Melbourne's St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research has attracted a $2 million Victorian government grant to boost its research facilities. [ + ]

A novel compound from the venom of a cone shell marine snail found on the Great Barrier Reef may have a use as a drug to treat chronic pain, according to scientists from the University of Melbourne and the National Ageing Research Institute. [ + ]

Ethical concerns over issues like the use of embryonic stem cells in research could be addressed in the patent system, a new paper has argued. [ + ]

Gene discovery group Bionomics plans to lodge an international patent covering almost 150 gene variants related to diseases including Alzheimer's, depression, epilepsy and Parkinson's. [ + ]

A leukaemia drug developed by Adelaide biotech BresaGen will go back to the drawing board after it was found not to be as effective as previously thought against one form of the disease. [ + ]

Cardia Technologies subsidiary Bioglobal has bought intellectual property from Queensland's Department of Primary Industries relating to blowfly attract and kill technology. [ + ]

A Singapore government ethics committee has recommended in favour of therapeutic cloning in a move that could prove to be a research boon for private Australian company ES Cell International (ESI). [ + ]

A working party of the National Health and Medical Research Council has offered its tentative approval of research involving the transplantation of cells from animals to humans. [ + ]

Researchers from Monash University and The University of Woollongong have developed salt-based liquids that improve the performance of artificial muscles by thousands of times.

Australian researchers have created salt-based liquids that improve the performance of artificial muscle by thousands of times. [ + ]

A proposed name change for artificial heart developer MicroMedical Industries has gained the backing of nearly all its shareholders. [ + ]

Ambri has launched a corporate re-branding campaign as it prepares to launch testing of its SensiDx point-of-care diagnostic system in Australian hospitals. [ + ]

The Australian National Genomic Information Service (ANGIS) is in hiring mode, thanks to a small injection of fresh funds. [ + ]

Vision Systems has moved to calm jittery investors following last week's $94 million purchase of UK biochemical manufacturer Novocastra Laboratories. [ + ]

Plant biotechnologists in Australia are concerned that implementation of a full cost recovery scheme for the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator will make the cost of developing new GM crop varieties too expensive for small biotechnology companies and public research institutions to consider. [ + ]