Industry News
GM banned in WA
Western Australian premier Geoff Gallop has announced that genetically modified food crops will not be grown in the state. [ + ]
Psivida subsidiary signs manufacturing deal
PsiMedica, the UK subsidiary of Perth-based nanotechnology company Psivida (ASX:PSD), has signed a three-year manufacturing agreement with nuclear pharmaceuticals company Auriga Medical as it gears up to start Phase II clinical trials of its BioSilicon-based brachytherapy product in Singapore later this year. [ + ]
Axon accepts takeover bid
Microarray and cellular screening company Axon Instruments (ASX:AXN) has accepted a friendly takeover offer from California-based Molecular Diagnostics. [ + ]
Sydney firm develops new DNA ID method
Sydney-based company Human Genetic Signatures (HGS) has developed a new method for identifying DNA methylation patterns -- an epigenetic phenomenon thought to play a role in ageing and disease. [ + ]
Amrad reveals share buyback scheme
Amrad (ASX:AML) has announced plans to buy back up to 10 per cent of its shares over the next 12 months, at a cost of around AUD$9 million at the current share price of AUD$0.69. [ + ]
First ANU Medical Students start work
After years of planning and thousands of hours of preparation, the Australian National University (ANU) Medical School has opened its doors, accepting its inaugural intake of 80 first-year students.
[ + ]New VC rules give hope to NSW biotechs
"Getting money for scientific research in this country is like crawling over broken glass," says Dr Tony Smithyman, MD of Sydney biotech Cellabs. But he is upbeat about new legislation announced by the NSW government which brings NSW venture capital partnership structures in line with overseas venture capital rules. [ + ]
Healthcare sector led VC field last year
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 breaks away from PDF status, raises $7.56m
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. [ + ]
Yeast's family tree reveals secrets of 2 million years
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 accuses CSIRO of suppressing GE reports
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. [ + ]
US partnership to speed up corn genome sequencing
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. [ + ]
Tissue Therapies closes IPO early, oversubscribed
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. [ + ]
New research shows how rust robs plant cells
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. [ + ]
Axon returns to profit, ships new products
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. [ + ]
