Industry News
Olympus opens new operational headquarters
Olympus Australia has moved its operational headquarters to a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne that incorporates a fully operational customer experience centre, comprehensive training facilities and the company's national service centre. [ + ]
$48 million funding boost for chronic pain treatment
Australian biotech company Spinifex Pharmaceuticals has attracted $48 million in funding to advance its drug for chronic pain, EMA401. The deal represents one of Australia's largest off-market investments in a private biotechnology company. [ + ]
Fearless fish use both sides of their brain
Wild rainbowfish are more courageous than those raised in captivity, according to a study. [ + ]
Starpharma secures expanded deal with AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca has arranged to evaluate using Starpharma's DEP dendrimer drug delivery technology for a second cancer drug. [ + ]
Platelet management occurs via progenitor cells
Insights into how platelet production is managed in the blood have been reported. [ + ]
Biomedical animations inspire and educate
Three biomedical animations that have been a year in the making are having their debut on screen. [ + ]
Osprey's pilot diabetic limb trial a success
Osprey Medical's (ASX:OSP) Limb Recovery System reduced bacterial load in patients with diabetic foot infections during a pilot trial - so much so that one patient escaped the need for amputation. [ + ]
CEO focus groups gather leaders' views
Biotech and medtech leaders are participating this week and next in focus groups to share their views and perspectives on industry policy and bolster the 2014 Biotechnology Industry Position Survey, due for release in May. [ + ]
Extinct marsupial a fierce hunter
The skull reconstruction of an extinct carnivorous marsupial suggests it had the ability to hunt prey much larger than itself. [ + ]
Fighting cancer with tobacco?
Researchers from La Trobe University have found that the natural defence mechanisms of a tobacco plant could be harnessed to kill cancer cells in the human body. [ + ]
Avita Medical improves ReCell Spray-on Skin
Avita Medical (ASX:AVH) announced the EU launch of a version of its ReCell Spray-on Skin that eliminates the requirement for refrigeration, but the new version is not yet approved in Australia. [ + ]
Minomic plans US trials for prostate cancer test
Minomic International has tapped CUSP Group to help conduct two US trials of MiSat, a prostate cancer screening tool which has shown signs of being more accurate than the standard PSA test. [ + ]
Optical tweezers for atom clouds
Physicists from the University of Otago have developed a steerable 'optical tweezers' unit that uses intense laser beams to precisely split minute clouds of ultracold atoms and to smash them together. [ + ]
Microbial signatures provide key to immunosurveillance
A biochemical signal involved in driving mucosal immune cells into action against bacteria and fungi has been uncovered. [ + ]
Professorship to revive palynology in WA
Oil and gas companies Chevron and Woodside, alongside The University of Western Australia (UWA), are launching an international search for an expert who can breathe new life into the discipline of palynology in Western Australia. [ + ]