october 2014
Contents
34
6 THE BUSINESS OF COLLABORATION
Having developed an expertise in the social side of science, the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre Association, Professor Tony Peacock, is putting his skills to the test in building collaborations between researchers, industry and the community.
20 CRYSTALLOGRAPHY: REVEALING THE STRUCTURE OF MATTER Crystals play a critical role in establishing the structure of matter.
34 LIFE SCIENCES = FUTURE. JOBS. EXPORTS
50
Has the Australian biotech sector the potential to fill some of the gaps left by the demise of traditional manufacturing areas?
37 MEDICAL RESEARCH. SEEKING THE RIGHT COMPANY Australia excels in biomedical research but sucks at commercialisation.
40 GM CROPS
60
It’s 2014, and grain farmers in South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT are still forbidden to plant genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant (GMHT) canola.
46 SO MUCH INFORMATION, SO LITTLE TIME It is estimated that the average researcher reads about 23 scientific papers per month, which adds up to around 300 per year.
50 LOOKING INSIDE A WORKING LITHIUM-ION BATTERY For the first time, researchers have been able to open a kind of window into the inner workings of a lithiumion battery.
53 MEDICAL DEVICES ON TRIAL Medical technology company Rhinomed is using their BreatheAssist technology platform to develop nasal devices for sport, snoring, sleep apnoea and drug delivery.
57 POTENTIAL NEW TREATMENT FOR GVHD A potential new treatment option for bone marrow transplant patients who suffer the serious complication of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) has been uncovered.
60 POWERING THE FUTURE WITH PLASMA FUSION When it comes to finding new sources of energy, the Australian Plasma Fusion Research Facility (APFRF) is looking onwards and upwards - quite literally, in fact.
Cover image: Alexander Van Driessche
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LAB+LIFE SCIENTIST - October 2014 | 3