Australasian Biotechnology (backfiles) AusBiotech ISSN: 1036-7128 Vol. 8, Num. 5, 1998

Editorial, News, BIO '99, Public Perceptions, Bio Shares, ABA News, Victorian Fermentation Interest Group, Asian News, Biocomputing, Book reviews, Meetings and Products

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FROM THE EDITOR

Journal Changes

As we progress towards major changes in the way in which the ABA operates, and perhaps even changes in its aims, the journal will not be isolated from these changes.

This journal has had a policy until now which contained these key elements:

• A mix of news and contributed papers
• Papers to be no more than four pages (with exceptions)
• Use of two-colour except for the outside covers (to contain costs)
• Acceptance of up to ten pages of advertising
• A push to increase Asian news
• Incorporation of New Zealand news and articles on an equal footing with Australian items

We have been reluctant to burden readers with a readership questionnaire, mainly because of the very small proportion of readers who will complete such questionnaires. However, we do need to know what sections of the journal readers most appreciate and want.

The journal does use a portion of ABA membership fees - it is not entirely self-sufficient. It is therefore important that it is providing ABA members in particular, and readers in general, with the type of journal most useful and timely for them.

An alternative scenario is the disbandment of the current journal entirely, replacing it with a current timely on-line news service on our website, and the issuance annually of an ABA yearbook in hard cover. The yearbook would contain overviews of Australian biotechnology and biotechnology services, and possibly one or two international standard topic reviews. Directory information would be retained on the website.

Another scenario is to reduce the journal to a quarterly, and put all news items on the website.

Another is to go to full colour on all pages, attract more advertising and a bigger subscriber base.

What are your views? I would be glad to receive them over the next two months. Send to Martin Playne:

Finally, congratulations to my Co-Editor, Dr David Tribe, on his election as a director of the ABA, from a highly competitive field of candidates. We also wish him rapid healing from his recent bicycle accident.

Martin Playne
Editor

Dr Martin Playne

Government's New Initiative on Biotechnology

Biotechnology Task Force

The Department of Industry, Science & Tourism will establish a Biotechnology Task Force to advise the Government on strategies for development of the Australian biotechnology sectors.

To ensure that all relevant factors are taken into consideration, the Task Force will consult widely with other Commonwealth Departments and State Governments, industry, research institutions, consumer groups and other stakeholders. The Task Force will take into consideration other Government programs and initiatives and report on:

• Opportunities for the development of internationally competitive biotechnology-based economic activities
• Impediments to the development of such activities
• Strategies to address issues such as:

- Technology development and diffusion

- Intellectual property management and ownership

- Access to venture capital

- Market access and promotion

- Regulation, biosafety and biodiversity

- Public awareness

- International agreements on intellectual property and other issues

Two initial projects which the Biotechnology Task Force will support are:

• Preparation of an Australian Biotechnology Director, in collaboration with the Australian Biotechnology Association, to establish the size, scope and capabilities of the industry as a resource and marketing tool; and
• International collaboration through support for an Australia-California Biotechnology Partnering Meeting in San Diego, USA, in May 1999.

Dr Joe Hlubucek
General Manager
Biotechnology Task Force
Department of Industry, Science & Tourism
Tel: (02) 6213 6367;
Fax: (02) 6213 6365; email: biotaskforce@dist.gov.au

The Government also released a new biotech brochure in early September 1998 outlining its initiatives and programs in the biotechnology area. These include:

• R&D start
• Concessional loans for the commercialisation of technological innovation;
• R&D tax concession;
• Pharmaceutical Industry Investment Program;
• Gene Technology Office;
• CRC Program;
• Innovation Investment Fund Program.

Relief for sufferers of leg ulcers is a step nearer following encouraging early clinical trials of a new product, PAI-2, by the Sydney-based company Biotech Australia.

PAI-2 or, to give it its full name, Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2, occurs naturally in the skin (as well as other parts of the body). It was discovered at the Australian National University by Drs Ross Stephens and Jeff Golder.

Biotech Australia has developed a method of producing it in bulk using recombinant DNA technology. Dr Clive Bunn of Biotech Australia has initiated its development as a topically applied drug, which can limit skin damage so that natural healing can take place.

Biotech takes the gene PAI-2, which is only present in the skin in small amounts, and by incorporating it into yeast DNA cultures it in large quantities. The PAI-2 is then extracted from the fermented yeast and purified.

Leg ulcers particularly affect the elderly and at present there is no easy way of treating them. One method is the use of compression bandages, which are uncomfortable, and must be applied by a nurse. Even then, healing is slow. Some patients require hospitalisation and surgery.

In small scale trials designed primarily to demonstrate the safety of PAI-2, patients received topical applications of PAI-2 daily for five days. After 28 days the average reduction in the size of the ulcers receiving PAI-2 was 25%.

PAI-2 works to inhibit tissue degradation in the ulcer allowing the natural healing process to take over. This approach is novel, and is in contrast to methods which have attempted to speed up the healing process by applying various growth promoting substances. These have been generally unsuccessful due to the degradation of these substances in the ulcer fluid.

A much larger clinical trial involving 120 patients with chronic leg ulcers is now underway in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth.

If large scale (Phase II) clinical trials confirm the effectiveness of the treatments the product could be on the market in four years, most probably in a gel form that is easy and convenient to use at home.

Health care costs worldwide associated with leg ulcers are estimated to be $1.5 billion a year.

"Entering Phase II trials for the product represents a major advance for Biotech Australia towards developing and manufacturing human pharma- ceuticals," said Dr David Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the company. "The Federal Government is contributing 50% towards the cost of the trials through its Start Grants Scheme," he said.

An exciting new drug discovery technology was recently revealed as the corner-stone of an $A10 million, two-year agreement signed by AMRAD Corporation Limited and the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Cellular Growth Factors.

The innovative Australian-discovered technology will be used by researchers at AMRAD and the CRC to develop new drugs for the treatment of a number of diseases including cancer and obesity.

"This new technology represents one of the most significant medical discoveries in Australia in the last decade", said Mr John Grace, Managing Director of AMRAD.

The discovery provides pharmaceutical companies with an important new tool to discover drugs. Researchers will use the technology to seek to unlock the key to discovering new drug candidates.

Dr Doug Hilton, Director of the CRC said AMRAD was putting its faith in Australian scientists who lead the world in the potentially multi-billion dollar area of cytokine research.

Cytokine drugs such as G-CSF and Erythropoietin (EPO) are currently used to treat many patients undergoing chemotherapy for cancer as well as patients undergoing renal dialysis. G-CSF and EPO had combined world sales in excess of $A2 billion in 1997.

Under the arrangement AMRAD will contribute cash and `in-kind' scientific and technological support as well as commercial expertise to the largest cytokine project of its kind ever undertaken in Australia. AMRAD's involvement in this collaboration underpins the company's strategic research focus in the field of cytokine research.

One of AMRAD's more advanced projects, AM424, a cytokine drug being investigated for the treatment of
neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disorders, is currently in Phase I clinical trials in cancer patients in Melbourne.

The CRC for Cellular Growth Factors comprises The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the Ludwig Institute, the Biomedical Research Institute, CSIRO Molecular Sciences and commercial partner AMRAD.

Amendment to the Food Standards Code

Foods Produced Using Gene Technology Standard A18

ANZFA's recommendation on a new joint standard for the regulation of foods produced using gene technology (Standard 18) was considered by State, Territory and New Zealand health ministers in their capacity as the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council (ANZFSC) on 30 July 1998. ANZFSC agreed to accept the new standard at that meeting.

In Australia the standard was gazetted as Amendment #40 to the Food Standards Code published on 13 August 1998 as Australian Government Periodic Gazette #P20 dated 13 August 1998 (AGPS Catalogue No 9838027 refers). In New Zealand the decision was placed in the New Zealand Gazette on the same day and gazetted on 20 August 1999. The standard will come into effect nine months after the date of gazettal.

The purpose of the nine month interim period is to allow ANZFA to consider applications for food already in the market place, prior to implementation of Standard A18.

The standard, which will be adopted in all States, Territories and New Zealand in May 1999, will make it illegal to sell any food produced using gene technology unless it has first been approved by ANZFSC. The approval process will be open, consultative and based on a scientific risk assessment undertaken by ANZFA. If there is any doubt about the safety of a food, it will not be allowed on the market.

The standard contains a provision for labelling in circumstances where the nature of the food has been significantly changed with respect to its nutritional quality composition, allergenicity, or end use. There is broad community and regulatory acceptance, both domestically and internationally, that mandatory labelling in these circumstances is warranted.

In contrast, there is no domestic or international consensus on whether there should be a mandatory label for food that is essentially the same as its established counterpart, so called "substantially equivalent" foods. This may be where gene technology might be used to improve crop production (eg. by developing an insect resistant crop), without altering the nutritional quality, composition, allergenicity, or end use of the product. In recognition of this lack of consensus, ANZFSC are intending to consider the matter further in the light of international developments.

Food Council Welcomes Regulation Proposals

"At last Australia will have regulations to govern genetically modified food that provide the public with confidence that appropriate safeguards are in place."

The Australian Food Council recently welcomed the decision by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Council for a regulatory and labelling regime for gene technology.

"The Australian Food Council has long argued for a regulatory regime governing the development and commercialisation of this technology to provide certainty for consumers, food producers and farmers," says Mitchell Hooke, executive director. "Notwithstanding its similarities to more traditional breeding, it is new. Just as the computer age revolutionised our lives, so too will gene technology - contributing to a greatly improved quality of life for mankind, meeting the world's increasing demand for food, improving the quality and safety of food products, and benefiting the environment. This regime builds on existing regulations, including the absolute requirement to provide safe food to consumers."

The new regulations will provide for:

• A case by case safety assessment pre-clearance procedure for ll food derived from new gene technologies - with public consultation for those products that are `substantially different'; and
• Mandatory labelling where the food or ingredient is `substantially different' and where this assists in protecting public health and safety.

"That the decision requires products to be labelled that are substantially different to their conventionally bred counterparts is the basis to providing meaningful information to consumers," says Mr Hooke.

"That the Council did not, at this stage, support blanket mandatory labelling across all products, irrespective of whether they were substantially different or not is further testament to their desire to provide consumers with meaningful information. We are confident the Australia New Zealand Food Authority will be able to establish that Australia's proposed regulatory regime is consistent with international conventions, and put this issue of recognition to rest once and for all."

Queensland to Host World Technology Expo

Australia's largest ever technology expo and conference - Technology '99 will be held on Queensland's Gold Coast in October next year, the first of what organisers expect to become an annual event.

More than 30,000 international and Australian visitors and over 500 exhibitors are expected to attend Technology '99, providing what organisers say will be a critical opportunity for Australian companies, universities and research facilities to market their research and products to the world. The six-day expo, incorporating the WorldxChange PacRim Technomart, will be held at a range of locations around the Gold Coast.

Technology '99 Chairman, Mr Peter Fisher, said the major objective of the event was to facilitate Australian technology transfer and exports throughout the Asia Pacific Region and to the world. "The focus of Technology '99 is to foster the development of high-tech industries in Australia, and to provide employment and economic growth," Mr Fisher said. "It will be the first opportunity for the many small to medium sized businesses that make up the majority of Australia's technology-based companies to present their research capabilities and products to the world. Until now, the major technology expositions have been held overseas. Technology '99 will bring the technology, research and science market place to Australia."

