Perth cancer therapeutic developer Australian Cancer Technology has engaged Intersuisse Corporate to advise it on a strategy for commercialising its Pentrix anti-cancer vaccine. [ + ]

Nine months of waiting with bated breath ended this week when Norwood Abbey finally received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to begin marketing its laser-assisted drug delivery device as a means to quickly and efficiently deliver local anaesthetic to the skin. [ + ]

As the new year begins, market analysts are sounding the same warnings that they did in 2002 -- that Australian biotechnology companies must consider strategies like mergers and acquisitions and alliances to survive. [ + ]

An Australian research team is claiming a breakthrough in developing a therapeutic vaccine against autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. [ + ]

The newly emerging science of complex systems may be our best weapon against invasion by exotic species, according to CSIRO researcher Mark Lonsdale.

Monash University scientists, working in collaboration with Melbourne University, have solved the structure of an immune system protein that is crucial in keeping Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) infections in check, a development that could also improve the success of organ transplantation.

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.