research in Australia was because of researchers' conflicting goals. [ + ]

A new Australian $54 million venture fund is ready to invest in promising young biotechs even though it is far short of its intended goal of raising $100 to $150 million. [ + ]

An automatic system to continuously monitor and control wine fermentations being developed by University of South Australia and University of Adelaide researchers will enable winemakers to produce better quality wine and maintain Australia's competitiveness in international wine markets.

Australia's largest contract drug manufacturer, Progen Industries, and CSIRO are marrying their bio-manufacturing skills. [ + ]

It's time for biobusiness to accelerate without looking back, the chair of the US Biotechnology Industry Organisation (BIO), David Robinson, told the AusBiotech conference in Melbourne this week. [ + ]

Biotechnology company Progen Industries Ltd and the CSIRO have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the research, development and manufacture of new drugs.

Western Australian biotech Chemeq has topped a Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu index highlighting the market performance of WA listed companies over the last two years. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Cerylid Biosciences has appointed another internationally experienced scientist to its advisory board. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Eiffel Technologies has announced that a pre-clinical study using micronised insulin demonstrated increased efficacy over native insulin. [ + ]

An Expert Advisory Committee to advise the Federal Government on the selection of national research priorities has been announced and features people with a wide range of skills and expertise, gathered both in Australia and overseas. The overseas member will be announced soon.