Technology '99 was initiated by Mr Peter Fisher, former President of the Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand, in co-operation with Mr John Humphreys, General Manager of TECHQUAD.

Australia Participates in New Belgium-Based Agbiotech Company

Research by scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) forms a key part of a new international start-up company based in Belgium which has successfully raised venture capital of US$5 million for innovative research on agricultural crops. In return for ANU's contribution, ANUTECH Pty Ltd, the commercial arm of the ANU will become a shareholder of the new company.

The company, CropDesign NV, brings together a truly international group of respected financial and research institutes. In addition to the ANU and ANUTECH, the partners include GIMV (Investment Company Flanders, Belgium); Atlas Venture, London; Sofinnova, France; VIB (Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Belgium); INRA (National Institute for Agricultural Research, France) and BRC (Biological Research Centre, Hungary).

It is anticipated that the same venture capital consortium of GIMV, Atlas and Sofinnova will invest another US$6 million in CropDesign in the next 18 months.

Dr John Bell, Managing Director of ANUTECH Pty Ltd, said "Start-up companies are viewed with increased interest both here in Australia and in Europe. CropDesign takes advantage of greater venture capital investment in Agricultural biotechnology. CropDesign is an example of one of the many mechanisms whereby university technology transfer companies such as ANUTECH can ensure that university research reaches the marketplace."

CropDesign will take a focused and unique approach to improving agricultural crops based on new insights into plant cell development, in particular cell cycle genes that control cell division in plants. The aim of CropDesign's work in this area will be to develop crops with better quality, higher yield, and better resistance to diseases and stress conditions. These value-added traits will be developed in a range of commercially valuable crops and commercialised through strategic alliances with
corporate partners in the agchem, seed, feed and food processing industries.

Herman Van Mellaert, Chief Executive Officer of CropDesign said "The rapid advancement in agricultural genomics technology and major changes in the seed and agbiotech business have created great opportunities for a company like CropDesign with a strong technology base. What makes CropDesign unique is that it will use the tools of genomics with a strong focus on a real strategic class of genes; those that modulate cell division and growth in plants."

CropDesign's technology platform centres around exclusive worldwide rights to a number of patent applications dealing with plant cell cycle and conducting its own internal research and significant research programs with VIB, ANU, INRA and BRC.

Dr Peter John, head of the Plant Cell Biology Group at the Research School of Biological Sciences (RSBS), ANU, who leads the CropDesign collaboration and will serve as a member of CropDesign's scientific advisory board, said "I am delighted that my research in cell cycle has paid off and that Australia will now own part of the new company and can use the technology to keep our agriculture ahead of world developments. It is also exciting to participate in a strong research alliance with such distinguished scientists in Belgium, France and Hungary."

Because of the pivotal role of VIB in CropDesign, the company will be based in Ghent, Belgium, which is developing as a leading centre for biotechnology and the home of some of Europe's largest entrepreneurial biotech companies such as Plant Genetic Systems (an agbiotech company acquired in 1996 by AgrEvo for an estimated US$675 million) and Innogenetics (the first entrepreneurial bioscience company to be quoted on EASDAQ - the pan European NASDAQ).

Victoria Appoints New Principal Science Adviser

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Mark Birrell, announced on 17 August the appointment of Professor Graham Mitchell as the State's Principal Adviser for Science, Engineering and Technology policy.

Mr Birrell said Professor Mitchell will provide high level, strategic advice to the State Government as well as enhance the links between the Government and science, engineering and technology communities.

"Professor Mitchell is already working closely with the Government through the Premier's Science, Engineering and Technology Taskforce and his decision to take up the important advisory role will provide a welcome additional boost."

Dr Mitchell is a veterinary graduate and was a medical researcher at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, specialising in infectious disease research. He is also well known and respected within the scientific community for his roles as director of research at pharmaceuticals company, CSL Limited and prior to that as director of Melbourne Zoo. He is currently a partner in a scientific consultancy group with Professor Gus Nossal, Professor David Penington and Dr John Stocker.

Professor Mitchell replaces Professor Margaret Britz who was the State's first Principal Adviser for Science and Engineering.

University of Queensland Careers Fair

A very successful Science and Engoineering Careers Fair was held in Mayne Hall at the University of Queensland on August 3. Over 60 employers and academic departments were in attendance, and students from the Faculties of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture, and Biological and Chemical Sciences attended to view the range of careers options available after graduation. The feedback from both the employers and the student groups was positive and the Fair is set to become an annual event. The Fair was an initiative of Student Support Services and was supported by the Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture, the Faculty of Biological and Chemical Sciences and the Office of Research and Postgraduate Studies.

If you would like to be included on the mailing list for next year's event which is to be held at approximately the same time of the year, please contact Ms Eril McNamara, Professional Links Director, Student Support Services, University of Queensland, 4072 Tel: (07) 3365 1742; Fax: (07) 3365 4912; Email: E.McNamara@mailbox.uq.edu.au

Japanese Study of Synsorb-Pk

Calgary - Synsorb Biotech Inc., has received a preliminary report from Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd on the completed clinical study of Synsorb Pk® performed in Japan last year. Takeda has concluded that the product was safe when co-administered with antibiotics. The study examined the treatment of children aged 8 months to 14 years who were infected with verotoxigenic E. coli (specifically E. coli 0157:H7) and principally assessed safety. It also measured the children's rate of progression to Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a serious potential outcome of this infection. The study was initiated shortly after a major outbreak of verotoxigenic E. coli infections in Japan during 1996, involving some 10,000 cases and 12 deaths. Synsorb is presently conducting a double blind, placebo controlled phase III clinical study of Synsorb Pk in Canada, the United States and Argentina.
Canadian Biotech News, Vol 7 No 33, August 14, 1998

EU Biotech Funded

The European Commission has launched the European Plant Biotechnology Network, which will receive funding of ECU426,000 (US$472,860) from the EU. The aim of the EPBN is to promote networking between the laboratories working on EU-funded research projects and to facilitate the dissemination and commercialization of results during the fifth round of funding for biotech research. The EU currently funds 45 different projects in plant biotechnology, involving 394 laboratories in 20 countries, which focus on improved products for health, stress tolerance, and disease resistance. During the fourth round of research funding, which recently closed, the EC funded 154 biotechnology research projects with a total of ECU533.23 million (US$591.9 million).

Ag Biotech Reporter, August 1998

Novartis Argicultural Discovery Institute

The Novartis Research Foundation is planning to invest $600 million over the next ten years to fund the creation and upkeep of the Novartis Agricultural Discovery Institute (NADI). The creation of the foundation is a strategic move to optimize cross-
business synergies in genomics research within the agribusiness and pharmaceuticals industries. Steven P. Briggs, Ph.D. will head a team of about 180 researchers at NADI which will be located in San Diego. NADI will work in tandem with the Novartis Agribusiness Biotech Research Facility at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, the Novartis Institute for Functional Genomics being built in La Jolla California, and other Novartis research stations. The foundation will increase Novartis' alliances with a number of leading institutions and major universities worldwide, thus facilitating discoveries in agricultural genomics.

FDA Addresses Use of Antibiotic Resistance Marker Genes

The Food and Drug Administration has issued draft guidance entitled "Use of Antibiotic Resistance Marker Genes in Transgenic Plants: Guidance for Industry" and a report entitled "Report on Consultations Regarding Use of Antibiotic Resistance Marker Genes In Transgenic Plants." FDA is making both documents available for public comment. Electronic versions of the draft guidance and report are available on the Internet at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/biotechm.html

FDA's 1992 policy statement regarding foods derived from genetically engineered plants specifically discussed antibiotic resistance selectable marker genes, noting that both the gene and the encoded enzyme, unless removed, are expected to be present in foods derived from plants developed using the markers. The agency acknowledged that when present in food, enzymes that inactivate certain clinically useful antibiotics theoretically might reduce the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics administered orally.

FDA administrators maintain that it is important to evaluate such concerns with respect to commercial use of antibiotic resistance marker genes in food, and to consider the possibility that resistance to antibiotics in microorganisms has the potential to spread through horizontal transfer of such marker genes from plants. This second consideration was reflected in FDA's evaluation of the use of the kanamycin resistance gene product (neomycin phospho-transferase II, or nptII) when the agency amended the food additive regulations in 1994 to permit the use of nptII in the development of transgenic tomato, cotton, and oilseed rape.

The draft guidance represents the agency's current thinking on the use of antibiotic resistance marker genes in transgenic plants. It is intended to provide information to crop developers that will assist them in making decisions on the use of these genes in the development of transgenic plants.

The Royal Society Reports on GM Issues and Regulations

The latest development in the ongoing European debate concerning genetically modified (GM) crops is a report from a special working group of the Royal Society, a highly respected and influential scientific organization in the UK. The report entitled "Genetically Modified Plants for Food Use" is the product of a number of prominent experts in a variety of fields. It concisely reviews current regulatory controls both in the UK and in Europe, and addresses questions of gene transfer from GM crops, other specific concerns of environmental harm, and issues related to GM plants as food. Posssible future developments are also discussed with suggested revisions to the current regulatory system.

One of the key proposals put forward by the working group is for an "over-arching body to monitor the impact of GM crops on agronomic practices or to look at the cumulative effects of such crops." At present, applications to field test or market GM crops are reviewed case by case and by a host of special committees with very specific mandates. The report suggests that each of the individual committees (such as the Food Advisory Committee, the Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, and the Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification) cannot consider many of the wider implications of genetic technology for practical reasons. Some of the tasks which the proposed "super regulator" might undertake are:

• to review enforcement of regulations;
• to review mechanisms by which GM crops could be monitored in the environment and make recommendations for long
  term monitoring of impact on ecosystems;
• to consider possible effects of insect tolerant crops on the ecosystem and provide guidelines for growth of such crops and recommendations for further research, as applicable;
• to consider the effects of GM crops in comparison with the effects of current agricultural practices in general on ecosystems and the environment as a whole.

In the face of increased calls for a moratorium on field trials of GM crops in the UK by groups such as the Friends of the Earth, the Royal Society report states that "many of the concerns raised cannot be addressed without the information gained from long-term small-scale field trials and laboratory work." Hence a moratorium is not considered the most appropriate way ahead.

Throughout the report attention is drawn to the argument that the risks often associated with GM crops are the same risks that have been taken with conventional agricultural techniques. For example, traditional plant breeding methods have been used to develop herbicide resistant crops. This practice has been ongoing for some time and there has been no observed increase in the incidence of herbicide tolerant weed species. There is therefore no reason to expect that we would see an increase as a result of cultivating GM herbicide resistant crops. The problem of weed control is considered as a general agricultural issue that requires effective management, crop rotation and the use of selective herbicides. However, the proliferation of GM herbicide resistant crops might be a problem if farmers do not adhere to crop management guidelines.

Overall the report covers many of the key areas under debate: gene transfer from GM plants, antibiotic resistance, insect tolerant crops, herbicide tolerant crops, virus resistant crops, labeling and GM/non-GM crop segregation, allergenic risks in GM foods, etc. The science is up to date and there are useful appendices setting out the membership of the Government advisory committees on GM plant technology. There will be little to please the hard-line environmentalists and consumerists, but the suggestion of an over-arching regulatory committee does seem to be a significant proposal.

The report text is available in full at: http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/st_pol40.htm. Copies may be obtained free of charge from The Science Advice Section at the Royal Society (email: angela.halpin@royalsoc.ac.uk).

