Applying technologies for the sustainable management of arid lands, including solar and wind energy use, and water and waste management systems and practices, will be the focus of the new South Australian Centre for Arid Land Technology (SACALT) based at UniSA’s Whyalla campus.

AstraZeneca is investing another $35 million in its joint effort with Queensland's Griffith University to search out naturally-occurring bioactive molecules with pharmaceutical potential. [ + ]

It looks like any other wheat variety, and it's not genetically engineered, but Drysdale, a new semi-dwarf wheat cultivar launched today in Wagga Wagga, is a harbinger of an agricultural revolution. [ + ]

VRI BioMedical has started two Phase II clinical trials in Western Australia and the UK to evaluate the use of its probiotic bacteria for prevention and treatment of allergic disease. [ + ]

A free seminar has been set down for November 13 in Sydney, with the aim of letting young biotechnology companies into the secrets of developing management strategies that will allow them to survive adverse events. [ + ]

Adelaide company Ellex Medical Lasers yesterday announced it had a signed a contract with Californian manufacturer Lumenis to produce a compact new photocoagulator laser for retinal surgery, the Laserex LP3532. [ + ]

Industry association AusBiotech has today launched a special interest group to drive collaboration between the IT, biotechnology and medical device sectors. [ + ]

Adelaide researchers have made progress on the development of a new gene therapy technique for cystic fibrosis, utilising a naturally occurring detergent in combination with a retroviral delivery vector. [ + ]

A bid by Perth lawyer and financier Farooq Khan to force his way onto the board of Biota Holdings has been rejected by the drug discovery company. [ + ]

CSIRO scientists have combined solar energy and natural gas in a process capable of producing large-scale energy to power Australia's future industrial and domestic needs.

With NSW in the grip of drought a major new study has been launched to determine the mechanisms linking water availability and plant productivity in Australia.

The 2003 Lorne Protein and Cancer Conferences have snared two of the biggest names in medical research as guest speakers next February: 2002 Nobel Laureates Prof Sir Sidney Brenner and Prof Robert Horovitz. [ + ]

The survival rate of children with childhood cancers has increased spectacularly since the early 1960s, from a bleak 10 per cent to around 75 per cent today. One notable exception to the trend is neuroblastoma, with a survival rate below 50 per cent. [ + ]

Acrux has officially opened its new facilities in West Melbourne, kicking off a new phase in the company's growth. [ + ]

Amrad chairman Olaf O'Duill doesn't like it when companies use "cash burn" to absolve themselves of their spending, and wants Amrad to think about cash earned, he told the company's annual general meeting yesterday. [ + ]