Dendrimer nanotechnology company Starpharma has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA for Phase I clinical trials on its SPL7013 vaginal microbicide gel. [ + ]

Melbourne-based biotech EpiTan has sealed a deal with stockbroking firm Intersuisse Corporate Pty Ltd to underwrite $2,500,000 worth of shares in the company. [ + ]

ANU spin off Iliad Chemicals has gained $2million worth of research funding from life sciences VC Start-up Australia Ventures Pty. The money will be ploughed into investigation of complex molecule technology as an anti-cancer agent. [ + ]

Latest good news from the finance market comes in a report from market analysts, Bioshares. The report rates Australian biotech stocks as ‘surging ahead in the June quarter’ with an over 20 per cent rise across a basket of 43 sampled stocks. [ + ]

The world’s leading conference for computational biologists has seen a shift in emphasis and a drop in delegate numbers this year. [ + ]

Nobel Laureate James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, has withdrawn from attending the International Congress of Genetics due to a serious illness in the family. [ + ]

The publication of a paper on the three dimensional structure of a protein discovered and patented by Victorian company AGT Biosciences by scientists at a major pharmaceutical company last week was a wake-up call that AGT was competitive in the global arena, CEO Prof Greg Collier told Australian Biotechnology News today. [ + ]

South Australia's fledgling biotechnology industry has received the first of two shots in the arm with the commissioning of Hydra, a $AUD1.7 million system that is Australia's third-largest supercomputer and the largest of its type. [ + ]

A leading scientist is to be the inaugural director of the $50 million Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, announced. [ + ]

Data-intensive research fields such as physics and life science will soon benefit from grid computing technology, a new method for analyzing massive amounts of data demonstrated in Australia for the first time at the recent ICCS 2003 (International Conference on Computational Science) in Melbourne. [ + ]

AgGenomics, a joint venture between Genetic Technologies and the Victorian State Government's Agriculture Victoria Services, has entered into a two year collaborative program with Horticulture Australia to identify genetic markers in strawberries. [ + ]

Perth biotechnology company Chemeq (ASX: CMQ) has raised a whopping $AUD25 million in a share placement to institutional and sophisticated investors. [ + ]

Professor Wayne Hall of the Queensland-based Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) has been named as one of the most published authors in his field - the genetics of addiction and mental disorders. [ + ]

It is no secret that breast milk is considered by many to be one of the world's most nutritious drinks, however, it seems that Nature's 'wonder' liquid may also be more clever than previously thought.

The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) have joined forces to create the largest respiratory and sleep research network in the southern hemisphere. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by both groups, allowing large clinical studies to be run across both sites. The larger pool of volunteers is expected to strengthen research findings.