Ben Thomson
Department of Law
University of Sheffield
lwp97bt@sheffield.ac.uk

Sugar Beets Engineered to Produce Healthier Sugar

Dutch scientists have developed a new sugar beet that produces fructan, a low calorie sweetener and a healthier alternative to sucrose. Reporting in the September issue of Nature Biotechnology, researchers at the Center for Plant Breeding and Reproduction Research at Wageningen describe how they developed "fructan beets" by inserting a single gene from Jerusalem artichoke that encodes an enzyme for converting sucrose to fructan (1). The new beet has the potential to replace more expensive fermentation methods of producing low molecular weight fructans, which are nearly as sweet as regular sugar but indigestible by humans.

The preferences of health-conscious consumers are increasingly shifting away from high-calorie sucrose. Fructans, first described by a German scientist in 1804, are polymers of fructose having considerable appeal to the food industry as they are not metabolized by humans and have no caloric value. Further, their chemistry makes them ideal substitutes for fat and thus suitable for low-calorie bakery and dairy products (2). Fructans, like yogurt, also promote the growth of beneficial bacteria present in the gut. In fact, swine and poultry feeds are often supplemented with fructans to reduce the smell of the animals' waste. Fructans are also implicated in reducing the risk of human diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes and obesity, and may play a role in reducing blood cholesterol levels.

Reproduced from ISB News Report - October, 1998

Nobel Prize

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute has today decided to award the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Robert F Furchgott, Louis J Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning "nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system"

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas that transmits signals in the organism. Signal transmission by a gas that is produced by one cell, penetrates through membranes and regulates the function of another cell represents an entirely new principle for signalling in biological systems. The discoverers of NO as a signal molecule are awarded this year's Nobel Prize.

Robert F Furchgott, pharmacologist in New York, studied the effect of drugs on blood vessels but often achieved contradictory results. The same drug sometimes caused a contraction and at other occasions a dilatation. Furchgott wondered if the variation could depend on whether the surface cells (the endothelium) inside the blood vessels were intact or damaged. In 1980, he demonstrated in an ingenious experiment that acetylcholine dilated blood vessels only if the endothelium was intact. He concluded that blood vessels are dilated because the endothelial cells produce an unknown signal molecule that makes vascular smooth muscle cells relax. He called this signal molecule EDRF, the endothelium-derived relaxing factor, and his findings led to a quest to identify the factor.

Ferid Murad, MD and pharmacologist now in Houston, analyzed how nitroglycerin and related vasodilating compounds act and discovered in 1977 that they release nitric oxide, which relaxes smooth muscle cells. He was fascinated by the concept that a gas could regulate important cellular functions and speculated that endogenous factors such as hormones might also act through NO. However, there was no experimental evidence to support this idea at the time.

Louis J Ignarro, pharmacologist in Los Angeles, participated in the quest for EDRF4s chemical nature. He performed a brilliant series of analyses and concluded in 1986, together with and independently of Robert Furchgott, that EDRF was identical to NO. The problem was solved and Furchgott's endothelial factor identified.

When Furchgott and Ignarro presented their conclusions at a conference in July, 1986, it elicited an avalanche of research activities in many different laboratories around the world. This was the first discovery that a gas can act as a signal molecule in the organism.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded The 1998 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in the area of quantum chemistry to Walter Kohn, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA and John A. Pople, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA (British citizen).

Citation:

"to Walter Kohn for his development of the density-functional theory and to John Pople for his development of computational methods in quantum chemistry."

Development of computational methods in chemistry awarded

Researchers have long sought methods for understanding how bonds between the atoms in molecules function. With such methods it would be possible to calculate the properties of molecules and the interplay between them. The growth of quantum mechanics in physics at the beginning of the 1900s opened new possibilities, but applications within chemistry were long in coming. It was not practically possible to handle the complicated mathematical relations of quantum mechanics for such complex systems as molecules.

Quantum chemistry is used nowadays in practically all branches of chemistry, always with the aim of increasing our knowledge of the inner structure of matter. The scientific work of Walter Kohn and John Pople has been crucial for the development of this new field of research.

Walter Kohn was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1923. He was a professor at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, USA between 1950 and 1960 and at the University of California in San Diego from 1960 to 1979. He was Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, where he is still active, from 1979-1984.

John A. Pople was born in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, U.K. in 1925. British citizen. He became Ph.D. in Mathematics at Cambridge, U.K., in 1951. In 1964 he became Professor of Chemical Physics at Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA and subsequently Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University, USA, in 1986, where he is still active.

Meeting Report

Biological Informatics held on 6-8 July 1998 at the Australian Academy of Science, Canberra

In the carefully phrased world of science, few predictions are so boldly stated. Yet recently Professor Sir Robert May, Chief Scientist of the UK, told the attendees at the Australian Academy of Science-sponsored Conference on Biological Informatics that "there will be winners, and there will be losers" among nations as the world moves into the next century. Sir Robert underscored statements that have been made by other international leaders. "The next century will be the `Age of Biology', just as this one has been an age of physics and astronomy. Specifically, those countries who best know how to correlate, analyze, and communicate biological information will be in the leading position to achieve economic and scientific advances."

The occasion was the Conference on Biological Informatics (July 6-8, 1998), at which 10 visiting and 22 Australian speakers from science and business presented their views of the future of biology as it is affected by the information sciences. Professor Michael Pitman (Foreign Secretary of the Australian Academy of Science) chaired the panel discussion that closed the third day of the meeting. He noted that "the accumulation of biological data for its own sake has become a useless exercise." In so doing, he echoed many of the speakers in the Conference. Those same speakers, however, also repeated a refrain that calls for "biological informatics" not only to cope with but to put to good use the data that are, inexorably, accumulating.

This Conference demonstrated that confining the term "bioinformatics" to data only from studies of genes and chromosomes is unduly restrictive. As Professor John Stocker, Chief Scientist of Australia, noted during his address to the opening session of the meeting, "this Conference is about the burgeoning application of information science and technology to many biological fields, including biodiversity, neuroscience, medicine and numerous other branches of biological science." Also, Dr Stocker noted, "one of the more important aspects of the meeting is its opportunity to build bridges among the various branches of biology."

This stimulating and cross-cutting meeting was organized by a committee chaired by Dr Ebbe Nielsen, Head of the Australian delegation to the OECD Megascience Forum's Working Group on Biological Informatics. The Working Group will report to OECD governments on Biological Informatics before the end of 1998. The Chair of the Working Group, Dr James Edwards of the US National Science Foundation, as well as Dr Thomas Lovejoy (Chair of the Subgroup on Biodiversity Informatics) of the World Bank and the Smithsonian Institution and Dr Stephen Koslow (Chair of the Subgroup on Neuro-informatics) of the US National Institutes of Health were among the speakers at the Conference. Meredith A. Lane

Austrade offers Australian Biotechnology a Major International Industry Development Opportunity

The Australian Trade Commission in San Francisco assists Australian life sciences and information technology companies with US business development. The range of services provided includes market research, identification of distributors and strategic partners, company appointments, business plans, and trade show participation. Austrade also advises US companies about investment opportunities in Australia, as well as contract R&D/manufacturing and clinical trial capabilities in the biotech and medical areas.

Austrade is offering Australian biotech companies and research organisations access to the world's largest market, with a strategic biopartnering conference organised for San Diego from May 12-14 next year. The California-Australia Biotech Partnering Meeting is being planned under the California-New South Wales (NSW) Sister State agreement, and is designed to provide a two-and-a-half day forum for Australian and San Diego biotech companies, researchers, policy makers, venture capitalists and service providers to meet, present on each other's industry issues, regulatory regimes and research areas. The event is supported by the California Senate Office of International Relations (CIRF), NSW State & Regional Development and AusIndustry's Industry Research & Development (IR&D) Board.

Austrade is planning the event in conjunction with the San Diego Biocommerce (BIOCOM) Association's monthly breakfast meeting, which features notable guests speaking on topics pertinent to the industry. BIOCOM is the regional association for the many biotechnology, medical device, medical equipment and bioagriculture companies in the San Diego area. BIOCOM includes among its supporters and membership companies those which provide finance, legal, architectural, marketing, insurance, real estate and regulatory affairs to the life sciences industry. BIOCOM membership also includes regional universities and colleges, biomedical research institutions, municipalities, and state and local civic organizations.

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is hosting Speaker Panel sessions on biotech funding, licensing, joint venture and regulatory strategies, as well as R&D developments, investment opportunities, offshore partnering. UCSD, located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, is one of the top ten teaching and research universities in the US. Pfizer and SmithKline Beecham are sponsoring receptions at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the prestigious Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Austrade is currently inviting other service providers, investment groups and corporations to be sponsors and participants.

One-on-one company partnering sessions will be coordinated by Austrade and UCSD CONNECT, the "bridge" linking UCSD with technology companies in San Diego. CONNECT programs focus on finance, partnering, business acumen, and updates on technology. Australian delegates will have the opportunity to learn about CONNECT's innovative programs which have contributed to San Diego becoming the third largest bioscience community in the world.

The San Diego meeting is conveniently scheduled just prior to Bio `99, the Biotechnology Industry Organization's annual Conference & Exhibition, to be held May 16-20, 1999 in Seattle, Washington. Bio '99 is the world's largest biotechnology conference, with over 4,000 industry leaders and executives from more than 750 companies in 40 countries. Bio represents more than 800 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and other organizations in 46 states and more than 25 countries, including Australia.

Twenty Australian companies, universities and organisations will be invited to exhibit at Bio `99 in the Australian Biotechnology Pavilion. Bio `99 is the industry's premier networking event, leading to growth in Australian-based contract R&D, contract manufacture, clinical trials, technology licensing, joint venture partnering and biotech investment. With Austrade's assistance the Australian presence at the Bio conferences has grown from 20 Australian attendees at Bio `96, to 30+ attendees and 9 exhibiting companies at Bio `97, and 50+ attendees and 16 exhibiting companies at Bio `98. The Bio `98 Australian Biotechnology display in New York City was the voted unofficial favorite by the Bio organising committee for its user-friendly layout, and as a result Austrade has been granted a choice of the most prominent exhibit locations for Bio `99.

More information about the California-Australia Biotechnology Partnering Meeting and Bio `99 is available from the Australian Trade Commission, One Bush St., Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94104

For information on attendance and exhibiting, please contact Dr. Louise Batchelor: Email: louise.batchelor@austrade.gov.au Tel: 415-362-6160 (ext 242), Fax: 415-986-2775

For information on sponsorship and Austrade business development services, contact Carolyn Gray: Email: carolyn.gray@austrade.gov.au
Tel: 415-362-6160 (ext 210),
Fax: 415-986-2775

PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS
Poisonous Potatoes cause a stir about Genetic Foods in Scotland

The internationally-renowned Rowett Research Institute has been severely embarrassed by the premature release of data on TV, which resulted in public outcry. It was only reported in brief in Australian news media. Below we reproduce the full sad and sorry tale, courtesy of the Bowditch Group Electronic AgBiotech Newsletter.

On Monday, August 10, 1998 Dr. Arpad Pusztai of the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, reported that he conducted an experiment in which five rats were fed genetically modified (GM) potatoes for 110 days. The potatoes contained genes either from snowdrop plants or South American jack beans which encode for lectins GNA and Con A, respectively.

