Chief executive Gary Phillips said the expansion would strengthen the results. "We are pleased with the strong engagement from participants and clinical sites in the SNT-9465 Phase 1b study."

Melbourne cryopreservation company Vitrafy Life Sciences has signed its third partnership with a US civilian blood network. It is the first of the three built around platelets, the fragile blood component whose seven-day shelf life leaves hospitals short of supply.

The body representing Australia's life sciences workforce says it supports the Government's push to simplify the Research and Development Tax Incentive, but also warns that one planned change could move the regulatory and safety work behind clinical trials out of the country.

AUScelerate chief executive Stuart Dignam said the grants arrived as early-stage companies struggled to raise money without giving up equity.

Nexsen has announced plans to enter the hospital market for Group B Streptococcus testing with a test that already has a European CE mark, rather than building its own molecular test.

Memphasys believes it has found a quicker, cheaper way to get its Felix sperm separation system cleared by US regulators. It could open a door to an IVF market worth about US$5.9 billion.

Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals has suffered a setback after an independent monitoring board found that its Phase 3 knee osteoarthritis trial failed to meet the efficacy threshold required to continue.

Melbourne kidney disease drug developer Dimerix has drawn $17 million from a $34 million loan facility as its lead candidate goes through a pivotal Phase 3 trial.

The final visit took place in the United States this week. The company told investors that topline results from the XanaMIA phase 2b/3 trial remain on track for November.

Prescient Therapeutics has raised $6 million from shareholders and investors. The money will fund its lead cancer drug through a December dosing review and into the next stage of clinical development.

Seven Australian startups will share $15.6 million to speed up the development of new treatments, diagnostic tools and technologies for dementia and cognitive decline.

Perth company Patrys has started in-human testing of its intravenous version of the antipsychotic quetiapine. The first healthy volunteers have now been dosed in a Phase 1a trial of the drug, known as RLS-2202.

BCAL Diagnostics has started a phased rollout of Avantect Multi-Cancer in Sydney and Melbourne and plans to expand nationally later.

The Australian nuclear medicine company has agreed to lead a merger with ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, paying US$1.65 billion upfront on a cash-free, debt-free basis for a German company that supplies the raw material the entire targeted radionuclide therapy industry depends on.

Genetic Signatures and Microba Life Sciences have agreed on the principal commercial terms of a merger that would combine two ASX-listed Australian diagnostics businesses into a single group.

Managing Director and Chief Executive James Bonnar said, "This capital raise marks a pivotal moment for Nyrada. The strong support from both new and existing investors is a powerful validation of our science, our team, our novel drug Xolatryp, and our potential to address serious unmet clinical needs."

Anthropic has expanded its AI for Science commitment in Australia with an additional $10 million in Claude API credit grants, bringing its total investment in Australian research to $13 million since the program launched in April.