The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched the pioneering Star Tiger project at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in England, in which a small team of experts aims to create a terahertz imager operating in two frequencies: 250 and 300 gigahertz.

Clone International has crossed the Tasman in its search for elite dairy bulls. A joint venture agreement has been signed with NZ artificial breeding company Ambreed New Zealand. [ + ]

Sydney-based company Peptech has been issued three divisional applications by the US Patent and Trademarks Office in respect of its TNF antibody patent, bringing the antibody's patent tally to four. [ + ]

Australian research on sugars which stimulate stem cells to become bone tissue has resulted in a biological paste that promotes healing of fractures and breaks. [ + ]

Cardiologists may be prescribing sleep disorder treatments to their patients in the next five years, according to reports from the 14th World Congress of Cardiology, held recently in Sydney. [ + ]

Takara Bio, a biotechnology company in Otsu, Japan, has developed a system which allows for mass production of a wide variety of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) fragments needed to make DNA microarrays, the company announced Tuesday May 14. [ + ]

Melbourne company Stem Cell Sciences has unveiled new commercial laboratories to produce embryonic stem cells and derivative tissue. [ + ]

The Australian Vice-Chancellor's Committee has adopted a wait-and-see attitude following last night's Federal budget. [ + ]

Pouring millions into defence and border security, with cuts in health and welfare, this year's Federal budget carries no significant investment for science and technology. [ + ]

Australia was guilty of resting dangerously on its laurels in relation to testing for mad cow disease, according to a new education foundation. [ + ]

Novel compounds for breast cancer treatment have been identified by Perth-based company Australian Cancer Technology (AustCancer) through backing by UK-based drug discovery company, BioFocus. [ + ]

Peptech has received its first milestone payment from its agreement with Abbott Laboratories to market the rheumatoid arthritis drug D2E7. [ + ]

Victoria's week-long festival of biotechnology education kicked off last night (May 13) with a call for more specially trained teachers. [ + ]

South Australian genomics company Bionomics has expanded its portfolio of potential epilepsy drug targets with the filing of eight new patents. [ + ]

In a development that promises a new approach to cancer therapy, researchers from The University of Technology Sydney have developed an immunotoxin which effectively targets malignant cells with a new toxin found in an Australian ant.