US monoclonal antibody company Medarex has been in Melbourne this week testing the waters for potential collaborations and partnerships. [ + ]

The US Food and Drug Administration this week suspended about 30 gene-therapy trials in the US after another 'boy in a bubble' patient in a French gene-therapy trial developed leukaemia. But Australian gene-therapy expert Assoc Prof Panos Ioannou said the setback did not mean gene therapy should be abandoned, or that it posed unacceptable risks. [ + ]

Sydney-based ResMed, manufacturer of world-leading devices for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep breathing disorders, has made a key appointment to its head its North American subsidiary, ResMed Corp. [ + ]

Novogen's share price jumped more than 11 per cent to $3.81 yesterday after the company announced that an Australian patent had been granted for its topical skin repair treatment NV-07a. [ + ]

The Australian biotechnology sector held its own through last year's tough market conditions, despite many companies recording a big drop in share price, according to a new report by stockbroking firm Intersuisse. [ + ]

A conflicting pattern of cross-currents is swirling through the 2003 life sciences jobs pool, according to a survey of recruiting firms specialising in medical and scientific positions. [ + ]

Melbourne biotech Amrad Corp says it is mystified by a sudden flurry of investor interest that drove its share price up 50 per cent last week and sparked a formal query from the Australian Stock Exchange. [ + ]

Human heart tissue has for the first time been created in the laboratory. Generated from embryonic stem cells at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the tissue could be used for testing and creating new drugs, for genetic studies, for tissue engineering and for studying the effects of various stresses on the heart.

The 11th and 12th of March this year see the 2nd Australian Stem Cell Summit taking place at the Carlton Crest Hotel in Melbourne.

Boron Molecular, a small Melbourne-based medicinal chemistry company, is planning to pursue listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in the next six months if market conditions are favourable, according to managing director Dr Phillip Reese. [ + ]

Activities at the National Stem Cell Centre were delayed by an inquiry into allegations that it was given preferential treatment during bidding for Commonwealth funding, the centre's chief operating officer, Dr Dianna DeVore, said today, but Prime Minister John Howard's December 24 announcement that an independent report found no basis to the allegations was "a wonderful Christmas present". [ + ]

The Murray-Darling Basin Commission is to back a radical new attempt to control Australia's worst aquatic pest, the carp. [ + ]

Sydney-based biotechnology company Peptech Limited today announced it has raised $AUD10 million in new capital by placing 6,625,000 shares with several major institutions, including AMP, ING Australia and the Escor Group. [ + ]

Ventracor has gained approval from the Alfred Hospital's Ethics Committee, paving the way for the first clinical trial of its VentrAssist artificial heart device to begin. [ + ]

US billionaire and fairy godfather Charles Feeney has offered Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute $AUD25 million to build new laboratories and clinical research facilities. [ + ]