A new 3D-printed customised mouthpiece is set to provide relief for patients with sleep apnoea. [ + ]

Geneticists and evolutionary anthropologists at Duke University have identified two segments of DNA where natural selection may have acted to give modern humans their thick tooth enamel - a feature which distinguishes the genus Homo from our primate relatives and forebears. [ + ]

The federal government has announced $42 million for tropical health and medicine research to be conducted at the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM), based at James Cook University (JCU). [ + ]

Regenerative medicine company Orthocell has acquired key pieces of intellectual property (IP) from its research partners at The University of Western Australia (UWA). The company has also welcomed the appointment of Dr Stewart Washer to its board as chairman. [ + ]

In many species, in-built mechanisms are in place to prevent siblings from breeding with each other. Researchers from the University of Western Australia have investigated such mechanisms in the male guppy, a live-bearing freshwater fish - with unexpected results. [ + ]

Nominations are open for the annual Research Australia Awards and the 2014 GlaxoSmithKline Award for Research Excellence. [ + ]

Scientists at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a highly sensitive way to detect specific sequences of DNA. [ + ]

CSIRO and Deakin University have officially opened the new Biosecure Immunology Laboratory. CSIRO has also announced the appointment of biotechnologist Dr Peter Riddles as a part-time member of the organisation's board. [ + ]

The US FDA has cleared the Qiagen artus C. difficile QS-RGQ MDx Kit to qualitatively detect Clostridium difficile, a widespread healthcare-associated infection. The test was developed in partnership with IntelligentMDx and CE marked in December 2013. [ + ]

Clinical Genomics and CSIRO have developed a DNA blood test for bowel cancer that has a detection rate of 65%, or 73% for cancers at stage II or higher. [ + ]

As the Federal Budget looms, AusBiotech and Employee Ownership Australia and New Zealand are urging the government to remove impediments to Australian innovation by returning Employee Share Scheme (ESS) provisions to the pre-2009 position. [ + ]

pSivida (ASX:PVA) has announced the findings of preclinical research showing that its Tethadur implant can provide long-term sustained release of Avastin and other antibody treatments. [ + ]

Jerome Whelan has joined Melbourne-based motion analysis device developer dorsaVi as CFO to help the company set the stage for its international expansion. [ + ]

The Australian Government is pleased to partner with industry to assist small businesses navigate Australian regulation and commercial growth pathways and invite expressions of interest in attending this free limited course in Melbourne on 26 May or Sydney on 2 June 2014. [ + ]

Some of the key recommendations in the recently released National Commission of Audit would remove support for the biotech and life sciences sector. [ + ]