The Australasian Society for Immunology is holding its annual conference this week. Key note speaker Andreas Strasser will discuss his latest findings on the functions of apoptosis-related proteins in the immune system.

Zenyth Therapeutics (ASX:ZTL), formerly Amrad, and unlisted Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) spinout MuriGen Therapeutics are to co-develop a new class of drugs that target arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.

Melbourne and California-based ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CXS, Nasdaq:CXSP)) has signed a new three-year alliance agreement with industry partner Merck KGaA, of Germany, to provide preclinical support in the fields of diabetes, insulin resistance and complications.

CSL (ASX:CSL) has completed the sale of its JRH Biosciences division to Sigma-Aldrich for US$370 million, and Bionomics (ASX:BNO) has completed the acquisition of a French contract research organisation.

Chemgenex Pharmaceuticals (ASX:CXS) will receive a AUD$720,000 milestone payment from its partner Vernalis for progress made on its depression and anxiety target discovery program.

The outlook for 2005 is one of 'cautious optimism', with an increased emphasis on issues of compliance, pharmacovigilance, outsourcing, and the pharma CIO. Those were some of the key takeaways of the first annual Life Science Insights (LSI) Predictions for the life sciences industry, delivered today by Jim Golden, the firm's vice-president for research.

Clinical results from AGT Bioscience's merger partner ChemGenex Therapeutics' Phase I/II trial of cancer drug Quinamed, released yesterday at ASCO in New Orleans and BIO in San Francisco, have shown promising anti-cancer activity, the company has claimed.

AGT Biosciences (ASX: AGT) has signed an agreement with US drug discovery company the Institutes for Pharmaceutical Discovery (IPD) to collaborate on the development of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for obesity.

Invitrogen has boosted its RNA interference (RNAi) business with the acquisition of privately-held Sequitur, the latest in a series of acquisitions for Invitrogen this year.