Intellectualised debate is stalling progress towards a national electronic health records system, according to the MD of database specialist Intersystems Australia. [ + ]

Melbourne-based biotech Prima Biomed (ASX:PRR) has been granted a patent by the European Patent Office for its CancerVac therapy, and nanotechnology company pSivida (ASX:PSD, NASDAQ:PSDV, Xetra:PSI) has been granted its first Chinese patent. [ + ]

Western Australia's biggest private sector superannuation fund, Westscheme, has signed a AUD$15 million partnership with university based pre-seed venture fund Uniseed. [ + ]

Melbourne venture capital company GBS Venture Partners has announced the close of its GBS BioVentures III Fund. The fund raised AUD$145 million, making it more than twice as large as GBS's previous funds, and well over its original target of $120 million. [ + ]

Cryptome Pharmaceuticals has signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Biosciences (IMB) to collaborate on the identification of potential therapeutics for cardiovascular disease.

Scientific research in Australia has received a major boost with the launch of a fund designed to foster collaborative research between universities, CSIRO and other publicly funded research agencies (PFRA's).

Dr Geoff Garrett has been reappointed as chief executive of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO). [ + ]

Dr John Moursounidis has been hired as CEO for West Australian pharmaceutical company PharmAust (ASX:PAA). [ + ]

Monash University's Centre for Health Economics has moved to new premises in the Science Technology and Innovation Precinct at Monash University's Clayton campus, and will be looking at setting up partnerships with industry for the first time. [ + ]

Doctors at Auckland City Hospital have conducted the first long-term implant of a Sunshine Heart (ASX:SHC) C-Pulse heart device in a 56-year old New Zealand man. [ + ]

Positive results from a new phase II clinical trial of the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, Gardisil, developed from research originally conducted by Prof Ian Frazer's group at the University of Queensland, were presented at the 22nd International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical Workshop held in Vancouver, Canada last week. [ + ]

Adelaide company Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has seen a major change in its shareholding in the past few weeks, with Queensland Investment Corporation ceasing to be a substantial shareholder and Laurence Freedman's Link Traders filling the gap. [ + ]

Rumours have abounded in recent weeks that Queensland Investment Corporation- which over the last three years has emerged as the largest single investor in Australian biotechnology - is selling out of the sector, prompted by the funds' sale of its shareholding in biotechs Rockeby Biomed (ASX:RBT), Biodiem (ASX:BDM) and Bionomics (ASX:BNO), and reduction of its stake in Eiffel (ASX:EIF). [ + ]

The University of Queensland's multi-million dollar exit from unlisted Brisbane biotech Xenome has led to the establishment of a new $750,000 proof-of-concept fund for reinvestment in commercially viable research projects at UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience. [ + ]

Despite a strong cash position of AUD$44.8 million, boosted by an interim net profit after tax of $23.9 million for the half-year ended 31 March 2005, Sydney biotech Peptech (ASX:PTD) has said it is "not actively participating in the M&A space" at the moment, and denied renewed speculation of a merger with Melbourne's Amrad (ASX:AMD). [ + ]