The 'H' in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) could stand just as well for Hydra, the multi-headed monster of Greek myth. By the time the human immune system has decapitated one strain of the virus, it has spawned a host of novel mutants. Mutants proliferate because natural selection endowed the virus with a dodgy reverse transcriptase enzyme that introduces random errors into the genetic blueprints of newly replicated virus particle.

The life sciences can learn from the IT revolution, Prashant Tyagi explains.

Simon Easteal and Pythia Demonsthenes step back from 2050 to brief us on a century of healthcare.

Bioengineers at Royal Perth Hospital, in Western Australia, are part of an international team using computer algorithms developed for fighting spam at a very different enemy: HIV, the forerunner of AIDS.

Following a call by the European Commission for increased technology research, Microsoft has launched an initiative to invest in scientific research centres in Europe.

The Allen Institute for Brain Science (AIBS) has released its first dataset of gene expression data in the brain for nearly 2,000 mouse genes - the first public release of the Allen Brain Atlas initiative. The institute's leadership believes the data will have important relevance for the study of brain function, disease, and the role of genes in governing human behaviour.

As America salivates over Google stock, another offering is causing a stir among vendors serving the pharmaceutical industry.

Information technology plays a key role in drug discovery, but it's an incremental one -- so there's no potential for a 'Microsoft of biotech' to emerge as an IT giant in that market, according to Infinity Pharmaceuticals chief Steven Holtzman.

Vendors' pricing models are lacking. Better tools are needed to sift through piles of data. Trying before buying is key. Those were sentiments expressed by a range of technology buyers from healthcare and pharmaceutical companies on a panel hosted by Ernst & Young at last week's Bio-IT World conference, in Boston.

Biopharmaceutical company CoTherix has filed with US regulators for an initial public offering worth an estimated US$70 million.

The British government is poised to announce the first round of major contracts for the development of a nationwide, integrated healthcare informatics infrastructure, a project that will cost billions and could involve more than a dozen companies.