Australian biotechnology company Peptech posted a net loss of $4.6 million on Wednesday for the half-year ended March 31, 2002, but said that the progress of key patents in the US would guarantee meaningful new revenue streams going forward. [ + ]

Australia's biotech sector needed to focus on improving early stage compound validation to reduce the exorbitant costs of project attrition, experts said yesterday. [ + ]

The American National Cancer Institute is scheduling advanced appraisals of an Australian anti-cancer drug which has produced impressive results in preliminary trials. [ + ]

Australian biotechnology companies may be heading for a further tumble, delegates at the Financing Biotechnology meeting in Sydney this week were told. [ + ]

Drug delivery company Meditech Research has named sought-after business analyst Bob Moses as chairman of its board. [ + ]

In what should prove an interesting point of discussion at the upcoming Australian Stem Cell Summit on July 30 and 31 in Melbourne, the federal government has awarded $46 million to scientists for human embryo stem-cell research.

Prana Biotechnology is following up recent successful Phase II clinical trials of its therapy for age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's with a bid to list on the US Nasdaq. [ + ]

Premier Bionics made a quiet entry to a cautious biotech market today when it listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. [ + ]

A collaboration between men's health specialists and pathologists aims to create a precision reference kit to diagnose testosterone deficiency in men. [ + ]

A head-hunting expedition to find 30 to 40 research staff will be among the first priorities for Tasmania's recently-announced $40 million bioinformatics centre of excellence. [ + ]

Monsanto has confirmed that it is getting ready to file its submission for commercial production of its GM Roundup Ready canola variety to the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR). [ + ]

The rights of the states to designate agricultural zones in which genetically modified crops can be either banned or permitted has been reinforced by the body overseeing the national regulatory framework for gene technology. [ + ]

Bionomics has added a third target to its antibody development collaboration with Danish biotech Genmab, broadening the project's product potential. [ + ]

The UK-based Wellcome Trust has joined several Australian and New Zealand bodies in launching a major new program focusing on health problems of developing countries in South East Asia and the Pacific.

Transdermal drug delivery company Norwood Abbey has gained US patent approval of a laser technology for internal drug delivery. [ + ]