Sun Microsystems has abruptly withdrawn from the Interoperable Informatics Infrastructure Consortium (I3C) that it helped to found in 2001.

Sydney-based bioseparations specialist Gradipore (ASX:GDP) has named former investment banker Greg Pynt as its new CEO. Pynt, whose previous roles include being joint head of equity capital markets at Deutsche Bank as well as a stint at Intersuisse, replaced US-based Bob Lieb, who quit the CEO post in May.

When Eiffel Technologies' CEO Christine Cussen said last December that the company would start this year with $6.2 million in its back pocket, she outlined several ways the funds would be used. One of these -- pursuing drug re-engineering research to extend patent protection -- could prove particularly lucrative given that drugs worth more than $US42 billion will come off patent in the next three years.

Evisense, a Sydney University spin-off, holds the patents for some diagnostic devices that are potentially worth millions. The problem is that its inventor, Dr Richard Appleyard, is not able to work on developing his technologies.

A 75 per cent boost in sales revenues at Sydney biological separations company Gradipore was offset by continued heavy commitments in R&D and international expansion in its half-year results, released today.