Australasian Biotechnology,
Volume 8 Number 3, May/June 1998, pp. 130-147
Editorial, News, Bio shares, Biocomputing, Meetings, Product news,
Provocation
Code Number:AU98021
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
The ABA - Helping to put Australia on Biotechnology's
World Map
In June the ABA is leading a group of Australian organisations
with interests in
biotechnology to
the BIO Conference in New York. This is the major annual
conference for the biotechnology
industry, and a great opportunity to showcase our activities.
NEWS
1998 Australia Prize
Awarded in 1998 for excellence in the field of
Molecular
Genetics
The 1998 winners:
Professor Elizabeth Blackburn
Professor Suzanne Cory
Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys
Professor Grant Sutherland
The Faulding Florey Medal
The Hon Dr Michael Wooldridge, the Minister for Health and
Family Services, established the
Florey Centenary committee to organise appropriate events to
celebrate the life and work of
Australia's most eminent scientist, Howard Florey. Howard
Florey's contribution to world history
was the development of penicillin, the substance that initially
freed humankind from the fear of
minor infection and assisted the UK and the USA in their victory
in WWII. There would be very
few people who at some time in their lives have not been
administered antibiotics in a particular form.
DNA Testing Joins Fight against Illegal Trafficking of
Wildlife
Technology is set to become the central tool in the fight
against the illegal trade of Australian
wildlife. A new DNA typing laboratory and databank is being set
up at Queensland University of
Technology's School of Life Sciences in Brisbane. Over the next
18 months, under the direction of
the school's Associate Professor Peter Timms, the University will
work with the Queensland
Department of Environment to help stamp out and deter the illegal
trade in wildlife.
Fish Farming for the Year 2000
An exciting new research program in aquaculture is underway
that will allow the use of a simple
growth factor test to fine tune the environmental and nutritional
conditions for fish farming.
The project being carried out by the newly formed aquaculture group
of the CRC for Tissue Growth
and Repair will help fisheries management to maximise their
output.
News from America
News from America reproduced with acknowledgement from The
Bowditch Group Electronic Ag
Biotech Newsletter 138, 25 April 1998
BSE Surveillance - Australia
A ProMED-mail post
In 1988, the United Kingdom reported that it had identified a
new disease in cattle and called it
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). It was postulated that
the disease was caused by a
scrapie-like agent and was being spread by the feeding of
rendered meat meal and bone meal to
cattle. In rapid succession, spongiform encephalopathies were
recognised in ruminants in zoos, and in domestic and wild cats.
1999 French Government Scientific Fellowships
In 1999, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs will offer a
limited number of scientific
fellowships, managed by the Embassy of France in Canberra, to
young qualified scientists involved
in French-Australian research projects. The fellowships are
tenable for 3-6 months duration and to
be taken up between February and December 1999.
Australian Academy of Science
International Exchange Programs - Science and
Technology
The Australian Academy of Science administers exchange
programs which support collaborative
research between professional Australian scientists and
technologists and their colleagues in the
UK, France, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan.
The 1998 Clunies Ross National Science and Technology
Awards
The Australian Biotechnology Association is an accredited
member of the Ian Clunies Ross
Memorial Foundation and congratulates all the Award winners.
New CSIRO Focus on Sustainable Energy
Research
CSIRO is to undertake a major new drive in sustainable energy
research and development,
according to Dr John Wright. The newly-named CSIRO Energy
Technology, previously CSIRO
Coal and Energy Technology, continues CSIRO's strong tradition of
research in support of
industries associated with energy production, says Dr Wright,
Chief of Energy Technology.
Science Alliance to Boost Coverage
Five major science groups announced on 29th March that they
have formed a new coalition to
promote the public understanding of science and technology in
Australia. The first event the
Committee will oversee is a three-day forum in Melbourne from May
7 to 10 called Science NOW!
CRC for Industrial Plant Biopolymers
Record Breaking Fermentation Run at
Yarraville
CRC researchers recently passed a major milestone in large
scale plant cell culture, with the
completion of a four month, semi-continuous fermentation program
in a 1,000 litre fermenter.
Announcing the achievement, Dr David McManus said that four
months is about twice as long as
the published record, and represents a significant step toward
commercial operation. "We are
confident that with this, and other process improvements under
development, production of new
biopolymers by large scale plant cell culture will soon be
commercially feasible," Dr McManus said.
