Desperately seeking storage
06 November, 2002 by Pete YoungAt a Sydney conference last month, Kerri Hartland, the executive general manager of Commonwealth government agency Biotechnology Australia, revealed the results of a poll which asked Australian biotechs what they thought were their biggest challenges.
Proteomics feature: The new biodiversity
04 November, 2002 by Graeme O'NeillWhat began as a trickle of new genes in the late 1970s has become a flood, as genomics projects deliver new genetic maps, huge catalogues of genes, and a ticker-tape blizzard of DNA sequences almost every other week.
Fed grants back European links
04 November, 2002 by Melissa TrudingerThirty Australian scientists will be going to Europe to undertake collaborative research, courtesy of the Federal government.
Solving genomics database problem could save years of research
01 November, 2002 by Pete YoungSolutions to the Tower of Babel annotation problem that haunts genomics databases are showing they can shave "several years" off the drug discovery process according to a leading US bioinformatics worker.
IBM makes bio-IT research agreement with IMB
31 October, 2002 by Pete YoungIBM has forged a multimillion dollar research pact with the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) which promises a great leap forward for Australia's bioinformatics sector.
Microarrays and sequencers: Moving forward, in sequencers
31 October, 2002 by Melissa TrudingerWhen you think of the Human Genome Project, images of banks of sequencing machines pumping out millions of base pairs of information comes to mind. According to Dr John Barlow, Melbourne divisional manager of the Australian Genome Research Facility, state-of-the-art sequencing is still largely electrophoresis-based. However, sequencers have come a long way since the days of pouring your own sequencing gel and using radioactive dideoxynucleotides.
Bright and brilliant: future funding for Victorian science
31 October, 2002 by Melissa Trudinger'Victorians: Bright Ideas, Brilliant Future' -- a new innovation statement from the Victorian government announcing $310 million in new funding for science, technology and research initiatives -- was today launched by State Premier Steve Bracks and Innovation Minister John Brumby.
Don't fall behind in bio-IT, observers warn
29 October, 2002 by Iain ScottA Sydney briefing last week on the global bioinformatics market was told that Australia must boost its record on science spending or risk falling behind the so-called 'Asian tiger' economies of its neighbours.
'Poetic justice' earns licence deal for Genetic Technologies
28 October, 2002 by Melissa TrudingerIn a newspaper opinion piece in March 2001, Genetic Technologies' executive chairman Dr Mervyn Jacobson defended the rights of US genetic testing company Myriad Genetics to charge high prices for its patented gene testing service for familial breast cancer.
Bioclusters feature: Get it together
23 October, 2002 by Pete YoungBioclusters are complex animals whose care and feeding now commands respectful attention in the upper echelons of Australia's biotechnology community.
AusBiotech launches bioinformatics group
21 October, 2002 by Iain ScottIndustry association AusBiotech has today launched a special interest group to drive collaboration between the IT, biotechnology and medical device sectors.
Gene therapy used in cystic fibrosis treatment
21 October, 2002 by Melissa TrudingerAdelaide researchers have made progress on the development of a new gene therapy technique for cystic fibrosis, utilising a naturally occurring detergent in combination with a retroviral delivery vector.
Protein discovery aids neurone research
14 October, 2002 by Melissa TrudingerAustralian researchers have unravelled part of the process controlling the production of new neurones from stem cells in the brain.
Mouse models feature: How to make a mutant mouse
11 October, 2002 by Graeme O'NeillThere are two basic types of rodent model for investigating inherited genetic disorders or health problems in humans -- the 'knockout' and the 'knock-in' mouse.
Mouse models feature: It's a knockout
11 October, 2002 by Graeme O'NeillMaking mutant mice was once a challenge, but in the Speedy Gonzales business of biotech and medical research, it's now routine, and a time-consuming distraction from the real game of investigating gene function.