Lectins are proteins highly resistant to digestion which can be assimilated into the body. Some are powerful growth triggers which mimic hormones and some can change the bacterial composition of gut flora. However, the lectins in Dr. Pusztai's experiments are known to be toxic to insects. John Gatehouse developed the potatoes at the University of Durham for Pusztai's studies and was not surprised when Pusztai reported the GM potatoes stunted the growth of rats and damaged their immune systems. "The genes that were added direct the manufacture of plant lectins which are harmful to insects," said Gatehouse. "We know that they're toxic to insects, so it isn't shocking if they also have toxicity to animals. That was what we wanted to know, and that's why the tests were carried out."

Dr. Pusztai's mistake was that he chose the "World in Action" television program, rather than a scientific forum, to broadcast his uncorroborated results. Regardless of their validity, the results sparked much controversy on the safety of genetically modified foodstuffs and lead to calls by some British politicians for a moratorium on the sale of GM foods.

The Scottish Office had commissioned Pusztai's study to investigate the role of lectins, which might be used for insertion into plants to increase resistance to insects. Therefore, the potatoes were not intended to be commercially developed for human consumption and were never put through the same rigorous tests required of genetically engineered plants destined for human consumption.

The Rowett Research Institute is an internationally recognized center for research in uman and animal nutrition and biological sciences of relevance to health, food and agriculture. It investigates the relationship of diet to health and disease states, and the biochemical mechanisms which control growth and reproduction. In response to the "World in Action" program, the Institute has been inundated with requests for the raw data on which Pusztai based his conclusions.

Andrew Chesson, a senior scientist at Rowett said, "We asked Dr. Pusztai to gather that data in such a form that we could circulate it, and when we looked at that data a number of inconsistencies were found." Dr. Eva Gelencser, a member of Pusztai's team who carried out the studies on immune responsiveness, revealed that the relevant data provided by Dr. Pusztai referred not to experimental studies on potatoes with transgenic Con A but to GNA transgenic potatoes.

The detailed analysis on the transgenic GNA studies are due to be completed by Friday, August 14. Therefore, the results Dr. Pusztai shared with the "World in Action" program were not complete and were not data which had been discussed extensively at scientific meetings involving UK collaborators and the Scottish Office in April of this year as was originally suggested.

The decision by the Institute to allow Dr. Pusztai to respond to the "World in Action" request for
information was based on the Institute's recognition of its responsibility not to suppress scientific views of importance in this, or any other, field. It was recognized and agreed that previously published concepts relating to the use of lectins as transgenics could be discussed but that it was improper to present data which had not been published or peer reviewed.

Chesson said Dr. Pusztai was suspended on Wednesday, August 12, 1998, two days after the initial airing of the controversial "World in Action" program. "The reason for the suspension was that some of the claims that he'd made about the effects of transgenic (genetically modified) potatoes could not be substantiated by the data he currently holds. I think that he may have spoken on the program outside the realms of fact and into speculation but unfortunately it all came across as fact." Chesson said a number of long-term feeding studies conducted by Pusztai were found to be incomplete.

He said the incident was a deeply embarrassing experience for the institute and he apologized. "We have been misled by a very senior scientist at this institute. We acted in good faith on the information he provided us with." Chesson said Pusztai, age 68, will leave Rowett once scientists at the institute and outside experts have evaluated the data. "We will of course complete the work that Dr Pusztai has undertaken, and we will make that information available to anybody and every- body who is interested," he said.

In response to the cry for a moratorium and a ban on all GM crops, Monsanto's business manager in Ireland, Dr. Patrick O'Reilly, said no company would use such lectin proteins and they were "not present in any of the crops coming to commercialization." He rejected suggestions that the research reflected an absence of long-term mammalian testing of genetically modified products. John Hammond, head of development at AgrEvo UK, a company which is also developing GM crops, was quoted as saying, "The Rowett work is a bit unusual - they have taken a gene that generates a potentially quite potent insecticide and found it doesn't meet the safety criterion." British Food Minister Jeff Rooker was cited as stressing that there were only four genetically modified products currently on sale in Britain - tomato paste, vegetarian cheese, maize and soya and that the genetically modified potatoes used in the experiment would never have been allowed onto shop shelves.

Professor Derek Burke, a former British Government adviser on new food technology, was quoted as telling the "World in Action" television program that calls for a moratorium were an "overreaction". "This is a new technology and people worry about what we might do to the world around us, they worry about the environment, they worry about safety. What they don't always understand is that we have a very tough regulatory process in place, the toughest in the world, and that these new products are being looked at extremely carefully. ...This report that has come out of the Scottish laboratory would never have got through the regulatory system, so I don't think a moratorium is necessary. What is necessary is carefully controlled progress." A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was quoted as saying, "We have not seen any of the data, but we would be interested in seeing it as soon as possible and will ask our Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes to examine it thoroughly."

Chesson, who will head Rowett's evaluation team, said firmly: "It would be unwise to raw any conclusions whatsoever from the data that we currently hold." According to the Rowett Institute, the long and complex studies on the use of lectins in transgenic plants, including published as well as unpublished work, will now be reviewed to ensure the validity of the findings. The GNA transgenic studies and comparable experiments on diets where both GNA and Con A have been added to the potato mix will be collated for urgent transmissions to MAFF and the EU. It would be premature to conclude whether or not there are data of concern to those assessing the safety of foods with transgenic lectins. The analysis of the new findings will not be released by the Rowett Institute but will be scrutinized by collaborating groups of scientists and official expert committees. The Institute will also arrange to do appropriate additional studies on these safety issues once the significance of the current findings is clear.

Sources

PR newswire and Reuters were the primary sources of the following press releases:

1. Experiment fuels modified food concern. August 10, 1998, published at 06:40 GMT.

2. Government resists ban on genetic food. August 10, 1998. PA News / London Evening Standard.

3. Food professor suspended after genetic food claims. Alan Wheatley. August 12, 1998. 1:09 p.m. EST.

4. Rowett Research Institute, Press Release, August 12, 1998.

COMPANY NEWS

BIOTA

Biota Holdings Limited announced in early September that it has signed an agreement for the distribution of its influenza diagnostic, AB FLU OIA®, in Europe, including the United Kingdom.

Under the agreement, Biota's partner in the development of the diagnostic, US-based BioStar, will manage the distribution of the diagnostic in Europe and New Zealand. BioStar already has exclusive rights to market the diagnostic in the United States.

The companies will begin marketing AB FLU OIA® in Europe ahead of the upcoming Northern Hemisphere winter. Subject to clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Biota and BioStar plan to launch the diagnostic in the United States later this year.

Biota and BioStar will share profits from sales of the diagnostic in the United States. Biota will pay BioStar a royalty for sales made in Europe, BioStar retains the worldwide manufacturing rights.

Biota's Chief Executive, Dr Hugh Niall, said it made strategic sense to have BioStar marketing AB FLU OIA® in these additional major Northern Hemisphere markets. "In the process of deciding our marketing strategy for Europe and the UK, we talked to a number of companies," Dr Niall said. "As BioStar distributes a number of other diagnostic products into these markets, they have already successfully developed a distributor network that can bring significant advantages to Biota both through a stronger and more cohesive marketing approach, as well as allowing optimal use of Biota's resources."

In addition, Biota has been advised that Thermo BioAnalysis Corporation (ASE-TBA) has announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets and certain obligations of BioStar Inc.

Thermo BioAnalysis Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer, Colin Maddix said the acquisition will form a strong base for Thermo BioAnalysis entry into the rapidly growing field of point of-care diagnostics and expansion of their presence in the broader health diagnostics market. He describes BioStar's technology as very exciting and expected it to make a significant contribution to health care.

Dr Niall commented that the intended acquision is an excellent opportunity for BioStar to fully exploit their technology's competitive advantage. Privately held BioStar will develop its products, including the influenza test, as part of a strong and successful publicly listed company.

Thermo BioAnalysis Corporation, which has annual sales of USD$200m develops, manufactures and supplies a broad range of products, including biomolecular instrument and consumables, clinical laboratory equipment and supplies information management systems that are used in biochemical research, clinical diagnosis and pharmaceutical production.

Eds note: Thermo BioAnalysis Corporation recently acquired the Australian firm, Trace Scientific.

Biota Holdings Limited recently lodged its results for the year ended 30 June 1998.

The consolidated net loss for the economic entity for the year was $6,460,000. This compares with a loss of $4,101,000 in the previous year.

Revenue for the year totalled $1,770,000, principally from interest. This included revenue arising from the first sale of the influenza diagnostic test AB FLU OIA®.

The major expense for the year related to research and development and totalled $6,300,000 (1996/97: $4,538,000). Other expenses included underwriting fees in relation to the October 1997 rights issue of $763,000.

The company has issued share capital of $18,210,208 representing 72,840,833 ordinary shares. Reserves total $73,163,000 and accumulated losses $50,866,000.

Biota's net assets at the end of the year were $40,507,000 compared to $25,099,000 at the end of the previous year.

Biota's Chief Executive, Dr Hugh Niall, said that the past 12 months had been important in establishing Biota as a leading research and development company.

"It is exciting in that we have a number of promising projects at varying stages of progress," he said. "Biota's projects range from Relenza and AB FLU OIA which are nearing commercialisation, through to cancer, RSV, rhinovirus, diabetes and Alzheimer's Disease projects which are all in preclinical phases."

Dr Niall said that he anticipates that Biota will continue to add shareholder value through the development of its current portfolio and the identification of new opportunities.

AMRAD

Finance

• Total revenue increased by 15% to $157.6 million.
• Research and development expenditure rose by 47% to $27.2 million.
• The loss after tax and outside equity interest was $7.9 million, compared to $4.2 million in the previous year.
• Total cash outflow for the year was $9.9 million with cash outflow on operations of $12.9 million.

Research and Development

AMRAD's core business of pharmaceutical research and development progressed in line with its value-adding strategy during 1997/98, achieving a number of important milestone. During the year AMRAD:

• Progressed a diverse portfolio of 9 compounds in the discovery, preclinical and clinical trial stages of pharmaceutical development.
• Completed a Phase II(a) clinical trial of AM94, an oral rotavirus vaccine.
• Completed successfully a Phase I clinical trial of AM424 to treat neurodegeneration and neuromuscular disease, in healthy volunteers and commenced a Phase I clinical trial of AM424 in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
• Completed preclinical testing of AM149, an injectable anaesthetic, preparatory to the commencement of a bioequivalence study. Since year-end the study was suspended pending evaluation of unexpected and unfavourable data.
• Commenced a natural product screening collaboration with US-based Chiron Corporation to discover compounds as potential treatments for hepatitis C.
• Continued a major collaboration with Rhône Poulenc Rorer for natural products screening aimed at discovering drugs for asthma.
• Completed an agreement with the Menzies Centre for Population Health Research to establish an Epidemiology Unit to investigate the genetic basis of a number of human diseases.

Trading Businesses

The results achieved by AMRAD's trading businesses,

AMRAD Pharmaceuticals and AMRAD Biotech, exceeded, in total, the earnings targets for 1997/98. The results achieved are as follows:

• Trading businesses derived total sales of $124.4 million an 11% increase on 1996/97 and total earnings before tax of $12 million, an increase of 45% on 1996/97.
• AMRAD Pharmaceuticals achieved record sales of $110.8 million, and earnings before tax of $8.2 million, an increase on 1996/97 of 15% and 37% respectively.
• AMRAD Biotech achieved sales of $13.2 million, and earnings before tax of $5.7 million. An abnormal profit of $5.4 million arose from the early termination of the Pharmacia Biotech AB distribution arrangements in Australia and New Zealand.
• AMRAD ICT derived sales of $0.7 million and incurred a loss of $2.4 million for the four months to 30 June 1998.

