2011 Archive
Looking for a news story about biotechnology in New Zealand? Browse our news archive from 2011.
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Bioplastic products unveiled in Rotorua
15/12/2011
Bioplastics products made from renewable sources, such as plants or bacteria, and an alternative to fossil-fuel plastics derived from petroleum were unveiled at a bioplastics workshop in Rotorua in October 2011.
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NZ-made skin substitutes for wounds to launch in US
06/12/2011
Lower Hutt-based biotech company Mesynthes will be launching its regenerative tissue substitute on the US market later in 2011.
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Gene therapy for blindness
22/11/2011
Researchers at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford have used a novel gene therapy to treat a man for an incurable type of blindness.
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NZ biotech company to make EPA for heart disease
08/11/2011
Photonz, a New Zealand biotech company, is set to take a non-fishy high-value omega-3 fatty acid – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) – to the world stage as a critical ingredient in pharmaceuticals to treat cardiovascular disease.
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From wood waste gas to jet fuel
25/10/2011
New Zealand-based bioenergy technology company LanzaTech has developed novel technology to produce ethanol and chemicals from waste gas.
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New stem cells likely to speed cattle breeding
14/10/2011
New non-embryonic cattle stem cells, discovered by an AgResearch-led team, with a virus-free delivery system will allow trait selection at the cellular level, potentially revolutionising cattle breeding.
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Unlocking the genetics of multiple sclerosis
22/09/2011
A massive, international, collaborative study involving hundreds of researchers in 23 research groups around the globe has identified new genetic variations linked to multiple sclerosis.
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Spud genome helps fight blight
08/09/2011
An international consortium of 26 research organisations, including New Zealand’s Plant & Food Research, has recently announced the successful sequencing of the potato genome (Solanum tuberosum).
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Waikato student traces DNA barcode of local snails
06/07/2011
An international project to ‘barcode’ all animal life using DNA sequences has been given a small boost by one of Waikato University’s summer students.
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Whales return to New Zealand calving grounds
06/07/2011
Using DNA evidence, scientists have discovered that southern right whales appear to be recolonising mainland New Zealand calving grounds from a remnant population in the subantarctic Auckland Islands.
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Apple genome sequence reveals unexpected results
14/06/2011
Analysis of the complete DNA sequence of apple suggests that a major step in the evolution of the fruit was caused by a catastrophic environmental event, possibly the same one that killed the dinosaurs.
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Finding the key to Mendel’s pea flowers
14/06/2011
Plant & Food Research scientists have helped discover the key to one of biology’s most well known experiments – the gene that controls pea flower colour – followed by Mendel in his studies of inheritance.
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DNA reveals Māori feather trade route
09/06/2011
DNA from the kiwi feathers of old Māori cloaks has turned up clues not only to the origin and creation of the cloaks, but a possible trade in feathers before European settlement.
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New Zealand anti-cancer drug licensed in US
07/06/2011
Auckland UniServices Ltd have granted Centella Therapeutics Inc. exclusive rights to CEN-209 – a drug that shows potential for treatment of tumours that are resistant to standard treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
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Using biotechnology to boost milk production
07/06/2011
Increasing milk production was the theme of research presented by AgResearch scientists at the NZBIO Conference 2011 in Auckland on 21 March 2011.
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Skin substitute wins Wellington business award
31/05/2011
Mesynthes, the Lower Hutt company that developed an organic tissue substitute for people with burns or severe skin injuries, was named the supreme winner of the Wellington Gold Awards 2011.
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Prostate cancer diagnostic business launched
24/05/2011
2 New Zealand scientist entrepreneurs launched the prostate cancer diagnostic business Caldera Health after being misdiagnosed with prostate cancer.
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UK investment group selects NZ bio-companies
24/05/2011
UK management consultancy firm Kmatrix is sizing up more than 20 projects collectively asking for more than $1.6 billion since the investment group iMatrix charged it with finding Kiwi investments.
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Scion turns sewage into $4m savings
17/05/2011
Scion and the Rotorua District Council have developed a new way to manage organic waste that may save Rotorua up to $4 million a year.
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Diabetes cell implant treatment trials in Argentina
17/05/2011
New Zealand company Living Cell Technologies Limited (LCT) has approval to commence a phase 2 clinical trial of its pig cell implants in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
