With the lifting of two moratoria on genetically modified crops in Australia recently, so did the inevitably polarised debate take off. Those for and against are unlikely to change their minds and, unfortunately, some scientists are now afraid to speak theirs.

Family history and social stigma of bipolar disorder affect willingness to have children

Average earnings for science graduates and professional scientists have grown.

Just as the HPV vaccine Gardasil receives FDA approval, an argument has broken out between the researchers involved in the vaccine's development. So who patented what?

A recently completed phase I clinical trial of biopharmaceutical company Novogen's (ASX:NRT) anti-inflammatory compound NV-52 has shown rapid absorption indicating its potential as an oral therapy, according to the company.

Milestone payments from partner Nobilon led to Melbourne's BioDiem (ASX:BDM) posting strong results for the half year ending December 31, 2005 with revenue up 88 per cent to $2.9 million and a loss of only $96,000 compared with the previous corresponding half.

Melbourne's Zenyth Therapeutics (ASX:ZTL), formerly Amrad, has posted a smaller loss for the half year to December 31, but also revealed a drop in revenues.

Artificial heart company Ventracor (ASX: VCR) has implanted its 50th VentrAssist left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and has reached the enrolment target of 30 implants in its European CE Mark trial.

Generic medicines company Genepharm Australasia's (ASX:GAA) brand of Simvastatin has been listed in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, the final stage of TGA approval and registration process for its cholesterol-reducing drug.

Melbourne's Antisense Therapeutics (ASX:ANP) has been granted approval to restart the phase IIa trial of its antisense compound ATL1102 for patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis.

Australian biotech stocks underperformed both the All Ordinaries and the Nasdaq Biotech Index in 2005, but the second half of the year was brighter with stocks gaining 23.2 per cent, according to the Intersuisse Biotechnology Index.