AMRAD's Managing Director, John Grace, said the loss of $7.9 million for the 12 months ended 30 June 1998 bettered the agreed targets for revenue generation and cash usage.

"While the loss for the year increased by $3.7 million over 1996/97, research and development expenditure increased by $8.7 million. The increase in research and development activity and expenditure is totally in line with AMRAD's strategy as continued investment in pharmaceutical research and development is critical to generating shareholder value," said Mr Grace.

The 47% increase in AMRAD's research and development expenditure, to $27.2 million reflects the continuing successful progression of projects in the portfolio of exciting compounds and technologies for the discovery of new pharmaceuticals.

This new business will provide a range of biotechnological services including consultancy. The principal/manager of the business is Graham Neville Evans Bell who has completed numerous postgraduate courses including a postgraduate qualification in biotechnology.

Freehills Patent Attorneys, the patent attorney practice affiliated with national law firm Freehill Hollingdale & Page, has appointed four new partners, increasing the total Freehills Patent Attorneys partner numbers to seven, with 10 consultants.

John Davy, Melbourne

John Davy joins FPA Melbourne with more than 20 years' experience in protecting anfd managing intellectual property issues for a large and diverse Australian chemical company. A registered Patent Attorney, John has been involved in a full range of intellectual property defence and enforcement matters and portfolio management advice. With the increasing importance of technology transfer, he has been actively involved in developing and negotiating agreements dealing with collaborative research projects and licensing, acquisition and divestment of intellectual property rights. John's particular field of expertise is organic chemistry.

Paul Jones, Melbourne

Paul Jones is a Registered Patent Attorney with more than 25 years' experience, having practised in all areas of international patent and trade mark law. Paul began his career with the Australian Patent Office in Canberra in 1972, then moved to private practice. He has particular expertise with patents in the fields of inorganic and physical chemistry, with particular expertise in polymer chemistry, as well as pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, optics and biotechnology. Paul lectures extensively in Australia and overseas at conferences and seminars and is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia.

Paul Savage, Sydney

Paul Savage joined FPA Sydney earlier this year. Over the past six years, his practice has focussed on advising clients in a wide range of technologies including mining, hydraulic, general mechanical, software development and fluid dynamics technologies. He has been extensively involved in advising on commercialising various aspects of intellectual property for major corporations. He has also been involved in preparing commercial agreements relating to research and development contracts, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry.

Debra Tulloch, Melbourne

Debra Tulloch is a Registered Patent Attorney and joined FPA Melbourne in August this year. Debra specialises in the technical areas of biochemistry, biotechnology and molecular biology, and her practice involves a broad range of patent and trade mark work for both local and overseas clients. She is particularly experienced in filing and prosecuting Australian and foreign patient applications and in patent oppositions, and is a regular presenter at seminars and conferences. Debra has a particular interest in the application of the patent law to biotechnological inventions.

County/NHMRC Partnership Sets Stage for World-First Medical Research Investment Fund

A ground-breaking new investment opportunity for Australian superannuation funds moved closer to fruition recently, with the announcement of a partnership between County Investment Management and the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to co-operate in the development of a pioneering new Medical Research Investment Fund.

The partnership was announced jointly by the Minister for Health and Family Services, Dr Michael Wooldridge, NMMRC Chairman Professor Richard Larkins and Chief Executive of County Investment Management, Dr Nick Birrell. It follows an extensive dialogue between the parties over the past six months, aimed at advancing the mutual interests of investors and researchers in fostering an internationally competitive medical research sector in Australia.

For its part, County will seek to raise long-term investment capital from superannuation funds and other long-term investors to support Australia's best medical research, augmenting the existing allocation of public funding through the NHMRC's annual Grants Program. In return, investors will receive a share of intellectual property rights arising from the funded research, with the value of those rights being optimised through a vigorous process of identification and development of commercial opportunities as they arise.

The NHMRC will assist County in establishing and operating the fund, including through the provision of access to grant recipients, assessing the eligibility of particular projects for co-funding, and assisting in ongoing monitoring and administration of co-funded projects.

The funds that County aims to raise will be available pro-rata to all medical research supported by the NHMRC through its project grants, program grants and block-funded institutes schemes (but excluding population-based research and health services research). This equates to a potential injection of new investment capital of up to $100 million per year.

County's Chief Executive, Nick Birrell, described the partnership with the NHMRC as "a critical first step in our plans to offer what we believe to be a world-first investment opportunity for our clients. From an investment perspective, the funding gap that currently exists in the field of publicly-funded medical research in Australia is a classic market inefficiency, and hence an ideal opportunity for a professional investmentment manager to exploit in the interests of its clients. This is precisely the opportunity that County is seeking to realise, and which has been unlocked by the announcement."

"The prospect of investing in basic medical research will certainly present a challenge to superannuation trustees, expanding their horizons beyond the realm of traditional securities and venture capital markets into the very earliest stages of research and development innovation."

"However, there are enormous potential rewards available from patient investment in this sector, and strong linkages between the retirement needs of super fund members and the development of new medical technologies. We are confident that trustees will appreciate these compelling links and allocate a suitable proportion of their assets to this very long-term investment."

"Now that we have entered into our partnership with the NHMRC, we will be actively proceeding to finalise a suitable investment structure and prepare the necessary documentation to promote the proposed Fund to major superannuation and institutional investors. These are already in preparation, and should be finalised within the next few weeks. Our aim is to have the proposed fund operational by early in the year, to support medical research activities funded in the NHMRC's 1999 grants program," Dr Birrell said.

Note: A new Internet website has been established to allow potential investors and medical researchers to participate in the development of the proposed Medical Research Investment Fund. The website is available at www.mrif.com.au

County Investment Management

County Investment Management (County) was established in 1985, and since October 1997 has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Australia Bank Limited. The National is Australia's largest financial institution, and a financial services company of world standing. In the thirteen years since its inception, County has grown to become a major manager of superannuation and investment funds in Australia, with over $10 billion in funds under management at 30 September 1998.

Bio Shares

Covering Australian Biotechnology Stocks - compiled by M.J. Playne

The ABA: A New Direction

In the second half of last year the Directors of the ABA called for Expressions of Interest from a number of consultants to assess the requirements of stakeholders in biotechnology in Australia. More specifically, the Directors wanted to assess the market needs of its members and potential members, particularly Corporate Members.

The Directors believed that it was timely for the Association to review its position, in order to define more clearly the future role of the Association to ensure its viability and growth and its ability to serve its members through differentiating the services provided from those provided by other societies and trade organisations whose activities impinge on those of the members of the ABA.

The contract was won by Kelvin Hopper of Aoris Nova and a substantial report provided by the end of 1997. Some of the areas identified were for the ABA to have a higher profile among researchers, companies and government as the peak body in biotechnology, to emphasise the commercialisation aspects of biological research, to increase its international connections, to represent the broad biotechnology. Industries in Australia including human and animal health, agriculture and the environment and to strongly market its activities and attract membership. Overall there was general support for a continued role for the ABA and enthusiasm for it to be more prominent and active in particular areas.

As a follow up to this Strategy Working Paper (November 1997), the Directors held a retreat in January 1998 and developed the strategy further. They then commissioned Kelvin Hopper to prepare a Business Plan and a presentation about it was made to members at the AGM on 22 September 1998. Following is an outline of the main points of the draft plan which is still under consideration. The purpose of this is to brief you on progress.

The Association aims to provide a platform and conduit for information which brings together all the relevant parties involved in the Australian biotechnology community. It will emphasise business development and commercialisation in biotechnology across all applications in health, agri/food, environment and manufacturing in Australia and the international marketplace.

It will specifically emphasise:

• More effective representation to regulatory authorities and other government agencies
• Provision of timely and accurate information
• Establishment of an informed public relations process to respond to issues of note
• Networking between government, business and R&D providers
• Business development opportunities for members.
• Support for education in biotechnology

There are three main issues to be considered in order for the ABA to provide an improved service:

• The ABA should be able to provide both an increase in the "big picture" activities (eg. government lobbying and liaison, international relations, public awareness etc) as well as improving local networking and support for individuals and companies.
• The ABA should expect to achieve consistent, long term funding to allow for self sufficiency and also to strive to expand the level and quality of service.
• The ABA must identify and satisfy the needs of its broad membership base which includes commercial biotechnology companies, researchers, government bureaucrats and students.

To address these issues, it is proposed that the ABA should build its current secretariat into a national executive office through the appointment of an Executive Director. At the same time it should promote increased activity and autonomy of regional and State branches as well as foster the formation of Expert Advisory Groups.

In particular, it is proposed that an Executive Director, reporting to the Council of Directors, will be appointed and funded through increased fees (to be self- funding in 2 years). The Executive Director will be responsible for executive leadership and day-to-day management of the Association, including the delivery of the wider range of services. The Executive Director will promote the ABA as a national body and link the activities of branches.

The national executive office of the ABA will hold membership lists and use membership fees as directed by the Council of Directors solely for running the national executive office and national functions of the ABA. It will provide policy directives and advice to government and co-ordinate national government projects and initiatives, co-ordinate major international programs, be responsible for sales of merchandise, direction of the web site and journal and maintain the head office of the executive. The Council of Directors will retain the main responsibility for policy formulation and advice.

State/regional branches will be included formally in the structure of the Association. This provides them with more financial autonomy, increased networking opportunities and more local activities. It is intended that these will be self-funding. An ABA Director will be responsible for the activities of their particular State/regional branch and will report on these to the ABA Council of Directors. Branches will be empowered to forge close links with State Governments and policy advisers. They will be the main avenue for networking and member recruitment.

Expert Advisory Groups will be established to advise the Directors in key management and policy areas. They will comprise members who are experts in the particular area of focus of the Group. A Director will be responsible for liaison between each Group and the Council and for reporting their activities to the Council. It is intended that the Expert Advisory Groups will provide informed and authoritative advice to the Council of Directors and the Executive Director. These groups will be established as need dictates and structured according to need but could include those dealing with:

• Membership and sponsorship,
• Communications and media relations
• Public awareness and education
• Business, corporate finance and stockmarket
• Intellectual property, licensing and technology transfer
• Regulatory affairs
• Bioinformatics and IT
• Industry policy

As there is an expected shortfall in funding in the first two years following implementation of the main initiative (appointment of an Executive Director), additional initiatives will be needed to raise money and expenditure will need to be controlled tightly. Corporate fees have been increased significantly for increased services which aim to provide financial benefits to offset the increased cost of membership. A major membership drive in the first two years will aim to capture more than 80% of dedicated biotechnology companies and a significant proportion of key service organisations.

The ABA aims to work closely with the Federal Government in some key projects and initiatives to promote biotechnology and provide strategic advice. This in-kind support and contracted work is expected to offset some of the shortfall in funding in the first two years. Significant projects to be proposed to the Federal Government are:

• A base line study of the economic impact of biotechnology in Australia,
• An electronic version of the biotechnology directory,
• Co-ordination of the industrial sector response to reform in Australian biotechnology,
• Provision of support for public awareness campaigns related to issues in biotechnology.

To emphasise the change in direction, new literature and changes to the journal are proposed. The changes could also include a new logo and possibly a change of name of the Association. Some of the changes would require alteration of the Memorandum and Articles of Association and therefore formal acceptance by a vote of the members.

