Perth-based Chemeq (ASX:CMQ) has signed a new sales order for the shipment of CHEMEQ polymeric antimicrobial worth AUD$1.4 million over the next nine months. [ + ]

Narhex Life Sciences (ASX:NLS) has formed a new scientific advisory board, following Prof John Mills' appointment last week as managing director, replacing founder John Majewski, and the relocation of the company's head office to Melbourne. [ + ]

Sydney medical device company CathRx has opened its initial public offering and aims to raise AUD$14 million before listing on the ASX in late October. [ + ]

The privately funded Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) has awarded a grant of AUD$900,000 to Melbourne's St Vincent's Institute (SVI) to establish a rational drug discovery facility for cancer research. [ + ]

Sydney-based Biosignal (ASX:BOS) has piqued the interest of some major international oil and gas companies. [ + ]

The Australian biotechnology industry is showing new signs of maturity, evidenced by a substantial increase in international alliance activity, according to a new analysis by industry consultant Innovation Dynamics. [ + ]

GBC Scientific has recently completed a major shipment of atomic absorption spectrometers to India. The single order was for 58 instruments and a large volume of accessories and consumable items. GBC is an Australian manufacturer, with these instruments (and others) designed, developed and manufactured at the company's international head office in Dandenong, Victoria.

Privately-held vaccine developer Vaxine and Flinders University have been awarded a grant of US$2.5 million over three years by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop vaccines that protect against bioterrorist attacks. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Biota Holdings (ASX:BTA) is aiming to raise more than AUD$10 million in a non-renounceable share offer to existing shareholders. [ + ]

Melbourne-based Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) has signed a process development and manufacturing agreement with US life sciences company Cambrex Corporation (NYSE:CMB) for the large scale production of Mesoblast's adult stem cells. [ + ]

Perth-based biomedical devices developer Visiomed Group (ASX:VSG) has successfully competed negotiations with three pharmaceutical wholesale distributors in Australia for the distribution of its Funhaler incentive asthma spacer into Australian pharmacies. [ + ]

Melbourne's Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) has successfully delivered insulin through the skin of animals using its patented transdermal drug delivery system TPM-01. [ + ]

Ventracor (ASX:VCR) has received its first revenues, in the form of a cheque from the University of Maryland Medical Centre as payment for a VentrAssist left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recently implanted in a patient as part of its US clinical trial. [ + ]

Sydney oncology therapy developer Psiron (ASX:PSX) has announced a delay in reporting the results of its first phase I clinical trial of its cancer-slaying CVA 21 viral therapy in melanoma patients because of delays in access to supplies of the virus. [ + ]

Premier Bionics (ASX:PBI) subsidiary Pulmosonix will continue with the development of its PulmoScreen device which measures lung damage following the successful completion of a proof-of-concept trial. [ + ]