Infection and inflammation drug developer Biota Holdings has named Peter Molloy as its new chief executive, replacing Dr Hugh Niall who is retiring this year. [ + ]

Melbourne-based gene discovery company Autogen has discovered a new link between heart disease and diabetes. The discovery provides new targets for drug therapy.

Melbourne's Stem Cell Sciences (SCS) has added another block to its global network with the establishment of Japan's first stem cell company. [ + ]

Applications focusing on agriculture, the environment and medical research feature highly in the latest round of applications for funding under the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) program. [ + ]

A new technology for growing plant tissues in fermentation tanks may allow large-scale production of the bioactive components of herbal medicines like Echinacea, ginseng and Gynostemma. [ + ]

An Australian company will soon be offering genetically altered rodents modified at the single-cell stage to maximise efficiencies. [ + ]

Scientists at the University of Adelaide and CSIRO Molecular Science are investigating a novel 'glue' from frogs, which could have applications as a bioadhesive for surgical wounds. [ + ]

A software package enabling users of electron microscopes to glean specialised information from their specimens is the second product to be released by newly listed vision sciences company Iatia. [ + ]

The Federal government has renewed its contract with CSL to supply blood to blood banks and pathology labs for use in diagnostic procedures. [ + ]

The CSIRO Centre for Environment and Life Sciences, to be opened today, will be a gateway to CSIRO expertise not only in Western Australia but across Australia, says CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Geoff Garrett.

With alarm bells ringing over genetically modified organisms and their potential effects on the environment, stories about how biotechnology is also being used to improve the environment are harder to find. [ + ]

Queensland research is cutting the time and cost of seed line improvements by using DNA markers to identify high-yielding sunflower seeds. [ + ]

A proposal to combine the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority Medsafe into a single agency accountable to both the Australian and New Zealand governments has been released as a discussion paper. [ + ]

Private drug discovery and genomics company Cerylid Biosciences has clinched a deal with Anadys Pharmaceuticals in the United States to search for new anti-infective compounds. [ + ]

In a new approach to animal science, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) is meeting with scientists with a wide range of experience in medical and animal sciences to establish a functional genomics program for the sheep industry. [ + ]