It took nearly two decades to go from the release of the first semi-automated genome sequencer in the mid-1980s to the launch of Roche's flagship 454 FLX next generation sequencer in 2005. The 454 is now one of three major players in the next gen market whose impact on the world of genomics cannot be underestimated. Just five years later we are poised to embrace another new wave of sequencing technology.

Melbourne biotech Clinuvel announced today that it plans to conduct clinical trials of its UV protection drug Scenesse as a treatment for the skin pigmentation disorder vitiligo.

Processing large numbers of samples rapidly is going to be crucial if the vision of personalised medicine is ever going to become a reality.

The staggering amounts of data being generated in genomics, epigenomics, proteomics and other ‘omics studies - not to mention systems biology, which attempts to knit the various ‘omics together - is presenting a titanic challenge for life science researchers.

Next-generation genome sequencing technology company, Illumina, today launched the Illumina Genome Network, which is a global partnership to link researchers working in human genome sequencing projects.

Biota Holdings today commenced a 400-member trial in the US of its anti-viral drug BTA798 on sufferers of asthma who present with cold symptoms.

The $1000 genome is no longer just a lofty aspiration. The next generation of massively parallel, benchtop sequencers could see it realised within two years.

The devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a rare type of infectious cancer that threatens to rid Australia of one of its most iconic marsupials: the cute (sort of), and feisty (definitely), Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii).

Researchers have added nanoechnology to an off-the-shelf digital camera to help doctors distinguish healthy cells from cancerous cells in the human body.

The National Blood Authority has refreshed its IT infrastructure to cope with the increasing complexity of supply.

The research community is becoming more sophisticated in the way they approach intellectual property and industry partnerships. Ruth Beran looks at how technology transfer has changed, where it is going and the challenges it faces.

Biotechnology has provided a solution to the problem of how to get science to the market without compromising research, writes editor-in-chief Iain Scott.

Pfizer's Peter Corr told the AusBiotech 2005 conference that big pharma and biotech are part of a delicate ecosystem -- and both have key roles to play.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw told AusBiotech 2005 about opportunities for Australian biotech to work with India.

US venture capitalist Osagie Imasogie told AusBiotech 2005 that biotech companies need to get aggressive when it comes to finding opportunities.

Should Australia lift its ban on therapeutic cloning? Few topics in Australian science have generated such strong opinions. Ruth Beran reports.

The latest medical technology is all very well - if you can afford it. Susan Williamson looks at how one Australian group is coming up with practical healthcare solutions for the developing world.

The Australian Stock Exchange has created a market that attracts not only local biotechnology companies, but also gives opportunities to foreign companies that would be unable to attract capital in their own markets. Helen Schuller reports.

Cochlear boss Chris Roberts has spent 30 years at Australia's leading device companies -- but that doesn't mean he has stopped learning, as Helen Schuller discovers.

Kevin Davies spoke with Jonathan Rothberg, the founder of 454 Life Sciences, on the eve of the publication of his company's landmark paper in Nature.

Australian Biotechnology News editor-in-chief Iain Scott spoke with renowned industry analyst Cynthia Robbins-Roth about what it will take to keep biotech alive.

Ruth Beran discovers how one of Australia's great bioentrepreneurs has moved from inspiring shareholders to inspiring a nation.

The thing about bioinformatics, according to Prof Terry Speed, is that it tends to attract people from a variety of disciplines, such as physicists with programming skills not interested in a career in defence, or mathematicians with a practical bent.

When Eric Jakobsson took a new job with the National Institutes of Health, part of the agreement was that he would split his weeks between Bethesda, Maryland, and his job at the University of Illinois, jetting back and forth between the two.

History students and trivia buffs in the distant future time will be grateful for one of history's little coincidences -- the Human Genome Project will be completed this year, 2003, a neat half-century after the elucidation of the structure of DNA.

Nobel Laureate Prof Peter Doherty is lending his name to a new prize to be awarded at Australia's first Commercialisation Forum and Fair of Ideas, which started in Sydney today and runs to March 28.

Phil Batterham is a skilled and meticulous organiser, with an understanding of the value of theatre. When the University of Melbourne geneticist flew to Beijing in 1998 for the 18th International Congress of Genetics, he had already spent two years organising Australia's bid to bring the world's biggest genetics festival to Melbourne in 2003.

When you think of the Human Genome Project, images of banks of sequencing machines pumping out millions of base pairs of information comes to mind. According to Dr John Barlow, Melbourne divisional manager of the Australian Genome Research Facility, state-of-the-art sequencing is still largely electrophoresis-based. However, sequencers have come a long way since the days of pouring your own sequencing gel and using radioactive dideoxynucleotides.

The task of creating specialised software tools to decipher the complexities of genes and proteins until recently has been a do-it-yourself project for the bio-research community.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a technique that allows researchers to separate analytes based on their differential mobilities in aqueous media when an electric field is applied.

Sample capacity is at the heart of the decision on what capillary electrophoresis system best fits a lab's needs.