Perth will be hosting a major epigenetics conference in November.

In what could prove to be a landmark event in pharmacogenomic medicine, US firm Clinical Data has launched a phase III clinical trial for the depression drug vilazodone and will concurrently develop a diagnostic test.

Mervyn Jacobson, executive chairman of biotech firm Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG, Nasdaq:GENE), says his company is poised to launch an extensive international search for license partners for its far-reaching non-coding DNA patents.

In five years time, biomarker analysis will deliver inexpensive, reliable tests for disease prognosis, delegates at a joint BioMelbourne and Australian Genome Research Facility event heard last week.

The prime minister has officially opened the Australian Cancer Research Foundation (ACRF) Unit for Molecular Genetics of Cancer at Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

A new collaboration between Gribbles Molecular Science and Sequenom may pave the way for diagnostics which link pathology expertise with genetics, and could have applications in personalised medicine and foresenic identification.

On the eve of its landmark patent-infringement case against US gene-testing company Applera Corp, Melbourne-based Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has been hit with a New Zealand challenge to its right to charge licence fees for access to its non-coding DNA patents.

'Automate' has become the new mantra for life science technology innovators, writes Malorye Branca.

Sequenom has blamed a saturation point in high-throughput genotyping for a first-quarter net loss of US$9.9 million, or $0.25 per share, compared to $8.5 million, or $0.22 per share in the same period of last year.

Genetics company Sequenom improved its Q4 net loss to US$10 million, or $0.25 per share, compared to $45.8 million, or $1.16 per share, in the same period of the previous year.

Melbourne company Genetic Technologies (ASX:GTG) has added another large US company to its tally, with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings -- otherwise known as LabCorp -- becoming the latest to license the company's non-coding DNA mapping and analysis patents.