The draft of the full business plan is still being considered by the Directors but there will be an opportunity for members to obtain a copy and provide their feedback.

Victorian Fermentation Special Interest Group

The winning speaker was Andrew Barber whose abstract is submitted below, together with the two runners-up.

Acetaldehyde, a key intermediate in yeast metabolism (and that of many other microorganisms) is generally thought of as an inhibitor. However, recent research has shown that small quantities of added acetaldehyde produce a pronounced lag reduction in ethanol-shocked yeast fermentations (Stanley et al., 1993, 1997). In this project the generality of the effect of acetaldehyde has been demonstrated, with significant lag reductions being observed for yeast cultures shocked with methanol, furfural, acetic acid, hydroxymethyl-furfural and a range of other inhibitors.

Two potential industrial applications are currently being investigated:

• Acetaldehyde has produced significant lag reductions in yeast fermentations shocked with a range of inhibitors commonly found in lognocellulosic hydrolysates. The results obtained to this stage suggest that small quantities (less than 0.1 g/L) of added acetaldehyde may partially overcome the effects of these inhibitors which are currently a significant impediment to the successful production of ethanol by the fermentation of lignocellulosic hydrolysates.
• Stuck or sluggish wine fermentations may also be partially overcome by the addition of small amounts of acetaldehyde. Results obtained showed that added acetaldehyde reduced the effects of 7% v/v and 10% v/v ethanol shocks on trial yeast fermentations.

Intracellular acetaldehyde is readily lost from cells on inoculation into medium containing substances which interfere with plasma membrane order. It has been proposed that by restoring the intracellular acetaldehyde pool, added acetaldehyde may stimulate NAD⁺ regeneration and ATP synthesis. This project will conclude with an investigation of the relative levels of intracellular metabolites in ethanol shocked yeast fermentations with no added acetaldehyde and in the presence of added acetaldehyde.

Stanley, G.A.; Douglas, N.G.; Every, E.J.; Tzanatos, T.; Pamment, N.B. 1993 Biotechnology Letters 15:1199-1204.

Stanley, G.A.; Hobley, T.J.; Pamment, N.B. 1991 Biotechnology and Bioengineering 53:71-78.

This study investigated the decolourisation of coloured, aqueous effluents by an Australian isolate of Pycnoporus cinnabarinus. Decolourisation studies with whole cell cultures were carried out in packed-bed bioreactor configurations of 2L and 200L as well as stirred tank reactors. It was found that decolourisation of a complex industrial effluent was more rapid when fungal biomass was well developed. Model dyes were sued to follow the destruction of dye chromophores during decolourisation. Two mechanisms for the decolourisation by P. cinnabarinus were identified: (1) removal of colour by adsorption onto fungal mycelium and (2) biological destruction of chromophore.

The principal extracellular enzyme activity measured during the reactor experiments was isolated and characterised and identified as a typical fungal phenoloxidase, laccase (EC 1.10.3.2). This laccase was shown to be the active agent involved in the chromophore destruction of model dyes, initiating the decolourisation of the disazo dye, Chicago Sky Blue, and the finylsulphonyl dye, Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR).

During the decolourisation of RBBR in a 200L packed-bed reactor, it was found that extracellular laccase showed some variations with respect to electrophoretic migration behaviour in polyacrylamide gels, whilst retaining catalytic activity against the dye. Future studies relating to the identification of breakdown products/intermediates will be required to establish the mechanism of degradation by this enzyme.

Aureobasidium pullalans is a polymorphic fungus that exhibits a highly eomplex lifecycle. This fungus produces an a-linked exopolysaccharide called pullulan which has a number of highly desirable properties for potential industrial applications, such as a packaging or coating material for foodstuffs to prevent oxidation.

Much research effort has been directed towards trying to understand the many factors affecting pullulan synthesis and its relationship to morphology in A. pullulans. This study focussed on the influence of two inorganic nitrogen sources on pullulan production and demonstrated that nitrate supported higher yields than ammonium ions in batch culture. However, both the concentration of nitrate used and the culture pH are also important influences. Pullulan yields fell considerably as the concentration of nitrate increased and pH values of 2.5 and 8.5 were used. No evidence was produced to support the claims by a number of workers that pullulan is exclusively produced by a particular morphological form of A. pullulans.

ABA NEWS

This was held in Melbourne at the Brew House (CUB) in Abbotsford on 22nd September, 1998. We thank the CUB and their staff for providing a very pleasant venue and for their generous hospitality. The meeting was attended by 30 members.

The main business of the evening included the declaration of the polls for the election of nine Directors of the ABA for the next two years. There were 14 nominations (Dr Bruce Anderson, Dr Anne Campbell*, Mr Gary Cox*, Dr David Dvorak, Dr Chris Franco, Dr Shirley Lanning*, Dr Chris Marquis, Dr Peter Riddles*, Dr Peter Rogers, Dr Barbara Sanderson, Ms Lyndal Thorburn*, Dr David Tribe, Dr Neil Willetts and Dr Elane Zelcer* (asterisk* indicates Director seeking re-election).

All six Directors seeking re-election were elected. The other three successful candidates were: Dr Peter Rogers (Vic), Dr Neil Willetts (NSW) and Dr David Tribe (Vic). Our congratulations to all those elected, and our thanks to all those who nominated for Director.

Three motions were put to the meeting, and after vigorous discussions, the following outcomes occurred.

Motion 7(a) "That this meeting approves revision of the corporate identity of the ABA which may include a change of name and logo." Lost 8/13.

7(b) "That this meeting approves ordinary annual membership fees of $250.00 and student annual membership fees of $60.00 for the financial year commencing 1st May 1999." Lost 4/16.

7(c) "That this meeting approves corporate membership fees of $500.00 for companies with 1-10 employees; $1,000.00 for companies with 11-100 employees and $1,500.00 for companies with over 100 employees for the financial year commencing 1st May 1999." Passed 24/0.

There were some abstentions.

Since Motion 7(b) was lost, it was then moved that the Ordinary Membership be $100 per annum and the Student Membership fee $50 per annum.

The final main business of the evening was a presentation by consultant, Kelvin Hopper, of a draft business plan prepared by him for the ABA Directors. The plan has yet to be adopted by the Directors. (On page 276 of this issue, we present a summary of a further draft of the plan following modification by the Directors).

The next meeting of the ABA Directors will be held on November 4th.

Late News: Dr Anne Campbell has been elected President. A profile of Anne will appear in the next issue.

ASIAN NEWS

Malaysia will play host to the 8th FAOBMB (Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists) Congress in Kuala Lumpur from 22-26 November, 1998. An interesting and varied scientific programme on all aspects of biochemistry and molecular biology have been planned, comprising of plenary sessions, symposia and colloquia (to be selected from submitted abstracts). Poster sessions and a scientific trade exhibition will also be organized. Plenary speakers include B. Blumberg (U.S.A.), C. Pallen (IMCB, Singapore), W. Tate (Otago, New Zealand), J. Harwood (united Kingdom), D. Grierson (United Kingdom) and E. Tamiya (Japan).

For further information and registration details contact : Dr. Sheila Nathan, Secretary, 8th FAOBMB Congress, c/o Dept. of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor D.E., Malaysia (Tel : 603 8292964, Fax : 603 8252698, e-mail : sheila@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my)

Third Malaysian National Genetics Congress

The Third National Congress on Genetics will be held at the National University of Malaysia in Bangi, Selangor from November 18-19, 1998 just before the FAOBMB Congress (see above). For more information on this Congress visit the web site at http://www.fsh.ukm.my/pgm/regist3.htm or contact Dr. Mohamad bin Osman at the Dept. of Genetics, National University of Malaysia (Fax : 603 8293236, e-mail : mbopar@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my).

A local Malaysian biotechnology company, TropBio Research (see Aust. Biotechnol. 7, 280, 1997) has shown good progress since its establishment in 1995. Under the able leadership of Dr. Salleh Mohd Noor, the former Director General of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), the company has recently succeeded in cloning and mass propagating a local mutant raintree (Samanea saman) which produces bright yellow foliage instead of the usual green. It is also performing research to use biotechnology in improving the productivity of Acacia mangium, a species vital for the pulp and paper industry. It is also working with FRIM to mass propagate the jelutong and teak, two valuable timber species. The company has developed the capability to develop new plant hybrids and is able to popagate them through tissue culture. It is also active in the genetic fingerprinting of local plant varieties, especially those with commercial potential. (Excerpted from The Sun, August, 1998)

The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) has established a marketing arm called MARDITECH which is now set to boost the country's food and agriculture industry by offering 11 of its latest research findings for commercialisation. The idea is for entrepreneurs, investors and venture capitalists to enter into a licensing agreement with MARDITECH before commencement of the venture under the supervision of the scientists who developed the chosen technology. The technologies offered include biotechnology-based products such as essential oils extraction from selected local herbs and spices, production of mannanese enzyme for converting oil palm waste into animal feed and the bioprocessing of rice straw into poultry feed. It also includes some products and processes related to the food industry including a packaging and handling system for prawns and a frozen complete meal process for Malaysian meals.

For further information please contact Dr. Ahmad Shafri, General Manager, MARDITECH Corp., 19-21-2 SHL Business Centre, Jalan SR8/1, off Jalan Serdang Raya, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor D.E., Malaysia; Tel. No. : 603 949835.

(Excerpted from The Star, August, 1998)

Following on the successful completion of the Sixth Pacific Rim Biotechnology Congress (PRBC) and Bioexpo `98 in Hong Kong in June, 1998, planning is now underway for the Seventh PRBC to be held in Vancouver, B.C., Canada from November 13-18, 2000. This important event on the biotechnology calendar is being co-hosted by BIOTECanada and the British Columbia Biotechnology Alliance and will be held in conjunction with the Pacific North West Biotechnology Exhibition. This will be the largest PRBC held to date and 1,200 delegates are expected to participate. The event is likely to focus on three major areas : the Business of Biotech, the Public Dimension and Leading-Edge Research.

For further information contact : Joyce Groote, President, BIOTECanada, 420-130 Rue Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 5G4 (Tel : 613 2305585, fax : 613 5638850, e-mail : info@biotech.ca ).

Prof. Tikki Pang
Malaysia

The Minister of International Trade and Industry announced changes to the current policy on equity for the manufacturing sector, applicable from 31 July 1998 to 31 December 2000. These changes are to effect flexibility in the equity holdings of investors, both local and foreign, in all areas of manufacturing, with the exception of specific activities and products* where Malaysians and Malaysian companies already have the capabilities and expertise.

In essence, the relaxation in the Equity Policy is as follows :-

1. With the exception of activities in the specific exclusion list* (which are subject to the existing equity guidelines for these industries), all new projects in manufacturing, including for expansion and diversification will be exempted from both Equity and Export Conditions. This means that project owners can hold 100% equity and will not need to meet any export requirements.
2. This policy will apply to all applications received from 31 July 1998 to 31 December 2000 as well as applications already received, but for which decisions are pending.
3. All projects approved under the new policy will not be required to restructure their equity after the period.
4. The Government will review this policy after 31 December 2000.

