In brief: Cytopia, Visiomed
27 April, 2005 by Staff WritersCytopia (ASX:CYT) has received ethics approval to begin a Phase I clinical trial of its anti-cancer drug CYT997 at at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. The trial will be conducted in association with the Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Q-Pharm. Cytopia chief scientific officer Andrew Wilks said that the 30-patient trial would be a non-blinded, dose escalation study in patients with various cancers and could take between nine and twelve months.
Bresagen attempts to broaden shareholder base
27 April, 2005 by Renate KrelleHaving struck out in an attempt to broaden its shareholder base through a rights issue last month, Bresagen (ASX:BGN) will be asking shareholders to expand the range of investors who can subscribe to its back-up convertible note facility.
Peplin pre-clinical results published
26 April, 2005 by Renate KrelleBrisbane biotech Peplin (ASX:PEP) was celebrating some good news today, announcing that the pre-clinical results of the action of its lead anti-cancer compound PEP005 against leukaemia have been published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Aust hearing technology backs new German device
22 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillIn one of the funnier scenes in the movie comedy Yellowbeard, John Cleese's character, Blind Pew, asserts he has acute hearing -- to the bemusement of others, who, amid the hubbub of street noise, hear it as "a cute earring". If people with normal hearing have trouble filtering a clear message from the noisy medium, the problem is magnified enormously for the hearing-impaired.
Grain Biotech gets OK for trial of salt-tolerant wheat
22 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillThe Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has approved an application by Western Australian wheat breeding company Grain Biotech Australia to field-trial two genetically modified salt-tolerant wheat lines.
Fruits of the revolution
21 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillQueensland researchers are developing GM cultivars of three tropical crops - pineapple, papaw and banana, to solve disease and quality problems.
Towards the carbohydrate economy
21 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillSugar CRC CEO Dr Peter Twine sees the industry - with a little help from its friends in the research community - leading Australia into what he calls the 'carbohydrate economy'.
GM research heads to warmer climes
21 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillThe old joke about Queensland being a decade plus one hour behind the southern states during daylight saving is fast fading from the repertoire of state-vs-state humour.
Japan ticks Gropep mix
21 April, 2005 by Staff WritersAdelaide biopharma GroPep has announced that a Japanese biopharmaceutical company has received regulatory approval in Japan to manufacture a biopharmaceutical product containing one of GroPep's products.
Sankyo signs up Singapore pharma for natural product leads
21 April, 2005 by Renate KrellePrivate Singapore natural products company MerLion Pharmaceuticals has sealed a three-year cooperative drug discovery and development collaboration with Japan's Sankyo.
In brief: Coley; Arpida; Lion Bio; Danisco; Genencor; Genmab
21 April, 2005 by Staff WritersColey Pharmaceutical has filed with regulators to raise up to US$115 million in an initial public offering of common stock.
Mesoblast gets ethical backing for stem cell trial
20 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillMelbourne stem cell therapeutics developer Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) has received ethics approval to begin a Phase I human trial of its adult stem cell therapy for angina.
'New' Peptech monoclonal a possible rival for Remicade
20 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillSydney peptide therapeutics developer Peptech (ASX:PTD) has reported "outstanding" results from a trial of an anti-TNF monoclonal antibody (mAb) resurrected from its tumour necrosis factor (TNF) research program of the late 1980s.
Phosphagenics delivers promising morphine results
19 April, 2005 by Graeme O'NeillMelbourne pharma Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) has demonstrated that its patented TPM-01 transdermal delivery system can administer morphine safely and efficiently through the skin, to maintain therapeutic levels of the drug in the serum over a period of at least 48 hours.
Brisbane's Implicit announces debut deal
19 April, 2005 by Renate KrelleAfter a year scouting for its first deal, private Brisbane biotech Implicit Biosciences is hoping to raise a phoenix from the ashes of a dead US company, Cytran, which went bankrupt in 2002 after the Phase III failure of its lead candidate IM862.
