Healthcare venture capital -- which includes biotechnology -- led the pack in 2003, receiving more Australian venture capital funds than IT software, communications, business services or general technology, according to a new report. [ + ]

Starpharma (ASX:SPL) today cast off the shackles of its pooled development fund status, and changed its name to Starpharma Holdings Limited. The company also completed a placement of 9 million shares at AUD$0.84, raising $7.56 million. [ + ]

A Melbourne research team's identification of an ancient family of transport proteins in yeast cells has revealed details of the symbiotic pact that led to the evolution of the first eukaryotic life forms some 2 billion years ago. [ + ]

Greenpeace Australia-Pacific has accused the CSIRO of suppressing several reports on environmental risks associated with genetically engineered crops, and alleged the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator was failing to acknowledge and assess “serious hazards” before granting GE crop licenses. [ + ]

Biotechnology companies have agreed to make their data public in a bid to advance a project to decoding the genetic structure of corn several years ahead of schedule. [ + ]

Brisbane-based Tissue Therapies looks set to list on the ASX as early as this Friday, after closing its AUD$3.5 million initial public offering two weeks early, as the offer was oversubscribed. [ + ]

CSIRO Plant Industry researchers have identified the molecular skeleton key that allows rust fungi -- ubiquitous pathogens of cereal and horticultural crops around the world -- to burgle plant cells. [ + ]

Austerity measures have borne fruit at US-based Axon Instruments (ASX:AXN) -- the company's results, announced yesterday, trumpeted a profit after tax of US$1.1 million, compared to a US$9.5 million loss in 2002. [ + ]

Advances in an area widely regarded in scientific circles as the 'next big thing' - RNA interference (RNAi) - will be the major focus of a CSIRO-hosted conference on the Gold Coast in September.

AstraZeneca has received final European marketing approval for its new breast cancer drug Faslodex, following a recommendation from a European Union expert committee in November. [ + ]

The US government has launched a new web site about biotech crops as part of a special taxpayer-funded project to promote such crops worldwide -- a move criticised by some consumer and farm groups. [ + ]

Investors were spooked by uncertainty at Ventracor today, with shares dropping 6 per cent to AUD$1.50 by press time as the artificial heart maker (ASX:VCR) recommenced trading following Friday's trading halt. [ + ]

Biopharmaceutical company CoTherix has filed with US regulators for an initial public offering worth an estimated US$70 million. [ + ]

San Francisco-based Genentech says it expects annual earnings growth of 20 per cent for the next seven years on strong sales of cancer drugs, including the new medicine Avastin, and treatments for auto-immune disorders. [ + ]

Perth-based biotech-nanotech company pSivida (ASX:PSD) announced today that its UK subsidiary PsiMedica has been granted the latest in a series of European patents on its proprietary biocompatible-biodegradable silicon technology, BioSilicon. [ + ]