* Exclusion List of Activities

Paper Packaging

Plastic Packaging (Bottles, Films, Sheets and Bags)

Plastic Injection Moulding Components

Metal Stamping, Metal Fabrication and Electroplating

Wire Harness

Printing

Steel Service Centre

BIOCOMPUTING

The information superhighway has done much lately to divert traffic away from the campus library. Many scientists and students visit the virtual library right on their desktops to read scientific papers in their favorite journals. Whether you are in Topeka or Tbilisi, browsing through a new scientific paper in the magazine Science is just a few mouse clicks away! Most publishers are racing to place their journals on the Internet where one can not only read complete scientific articles but also jump to cited papers in the title, connect to the nucleic acid or protein databases, and even e-mail the authors instantly. The awesome power of the Internet thus goes beyond providing simple electronic access of published text to pack more punch in journal reading.

Here I list a few Internet sites to retrieve full texts of scientific articles in biotechnology from the peer-reviewed print journals. Almost all sites require a fee for such access although most let you browse their table of contents (TOC), abstracts and some general articles for free. A few journals have free trial periods while many publishers provide free "TOC alert" whereby the titles from your favorite journals are emailed to you periodically.

A comprehensive listing of many molecular biology journals online can be found at the "Cell and Molecular biology Online" site (http://www.cellbio.com/elecpubs.html) and at "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Journals" (http://www.geocities.com/~jrbeasley/biochem/journals.html).

The most innovative and thoughtful effort in placing scientific journals on the Internet is from Stanford University, called HighWire Press (http://highwire.stanford.edu/). To reduce exploding journal costs and to make use of the communication opportunity provided by the Internet, HighWire has teamed up with many non-profit journal publishers such as scientific societies and universities to provide electronic access to journals such as:

Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/)

PNAS (http://www.pnas.org/)

Cell (http://www.cell.com/)

Genetics (http://www.genetics.org/)

The EMBO Journal (http://www.emboj.org/)

The Plant Cell (http://www.plantcell.org/)

Plant Physiology (http://www.plantphysiol.org/)

The latter two are available without charge through 1998. While at the HighWire site, be sure to visit their section on "Tips for Better Browsing" (http://highwire.stanford.edu/tips/) for some very useful advice such as increasing the font size and viewable area on your browser and how to stop those distracting spinning graphics.

The commercial publishing houses also provide electronic access to their journals but the price of such access can be steep. However, if your library has a subscription to the print version of a particular journal, you may be able to access the electronic version at no cost. Elsevier, which publishes Biofutur, Biotechnology Advances, Trends in Biotechnology, and other journals of interest to biotechnology has perhaps the best site with access to nearly 1000 journals (http://www.sciencedirect.com).

The Springer site (http://link.springer.de/) lets you read journals such as Plant Cell Reports, Theoretical and Applied Genetics, Crop Science, Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology, and Molecular & General Genetics. The Academic Press journals are available at http://www.idealibrary.com/ while the Kluwer site (http://www.wkap.nl) has Plant Molecular Biology, Plant Molecular Biology Reporter, and Molecular Breeding although their Transgenic Research and Euphytica are not yet on the Internet.

Most journals now offer their papers in both HTML and PDF versions. The PDF version lets you print the journal article in exactly the same format as the original print version and requires that your computer has the Adobe Acrobat software, which can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html. By using a color inkjet printer and glossy paper, one can print scientific papers identical to the original reprints right in your office complete with graphics and half-tone photographs. The HTML format is intended for desktop viewing and offers additional features such as hyperlinks within a title to tables and figures (which could be zoomed up), and to other cited and related papers through the Medline database.

Some very high-impact biotechnology journals from the Nature group (http://www.nature.com/) including Nature Biotechnology (http://biotech.nature.com/) offer TOC, abstracts, and news articles on their sites, but do not yet provide full texts of journal articles on the Internet.

Biotechnology is a highly information-intensive science and the availability of scholarly journals now on the Internet has democratized access to scientific information. Hopefully this access will become more affordable for individual academic users as the number of such users increases over time.

C. S. Prakash
Center for Plant Biotechnology Research
Tuskegee University
prakash@tusk.edu

Charts and maps that summarize key information from the Environmental Releases databases have been added to the ISB website. The graphics complement ISB's web-based program for searching the complete set of field test and deregulatory petition records from USDA/APHIS. The graphics are automatically generated each time ISB receives an update from USDA/APHIS, and thus present the most current data available.

Pie charts, bar charts, and U.S. maps illustrate at a glance key information including:

• number of releases by organism;
• number of releases by phenotype category;
• release phenotype categories by year;
• total number of release locations by state;
• total number of site locations by state;
• number of petitions by phenotype category and percentage of total.

The charts can be found on the ISB website (http://www.nbiap.vt.edu); select Databases, then Field Tests, then click on "Go To Charts." They are provided as gif files that can be downloaded and incorporated into presentation materials. Please include attribution to Information Systems for Biotechnology.

A new Internet website has been established to allow potential investors and medical researchers to participate in the development of the proposed Medical Research Investment Fund. The website is available at: www.mrif.com.au

A new website entitled "List of bacterial names with standing in nomenclature" http://www-sv.cict.fr/bacterio is available. The List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature is a searchable database. It includes, alphabetically and chronologically, the official nomenclature of bacteria and the nomenclatural changes as cited in the Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, or published, or validated in the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. It is extensively annotated to clarify the Rules which govern the scientific nomenclature.

For more information, see: International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 1997, 47, 590-592.

(Sites maintained by national and international organizations, governments, universities, public interest groups, and commercial organizations. Descriptions are taken from the website's own text, where available.)

BioTrack Online is part of OECD's Programme on the Harmonization of Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology. The main aim of this Programme is to produce documents for use by national authorities for the regulatory assessment of genetically modified or release to the environment. The focus is on genetically modified plants and microorganisms. Home of BIOTRACK, a database of environmental releases from OECD member countries.
http://www.oecd.org/ehs/projects.htm

BINAS is a service of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). BINAS monitors global developments in regulatory issues in biotechnology. BINAS tracks regulatory developments from many countries, including the full text of regulations and guidelines.
http://binas.unido.or.at/binas/binas.html

A joint link-up between OECD's website and UNIDO's BINAS website, both listed here. An alternative method for connecting to either website.
http://www.olis.oecd.org/biotrack.nsf

This Web site offers information from many sources on biosafety. It focuses on information useful in establishing a regulatory framework for the safe development, transfer, and application of biotechnology. It also provides links to other Web sites concerning biosafety, biotechnology, and biodiversity. http://irptc.unep.ch/biodiv

The BATS agency was founded in 1993 as a core project of the Priority Programme Biotechnology of the Swiss National Science Foundation. The BATS agency is active in the acqusition, processing and communication of applications-oriented information and know-how in biotechnology.
http://www.eurospider.ch/BATS/index.html

ACRE and ACGM give advice to the Secretary of State on human and environmental safety concerning the releases of genetically modified and non-native organisms into the environment.
http://www.shef.ac.uk/~doe

ICGEB is an international organization established to promote the safe use of biotechnology world
wide, with special regard to the needs of the developing world. ICGEB coordinates a network of national laboratories in Member Countries. ICGEB's main activities are research, training (fellowships, courses) and scieentific services. The researc activities are carried out by the laboratories of ICGEB, and also at the Affiliated Centres, through a system of collaborative research grants.
http://base.icgeb.trieste.it

The Biotechnology Strategies and Coordination Office (BSCO) was formally established in 1993 (although it has been in operation since 1988) to provide a one-window approach for information on biotechnology in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
http://www.cfia-acia.agr.ca/english/food/biotech /bsco.html

Biosafety in Belgium, Biosafety in Europe, Biosafety in the World, General Biosafety, Recommendations, The Service of Biosafety and Biotechnology.
http://biosafety.ihe.be

Funded by the US Agency for International Development to enhance institutional capacity for the use and management of agbiotech research. Objectives are to address insect and pathogen constraints to food crop production in developing countries, to develop bioreactor micro-propagation technology for cloning high value plantation crops, and to foster policy implementation which ensures an environmentally and socially responsible transfer of the technologies and their products.
http://www.css.msu.edu/users/sa/absp.htm

The Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group on Biosafety (BSWG) held its first meeting in Aarhus, Denmark, from 22-26 July 1996 to begin the elaboration of a global protocol on safety in biotechnology. More than 90 delegations, including scientific and technical experts, representing both Parties and non-Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) attended the meeting, as did observers representing intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and industry.
http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/biodiv/bios

Guidelines, current status field tests, releases, and commercialization of transgenic plants.
http://ss.s.affrc.go.jp/docs/sentan

Established in 1991, some 50 members have been brought together from a wide range of groups with interests in biotechnology from across Europe. Its primary aim is to foster greater public awareness and understanding of biotechnology and to encourage public debate.
http://www.kluyver.stm.tudelft.nl/efb/tgppb/home.htm

ISAAA, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, is a not-for-profit international organization co-sponsored by public and private sector institutions with the aim of facilitating the aquisition and transfer of agricultural biotechnology applications from the industrial countries, particularly proprietary technology from the private sector, to developing countries for their benefit.
http://www.isaaa.cornell.edu

The Network's small-grants program and regional representatives encourage international and interdisciplinary cooperation. A newsletter, directory, and international meetings keep cassava biotechnology specialists in touch.
http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/cassava/cbn/cbn.html

IRRI is a non-profit agricultural research and training center established to improve the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low incomes. It is dedicated to helping farmers in developing countries produce more food on limited land using less water, less labor and less chemical inputs, and without harming the environment.
http://www.cgiar.org:80/irri

This site provides fast and convenient means for receiving and exchanging biotechnology-related information with particular emphasis on issues affecting Latin America.
http://www.ibt.unam.mx/virtual.cgi

Information Resource for the Release of Organisms to the Environment is an information network run on a non-profit basis, which aims to provide access to all types of information relevant to the release of animals, plants and microorganisms into the environment.
http://www.bdt.org.br/bdt/irro

The Centre exploits plant biotechnology to develop and apply plant molecular, cellular and physiological research and training to the agri-food and fibre industries and public sector.
http://biology.anu.edu.au/CRCPlantScience.html

ISNAR assists developing countries in bringing about lasting improvements in the performance of their national agricultural research systems and organizations. It does this by promoting appropriate agricultural research policies, sustainable research institutions, and improved research management. ISNAR's services to national research are ultimately intended to benefit producers and consumers in developing countries and to safeguard the natural environment for future generations.
http://www.cgiar.org/isnar

The center deals with biotechnology research and development for an environmentally friendly Hungarian agriculture. Its main tasks are research by means of genetic engineering and cellular techniques, development of the technological and technical level of agriculture with environmentally adequate methods, and the assurance of conditions for the transfer of new technologies.
http://www.abc.hu

Links to the 16 International Agriculture Research Centers of CGIAR, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
http://www.cgiar.org:80/centers.htm

The Base de Dados Tropical (Tropical Data Base) is a department within the Fundacao Tropical de Pesquisas e Tecnologia "Andre Tosello", a Brazilian not-for-profit, private foundation. This bioinformatics facilty provides access to databases as well as to many other Internet resources.
http://www.bdt.org.br/bdt

An electronic public debate about biotechnology. Of particular interest is the Commercialization of Plant Biotechnology Products.
http://www.scicomm.org.uk/biosis

Titles and Abstracts of journals are available for browsing or searching free of charge. Full text and associated graphics of material of interest may be requested online, following registration.
http://www.bdt.org.br/bioline/by

DNA bank at Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan is responsible for the preservation of DNA and molecular information on agricultual organisms. This bank acts as a research support service.
http://bank.dna.affrc.go.jp

The Fralin Center serves as a focal point for the development and dissemination of information of the techniques and disciplines that make up this quickly evolving field. The Center serves to foster and coordinate interdisciplinary research efforts in order to learn, to teach, and to reach out to our community, to Virginia, and to the world.
http://www.biotech.vt.edu

The primary mission of this Center is to employ innovative molecular and cellular genetic tools in the improvement of select crops such as sweetpotato, peanut, cowpea and muskmelon, and to provide training in plant biotechnology to ethnically underrepresented minority students and scientists from developing countries.
http://agriculture.tusk.edu/AgHe%20Website/Biotech%20Website/biotech.html

The mission of the UW Biotechnology Center is to maximize the benefits of biotechnology to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin System, state and nation by being an excellent quality, comprehensive, multidisciplinary biotechnology center that supports, coordinates, disseminates and advances biotechnology.
http://calvin.biotech.wisc.edu

The Institute for Molecular and Agricultural Genetic Engineering (IMAGE) was established at the University of Idaho in 1984 to promote and coordinate biotechnology research. Projects of interest to IMAGE have been in the areas of hazardous waste bioremediation, fermentation technology, microbial ecology, and animal biotechnology. The Plant Biotechnology Group was recently established under the sponsorship of IMAGE, to increase the University's effort in this important area. http://image.fs.uidaho.edu
(Reproduced from ISB News Report _ January 1998)

BOOK REVIEWS

In 1972, the United Nations called for the establishment of centres for the preservation and use of microbial resources. In 1984, pilot centres (called MIRCENs) were established in Brazil, Egypt, Guatemala, Kenya, Senegal and Thailand. Currently, there are 31 MIRCENs in 25 countries including a Biotechnology Mircen in Brisbane.

