A compound used by blueberries and grapes to fight off fungal infections could help lower cholesterol, US researchers have reported. [ + ]

Public unlisted animal plasma company PlasVacc has filed a prospectus with Asic to raise AUD$4.75 million to fund its planned acquisition of Californian equine plasma company Veterinary Dynamics (VDI). [ + ]

Long-time biotech investment group Circadian (ASX: CIR) is planning to return AUD$0.50 cents per share to investors after posting a $5.8 million profit for the 2003-2004 financial year with an even better profit forecast for next year. [ + ]

The Australian Research Council’s Research Network Program is out of the starting gates. It was announced today that 24 new research networks will be established across Australia with $42 million in funding from the federal government. [ + ]

Research and development funding is up for grabs once more under round two of the federal government’s $150 million Pharmaceuticals Partnerships Program – known as P3 – which opened for applications today. [ + ]

Australian investors can now buy a piece of North Ryde-based biotechnology company Proteome Systems, the Australian company credited with pioneering the latter-day boom science of proteomics. [ + ]

On the eve of its landmark patent-infringement case against US gene-testing company Applera Corp, Melbourne-based Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has been hit with a New Zealand challenge to its right to charge licence fees for access to its non-coding DNA patents. [ + ]

Alchemia (ASX:ACL) has ended the 2003-04 financial year with a $6.5 million loss, slightly less than the recorded loss for the previous period. [ + ]

GroPep (ASX:GRO) has posted a AUD$1 million profit for the 2003-2004 financial year, achieving its aim of returning to profitability after its disastrous 2002 acquisition of Sydney company Biotech Australia. [ + ]

RNAi company Benitec (ASX:BLT) has settled its second patent infringement lawsuit in two weeks, giving US company Genscript Corporation a non-exclusive worldwide licence to manufacture and sell DNA-directed RNAi (ddRNAi) products. [ + ]

Progen Industries (ASX: PGL, NASDAQ: PGLAF), announced today it had appointed former Bresagen chief financial officer and company secretary, Linton Burns, as CFO and company secretary. [ + ]

Amrad's (ASX: AML) annual results were in line with company expectations for the financial year and were an indication of the progress made in building and restructuring the management team for future growth, chairman Bob Moses said today. [ + ]

As Chemeq (ASX: CMQ) continues its efforts to raise capital through a placement to institutional and sophisticated investors, CEO and chairman Graham Melrose has announced plans to step down from the CEO role, remaining non-executive chairman. [ + ]

UK biotech company Bone Limited has completed its merger with Perth-based listed property management company Revenir (ASX: REV) after a successful capital raising of $2.5 million closed oversubscribed earlier in the month. [ + ]

The structure of a novel class of shark antibodies known as immunoglobulin new antibody receptors (IgNARs) isolated from wobbegong sharks (Orectolobus maculatus) has provided some clues to the evolutionary history of antibodies, and may lead to a new tool for detecting a range of human pathogens. [ + ]