Industry News
Pharmaxis on a roll
Sydney pharmaceutical company Pharmaxis (ASX:PXS) has completed enrolling 600 asthma patients for a phase III trial of its patented asthma prognostic, Aridol. [ + ]
Bionomics and Louisiana State University collaborate on gene therapy
South Australian genomics company Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has shaken hands with Louisiana State University’s Health Sciences Centre (LSUHSC) on a landmark collaboration to explore the efficacy of the company’s gene-silencing constructs as a gene therapy for solid tumours. [ + ]
Meditech CEO leaves, chair steps down
Meditech (ASX: MTR) is looking for a new CEO as CEO Chris Carter steps down, three months after a shareholder stoush forced his resignation from the company. [ + ]
Benitec burning cash, looking for licenses
Brisbane-based Benitec (ASX: BLT) has announced a loss of AUD$1.9 million for the quarter, and confirmed that it has just $4.65 million remaining in cash. [ + ]
Prima's CancerVac begins ovarian cancer trial
Prima Biomed (ASX: PRR) subsidiary CancerVac began a Phase IIa clinical trial today to evaluate its immunotherapy in patients with ovarian cancer. [ + ]
Elastagen stretches commercial wings
New Sydney University spinoff Elastagen is courting potential investors and commercial collaborators to develop organ-and-tissue-engineering applications for its super-stretchy protein, tropoelastin. [ + ]
Peplin lead molecule active against leukaemia
Peplin Biotech (ASX:PEP) has claimed its lead molecule PEP005 has shown highly selective activity against acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) in pre-clinical studies. [ + ]
Biotechs benefit from ARC grant round
Several Australian biotechs, including Novogen, Proteome Systems, Starpharma and Ventracor, were winners in the second round of Australian Research Council (ARC) linkage grants, announced earlier this month. [ + ]
Revenir raises $1.5 million, expects oversubscription
Revenir (ASX: REV) has achieved the first step in its proposed merger with British biotech company Bone with the raising of more than AUD$1.5 million in a share placement. [ + ]
Genesis R&D subsidiary lays of half its staff
New Zealand company Genesis R&D (NZX/ASX: GEN) has laid off more than half of the staff from its subsidiary AgriGenesis, due to a lack of success in raising capital for the spin-out company. [ + ]
Polartechnics quadruples sales, but J&J drops TruScreen
Sydney-based devices company Polartechnics (ASX:PLT) today announced its product-sales revenue had increased four-fold to AUD$2.14 million for the financial year ended June 30 2004. [ + ]
Acoustic research helps fishery
Scientists and fishers will use deep ocean acoustic remote sensing techniques developed by CSIRO to help give long-term sustainability to the largest fishery in Australia's south-east.
[ + ]Ventracor: device gets new application, third patient dies
Sydney-based Ventracor (ASX:VCR) sent investors into a small spin today, announcing the broadening of its VentrAssist artificial heart Pilot Trial to include heart failure patients on transplant waiting lists. [ + ]
Another patent for Psivida's portolio
Perth nano-biotech company Psivida (ASX:PSD) continues to add new patents to its bulging BioSilicon portfolio, and investors aren’t complaining. [ + ]
CBio gears up for Phase II trials of autoimmune drug
Queensland biotech CBio presented its Phase I clinical trial results at the World Congress of Immunology in Montreal last week, and is raising capital and readying itself for Phase II trials. [ + ]
