With the right investment, an open source drug discovery system — based on sharing all information in the public domain in real time — might compete with the traditional pharmaceutical industry to deliver the drugs we need. [ + ]

As many organisations have discovered, workflows behind benchtop analytical instruments and the associated metadata are much more complex than just the transfer of a few parameters. [ + ]

Irish researchers have devised a new scanning technique that produces high-resolution 3D images of bones without exposing patients to X-ray radiation. [ + ]

The goal of tailoring cancer treatments for individuals based on their genetic make-up is one step closer thanks to a comprehensive global study conducted by Cancer Council Victoria and University of Melbourne researchers. [ + ]

Researchers have identified an enzyme whose production is turned off in nerve cells of the frontal lobe when alcohol dependence develops, leading to continued use of alcohol despite adverse consequences. [ + ]

UNSW researchers have been zooming in on individual molecules to determine how our immune system's T-cells respond to threats — and what they've found could revolutionise the way we treat certain diseases. [ + ]

Forty-eight years after noroviruses were first identified, US scientists have found a way to grow them in the lab. [ + ]

A new study by an international consortium of scientists may have pinpointed the mechanism through which relief from psoriasis and contact dermatitis may be afforded to millions of sufferers worldwide. [ + ]

Thanks to Australian and Belgian researchers, an enhanced form of IVF's less invasive sister, in vitro maturation (IVM), may be on the horizon. [ + ]

Japanese researchers have developed a boron carrier for use in targeted radiation treatment for cancerous tumours. The carrier is based on a common blood plasma protein, meaning it can be tailored to individual patients and lessens the chances of blood contamination. [ + ]

Antipodean researchers are launching the largest randomised control trial into the use of ketamine for patients suffering from long-term depression. [ + ]

Physicists have for the first time managed to artificially carry out the phenomenon of DNA condensation on a biochip. [ + ]

Two groups of Australian scientists have announced separate studies into the cornea, bringing hope to the millions of people suffering from visual impairment worldwide. [ + ]

Scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have led the development of a new technology based on synthetic human genome sequences. [ + ]

Scientists have created a new material that performs like a cell membrane found in nature. The material can assemble itself into an extremely thin sheet that can withstand being submerged in a variety of liquids and can even repair itself after damage. [ + ]