This book of 192 pages is a review report to 1997 edited by E. DaSilva, Chief, Life Science Section, UNESCO, Paris, France.

Its contents outline the role and activities of MIRCENs but also contain a number of scientific symposia reports. The latter covers microbial diversity, biological fixation, bioconversion and technology transfer.

The book forms a useful record of the development of microbial resources, especially those in developing countries.

Martin Playne
Melbourne

Jane Ford & Associates, Canberra - Publishers, GPO Box 1915 Canberra ACT 2601 Fax: 02 6249 6648;
email: jfjfa@ozemail.com.au
ISSN 1030-4649 256 pages, softcover $A175.00

This directory remains one of the highlights of the science information scene in Australia. First published in 1986, this twelfth edition retains all the good features of previous editions.

In addition to its primary aim of providing up-to-date contact details of all Australian science and technology organisations and agencies, and sufficient background on each to understand its function, this directory when followed over its 12 years provides a unique historical insight into the changes that have occurred.

An important feature of the directory is its coverage of funding and grant schemes. It maintains this emphasis. I strongly recommend this directory to all libraries in both public and private sectors. It should also be on the bookshelves of all department secretaries and business managers.

MEETINGS

The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Science is organising the 1998 FDA Science Forum on Biotechnology: Advances, Applications, and Regulatory Challenges. The Forum will bring FDA research and review scientists together with representatives of industry, academia, government agencies, consumer groups, and the public to discuss the impact of the enormous advances in biotechnology on product development and regulation. The meeting will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 8 and 9, 1998 at the Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

The program will encompass bioengineered products, novel therapeutic and preventive approaches, diagnostics and detection methodologies, and safety and efficacy assessment. Regulatory issues related to standards and product quality and the impact of the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) will also be addressed. The Forum will feature plenary lectures and focused discussion groups that include FDA, industry, and university leaders in the field.

Contact: American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Tel: 703 518 8429; email:meetings@aaps.org

Understanding and Communicating with the Public; Biotechnology and the Environment; Ambition-Driven Future of AgBiotech; Value Chain
Highway: Freeways and Roadblocks; The International Regulatory Environment for GMOs; Issues in the Introduction of Transgenic Foods; Biotech Delivers Value to End-Users;

Creating and Capturing Value Through Strategic Alliances;

Performance Testing and Safety Evaluations; International Trade Issues Affecting Biotechnology;

Anticipating and Handling Questions About Risk

The meeting is being organised by International Quality and Productivity Center.

Contact: Laura Powers Tel: 212 885 2768; Email: info@ipqc.com

Contact: amessari@compulink.gr

Contact: Carbohydrate Research Foundation, Tel: +31 70 354 0982; Fax: +31 70 351 5318; Email: crf@zestec.com

Contact: Tel: (08) 8363 1307; Fax: (08) 8363 1604; Email: fcceaton@ozemail.com.au

Contact: Louise Batchelor, Austrade, San Francisco Fax: +1 415 986 2775; email: louise-batchelor@austrade.gov.au

Contact: Louise Batchelor, Austrade, San Francisco Fax: +1 415 986 2775; email: louise-batchelor@austrade.gov.au

Contact: Documenta cv Tel: +32 2 510 2314; Fax: +32 2 510 2615; Email: ecb9.orcom@skynet.be

Contact: Tel: 66 2 642 5322; Fax: 66 2 248 8304; Email: apbec@biotec.or.th

Contact: Renate Strauss Tel: +49 69 7564 249; Fax: 069 7564 176; Email: info@dechema.de

Contact: Joyce Groote, BIOTECanada Fax: +1 613 563 8850; email: info@biotech.ca

PRODUCT NEWS

A new concept in fermenter control has been announced by domnick hunter which provides cost savings and environmental benefits by integrating, into the one process, functions such as separation of off-gases and control of foaming.

The TURBOSEP integrated off-gas separation system automatically collects off-gases produced during fermentation processes used by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fermentation industry and during the manufacture of products such as food additives, health care products, industrial chemicals and enzymes.

"Some of the off-gases can be harmful if released to the atmosphere and traditionally they have had to be collected separately and taken elsewhere to be neutralised," said domnick hunter's (correct spelling and capitalisation) National Sales Director Mr John Davis. "Integrating this process into the TURBOSEP process can offer significant benefits to the industry, such as increased fermenter capacity, which is typically expanded by between 15 to 20 per cent with commensurate increases in yield."

The Pro-active antifoam triggering system (which is also integrated into domnick hunter's new fermenter control concept) operates automatically to control foam produced during fermentation. "This not only removes a problem occurring frequently during fermentation, but also increases overall process economics with significant cost benefits to the producer during fermentation and downstream processing," said Mr Davis.

domnick hunter says the TURBOSEP control system can reduce the requirement for antifoam by as much as 60 per cent in some fermentations. Improvements have also been noted in Kla transfer rates, energy costs, ventilation rates and in downstream processing, says Mr Davis, whose company is one of the world's leading specialists in gas and liquid filtration, purification and separation. The international domnick hunter group plc - which is known by its "Pure Innovation" marketing signature - employs 900 people operating globally across virtually every industrial sector. domnick hunter operates in Australia through a full national subsidiary which functions as an international centre of excellence and which is backed by warehouse and service facilities at Boronia in Melbourne.

"TURBOSEP is a state-of-the-art fermentation control system which has a key role to play in the optimisation of the performance of fermenter and the benefits this can bring to the manufacturer of fermented products," said Mr Davis.

A full technical paper on the operation of TURBOSEP is available from domnick hunter's process division.

Further information: Mr John Davis, Sales Director, domnick hunter (Tel: (03)9762 9922; Fax: (03) 9762 9911; Email: jwhdavis@domnickhunter.com.au)

Clyde-Apac's upcoming release of a state-of-the-art electronic control system will further strengthen the company's reputation as Australia's leading manufacturer of laminar flow equipment.

The first in Australia to offer on-line monitoring and diagnostic capability via modem, the new system provides cabinet users with enhanced functionality and cabinet performance. The new system - which took almost two years to develop and test -provides cabinet users with greater cabinet safety and reliability. This is particularly important when working in an environment where hazardous biological agents are handled.

While Clyde-Apac's cabinets have used a microprocessor-controlled monitoring and diagnostic system since 1994, this new system represents a huge step forward.

The company has allocated considerable time and resources to developing the new control system, which it believes meets the needs of users in the most critical laboratory applications. The new generation controller has been designed for the company's 2000 Series range, including Class 1 and Class II biological safety cabinets and Cytogard cytotoxic drug safety cabinets.

Fully programmable, the new system uses purpose-developed software. Air flows, pressure-switch settings, next-service date and other service-mode functions can be adjusted using a palmtop PC which utilises pull-down menus, factory defaults or previous settings to adjust any of the stored parameters.

The electronic controller contains all new circuitry, along with an adjustable automatic switch-off timer for UV lamps, a timer for experiments and a real-time clock. Improved diagnostics ensure that the cabinet's settings are more precise, providing improved data on cabinet performance.

Clyde-Apac's Produce Engineer, Mr Tom Merrigan, said the system also provided an interface with building energy management systems, proving invaluable in large institutions where vital safety equipment must be continuously monitored.

Further information: Mr Nigel Barker (Tel: (08) 8229 7847)

ABA OFFICE BEARERS

PRESIDENT: Dr Anne Campbell (CRC Association)
Tel: (02) 6279 8835; Fax: (02) 6279 8836

VICE PRESIDENTS: Dr Peter Riddles (Bioactive Molecules Initiatives)
Tel: (07) 3214 2349; Fax: (07) 3214 2411

Mr Gary Cox (Wray & Associates)
Tel: (08) 9325 6122; Fax: (08) 9325 2883

DIRECTORS: Dr Anne Campbell (CRC Association)
Tel: (02) 6279 8835; Fax: (02) 6279 8836

Mr Gary Cox (Wray & Associates)
Tel: (08) 9325 6122; Fax: (08) 9325 2883

Dr Shirley Lanning
Tel: (03) 9690 0219; Fax: (03) 9690 0219

Dr Peter Riddles (Bioactive Molecules Initiatives)
Tel: (07) 3214 2349; Fax: (07) 3214 2411

Dr Peter Rogers (CUB - Brewtech)
Tel: (03) 9342 5449; Fax: (03) 9347 9240

Ms Lyndal Thorburn (Advance Consulting & Evaluation)
Tel: (02) 6297 2438; Fax: (02) 6297 2203

Dr David Tribe (University of Melbourne)
Tel: (03) 9344 5703; Fax: (03) 9347 1540

Dr Neil Willetts
Tel: (02) 9416 5537; Fax: (02) 9416 5537

Dr Elane Zelcer (Thrombogenix Pty Ltd)
Tel: (03) 9827 6427; Fax: (03) 9824 0054

SECRETARY: Mrs Barbara Arnold
Tel: (03) 9596 8879; Fax: (03) 9596 8874

TREASURER : Dr Ross Crittenden (Food Science Australia)
Tel: (03) 9252 6478; Fax: (03) 9252 6555

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: Dr Robert Klupacs (AMRAD Operations)
Tel: (03) 9208 4068; Fax: (03) 9208 4089

GENETIC RELEASE: Dr Sue Meek (WA Dept of Commerce & Trade)
Tel: (08) 9327 5637; Fax: (08) 9327 5542

PUBLICATIONS: Dr Martin Playne (CSIRO)
Tel: (03) 9252 6000; Fax: (03) 9252 6555

W.A. BRANCH CHAIRMAN: Dr Michael Borowitzka (Murdoch Uni)
Tel: (08) 9360 2333; Fax: (08) 9310 3505

QLD BRANCH CHAIRMAN: Dr Peter Riddles
Tel: (07) 3214 2349; Fax: (07) 3214 2411

Copyright 1998 Australian Biotechnology Association Ltd.