A First Step Towards Engineering Improved Phosphate
Uptake
Among the trio of major plant nutrients, phosphorus is the
most limiting compared to nitrogen and
potassium. Many soils are low in phosphorus and even when it is
abundant, uptake of this nutrient
by plants can be tricky. Bioavailability of phosphorus is very
critical in the acidic soils of the
tropics where iron and aluminium interfere with its uptake. Thus,
millions of acres of land in
developing countries have phosphorus deficiency problems.
Calcium-rich soils in the Southeast
and Great Plains of the United States are also plagued with a
similar problem.
Rotavirus Vaccine shows Great Promise
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoeal
disease in infants all over the world and
an important public health problem, particularly in devloping
countries. The virus is believed to be
responsible for 125 million cases of diarrhoea each year with
600,000 to 870,000 deaths.
Progress in Development of Edible Vaccines
The use of transgenic plants expressing antigens from
pathogenic microbes has led to the idea of `edible' vaccines.
Leading Immunologists to Run Course in Malaysia
Leading immunologists, Abul K. Abbas and Martin Dorf from
Harvard University, U.S.A. will be
leading a course entitled "Immunology Update for Clinicians and
Scientists" at the Paradise
Malacca Village Resort, Malacca, Malaysia from October
30-November 1, 1998.
EU Science and Technology
EU Research Ministers have agreed an overall budget of 14
billion ECUs for the next EU Science
and Technology research Programme (5th Framework Programme
1998-2002).
Company News
AMRAD Half Yearly Report to 31 December 1997
AMRAD Corporation Limited is an Australian pharmaceutical and
biotechnology company with a
mission to commercialise Australian biomedical research in world
markets.
Biotechnology Investments Limited Leads A$7 Million
Investment in Florigene
Biotechnology Investments Limited (BIL), a leading UK-listed
investment company advised by
the Rothschild Bioscience Unit (RBU), announced on 22 April that
it has invested $5 million in
Florigene Limited, a Melbourne-based biotechnology company
specialising in the development of
novel flowers for the international cut-flower market.
Biota's Flu Diagnostic Test Filed in the United
States
Biota Holdings Limited announced on 11 May the filing for
clearance to market its rapid
diagnostic test for influenza, AB FLU OIA® with the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) in the
United States. This follows the recent filing with regulatory
authorities in Australia by Glaxo
Wellcome Australia of Biota's anti-flu drug, Relenza®.
Optiscan Reaches Agreement with Olympus
Optiscan Imaging Limited announced today that it had
successfully resolved a patent infringement
claim against Olympus Optical Co Ltd., the Japanese optical
instrument company. Olympus
recently launched a confocal microscope on to the US market which
Optiscan believed infringed
Optiscan's patents in the US and other overseas markets.
SA Scientists Win $2.9 Million Grant to Develop
Anti-Cancer Drug
Clinical trials of a revolutionary anti-cancer drug being
developed by South Australian scientists
could begin this year with the help of Federal Government
assistance.
Biotechnology Market Leader Appoints Public Affairs
Manager
Monsanto Australia Limited announced the appointment on 24
March of Mr Nicolaas Tydens as
the Public Affairs Manager for Monsanto's agricultural business
in Australia.
Roche Diagnostics and Boehringer Mannheim Businesses
Merge in Australia
The merger of Roche Diagnostics and Boehringer Mannheim
Australia is now complete. This
merger of the businesses in Australia has resulted in the
following Roche Diagnostics Divisions:
BIO SHARES
Covering Australian Biotechnology Stocks -
compiled by M.J. Playne
Biocomputing
BioGroup
Molecular Modeling Electronic Conference
Biotechnology Industrial Platforms
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering
Current Contents Connect
More New Web Sites
MEETINGS
Details of meetings from 10 August 1998 - 4 July 1999
Product News
JOHN MORRIS
New C-Line Shakers from NBS
HASKEL INTERNATIONAL
High/low pressure homogenizer design reduces capital
and energy costs
POLAROID
Polaroid Aiding the Electronics Industry with Latest
Digital Microscope Camera
TRACE SCIENTIFIC
Enzymatic Antimitochondrial Antibody (M2) Reagent
Glucose - DST Reagent
REGENT
Regent Medical Warns Healthcare Providers of Glove
Powder Hazards
METTLER TOLEDO
Weighing Sensors with MonoBloc Technology
ABA OFFICE BEARERS
PROVOCATION
Food Labels
As the European Union adopts a hard-line on the labelling of
food containing
genetically-engineered products, and the USA a less restrictive
approach, the question arises of
the use of such labelling restrictions as trade barriers. In
Australia, we see a manufacturer of
soy-based products planning to label that their products contain
no genetically-engineered plants.
Copyright 1998 Australian Biotechnology Association Ltd.
