Metabolic obesity drug proven safe in trial
03 March, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerMelbourne biotech company Metabolic Pharmaceuticals announced the results of the Phase IIa clinical trial for its anti-obesity drug AOD9604 today, confirming the safety of the drug.
Agenix readies for phase I trials, pre-tax profits up
28 February, 2003 by Pete YoungBrisbane biotech Agenix saw its first half revenues decline slightly while posting a 32 per cent rise in before-tax profits on a like-to-like comparison with the same period last year.
Bioactives easier to source than funds, companies find
28 February, 2003 by Pete YoungIt is easier to ferret out promising bioactive compounds in Australia's plant kingdom than it is to extract fresh funds from the investor community, young bioprospecting companies are discovering.
Phase II trials next stop for AustCancer's Pentrix
27 February, 2003 by Jennie SouthgatePerth-based cancer vaccine developer Australian Cancer Technology is gearing up to begin Phase II trials of its Pentrix anti-cancer vaccine after it was shown to be well tolerated and elicit an immune response in all 14 patients with a range of metastatic cancers involved in the Phase Ib/IIa study.
Gradipore shares drop after loss announced
26 February, 2003 by Graeme O'NeillShares in Sydney-based biotech company Gradipore dipped sharply yesterday after the company announced a $AUD7.9 million loss for the December half of 2002.
CSIRO looks at RNAi for plants and pest control
26 February, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerAn ambitious project to knock-out the 25,000-plus genes of Arabidopsis one at a time using RNA interference (RNAi) is being developed by a European consortium headed by Ian Small at France's Unit‚ de Recherche en Genomique Vegetale (URGV) using a plasmid vector designed by CSIRO Plant Industry researchers to deliver hairpin RNA constructs.
PanBio losses cut, but riding flat sales
25 February, 2003 by Pete YoungMedical diagnostics company PanBio has capped a period of management and structural reorganisation by announcing sharply curtailed first-half losses but flat revenues.
NSW govt moves to boost research bandwidth networks
24 February, 2003 by Iain ScottThe NSW government has moved to improve the networking capabilities of the state's research centres by pledging $AUD1.45 million over four years to the creation of high-bandwidth networks.
Chemeq claims drug effective against cancer cells
24 February, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerPerth-based Chemeq has announced that its polymeric antimicrobial product was capable of killing gastrointestinal cancer cells.
Chemeq compound shows liquid promise
20 February, 2003 by Graeme O'NeillThe antimicrobial compound developed by Perth-based pharmaceutical company Chemeq is beginning to look it might be a useful addition to domestic water supplies.
Khan pushes on with Biota board bid
20 February, 2003 by Pete YoungThe largest shareholder in drug developer Biota Holdings, Perth entrepreneur Farooq Khan, is renewing his bid to force his way onto its board by calling for a March 28 general meeting in Melbourne.
Norwood gets European patent for skin surface laser
18 February, 2003 by Jennie SouthgateThe European Patent Office has granted Norwood Abbey a patent for its laser perforator technology, covering a device and method for the perforation of the skin for draining blood or administering pharmaceuticals.
VIR201 safe but no immune response as yet
17 February, 2003 by Jennie SouthgateFinal results from the initial stage of Virax's Phase I/II study of its lead HIV immune based therapy, VIR201, have shown the drug to be safe but whether it will elicit an immune response is still open to question.
GTG hires US scientist to lead cell sorting project
14 February, 2003 by Melissa TrudingerA Genetic Technologies cell sorting program has been given a boost with the appointment of US scientist Dr Ralph Bohmer, an expert in using flow cytometry for differentiating cells, to lead the project.
Researcher puts the case for cloning in wake of sheep death
14 February, 2003 by Graeme O'NeillThe death of Australia's first cloned sheep, Matilda, is not the only setback in efforts to clone livestock species -- nor will it be the last, says Dr Ian Lewis, program leader with the Cooperative Research Centre for Innovative Dairy Products.
