Researchers seeking ways to produce, use and store environmentally-friendly hydrogen energy are seeking $50m from industry, government and university sectors to establish a Hydrogen Energy Cooperative Research Centre later this year.

Preliminary Phase II trial results of Novogen's anti-cancer drug phenoxodiol have been presented at a US gynaecologic oncology conference, the company (ASX: NRT, Nasdaq: NVGN) said today. [ + ]

Molecular geneticist John Collier has devised a potentially perfect counter-measure to the bioterrorist's current weapon of choice -- the deadly anthrax bacterium. [ + ]

Newly listed biotechnology company BioDiem (ASX: BDM) has received a Notice of Allowance from the US Patent Office for a key patent covering its synthetic peptide for retinal eye disease, BDM-E. The patent will automatically be granted after a period of public exposure. [ + ]

While the proposed Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States is likely to have an impact on the biotechnology industry here, it's not yet clear exactly how that will shake out. [ + ]

Western Australian collagen purification company Colltech has closed its initial public offering a week early and oversubscribed. [ + ]

VentureAxess Capital, a VC group with offices in Sydney and Perth, is to invest AUD$2 million over the next 12 months into Heart Assist Technologies, a medical device company that had its origins in the now defunct CRC for Cardiac Technology. [ + ]

Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (ASX:MBP) has received indication from the US Patent Office that a key patent covering the company's AOD904 obesity drug will be granted, giving the company a patent monopoly until September 2018. [ + ]

Melbourne company Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has added another large US company to its tally, with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings -- otherwise known as LabCorp -- becoming the latest to license the company's non-coding DNA mapping and analysis patents. [ + ]

Canberra vaccine developer Vaxine has appointed Ted Stapinski, a 20-year veteran of Australia's space industry, as its new CEO. [ + ]

Recently floated Pharmaxis has filed its first half-year results, and according to CEO Alan Robertson, the company's performance is right on track with its predictions in last year's prospectus. [ + ]

A Queensland University microbiologist who led the World Health Organisation's response to last year's SARS outbreak says he is much more concerned about the potential of the new strain of avian influenza sweeping Asian poultry farms to cause a human influenza pandemic. [ + ]

Malaria is not just an abstraction for Kenyan researcher Lucy Ochola. As an infant, she contracted malaria, and survived. She was lucky -- in the western highlands of her homeland, infant mortality from malaria approaches 30 per cent. [ + ]

CSIRO Livestock Industries and its animal health spin-off Imugene have begun a joint research project to develop a vaccine to protect chickens against the deadly new strain of avian influenza devastating poultry farms in Asia. [ + ]

Industry body AusBiotech and its New Zealand counterpart, NZBio, are planning to work together on a number of projects this year to strengthen ties between the two countries and promote the capabilities of the region. [ + ]