A new blood test that can produce results within 24 hours may provide a simpler and less invasive test for detecting coeliac disease. [ + ]

Concerns about Australians pursuing unfounded and potentially risky stem cell treatments are beginning to be addressed by the NHMRC. [ + ]

Patrys (ASX:PAB) has raised $1.3m through a share placement and is working with the managers of last month's rights issue to place more of the shortfall shares. [ + ]

A protein that can potentially block the spread of cancerous cells is providing new insights into cancer biology. [ + ]

Lonza, a supplier in chemical development and manufacturing, has established an agreement with Pharmacyclics to support the commercial and clinical production of its oral oncology drug Imbruvica (Ibrutinib). [ + ]

With each DiaSorin Liaison Ixt/Arrow instrument purchased during February 2014, the company is providing over $3000 worth of LIAISON Ixt/Arrow Stool DNA extraction kits free of charge. [ + ]

China's piloting of its first free trade zone (FTZ) in Shanghai is drawing interest from Australian business, following its launch in late 2013. Backed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the FTZ is expected to be a testing ground for a number of economic reforms, with its tax-free period of 10 years for businesses and the permitting of yuan convertibility and unrestricted foreign currency exchange in the area. [ + ]

ResMed (ASX:RMD) said the improvements made to its latest AirFit nasal pillows improve sleeping time and compliance in sleep-disordered breathing patients. [ + ]

The US FDA has given Benitec Biopharma (ASX:BLT) approval to conduct a first-in-[hu]man trial of ddRNAi-based hepatitis C treatment candidate TT-034. [ + ]

Scientists have outlined a new method for analysing biological samples, such as searching for cancer, based on their chemical make-up. The process would transform medical examinations, with tests currently involving interpretation by a histology specialist and a waiting period of weeks to obtain a full result. [ + ]

Blocking a specific protein that drives the rapid growth of cancer cells could provide a promising strategy for treating cancers that express high levels of the transcription factor MYC. [ + ]

Following a positive AusIndustry decision on overseas R&D, Starpharma (ASX:SPL) expects to receive a $4.7 million rebate this financial year for development work conducted during FY13. [ + ]

Research conducted at the University of Melbourne has found that the presence of a sixth sense, also known as extrasensory perception (ESP), exists in some form but is nothing extraordinary. [ + ]

Dutch biopharma InteRNA Technologies has entered into a collaborative agreement with two partners from the Neuroallianz Consortium - UCB Pharma and the Rheinish Friedrich-Wilhelms-University of Bonn - to support the investigation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in neurodegenerative diseases. [ + ]

Researchers from the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection at Imperial College London have made an advance in understanding how a subset of bacterial cells escape being killed by many antibiotics. [ + ]