Jonathan Smith, Author at Labiotech.eu

About

Reporter for Labiotech. I hail from the UK. I was born in Bristol, studied Neuroscience in the University of Bristol, and trained mice in Eisai, Hertfordshire, for one year. I then tickled locusts for my Ph.D. at the University of Leicester, before eventually ending up here!
Out of the office, I travel, play video games and board games, drink beer and play the piano.

Articles by Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 20 Dec 2019

Update: First Ever Ebola Vaccine Gets US and EU Approval

Update (20/12/2019): After getting conditional approval in Europe in November, Merck has received FDA approval for its Ebola vaccine, the first to be approved in both regions. Published on 13/11/2019 The big pharma company Merck has won a conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission for the Ebola vaccine Ervebo, the first to be approved. […]

December 20, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 20 Dec 2019

Freeline’s Rare Disease Gene Therapies Get €72M Series C Boost

The UK gene therapy biotech Freeline Therapeutics is to receive an investment worth €72M (£61.1M) from the UK VC firm Syncona in a Series C round to fund the clinical development of gene therapies for the blood disorder hemophilia B, Fabry disease, and other rare conditions. Of the €72M commitment, Syncona has already wired €36M […]

December 20, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 18 Dec 2019

Truffle Capital Raises €250M Fund to Launch Life Science Startups

The French VC firm Truffle Capital has closed a fund worth €250M with a mission to nurture companies specializing in medical devices and robotics. The fund, named BioMedTech, will be used to create around 12 companies, with a focus on French startups. The majority of the fund, around 60%, came from French investors and the […]

December 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 17 Dec 2019

Update: Cell Therapy Biotech Raises €47M to Fund NASH Clinical Trial

Update (17/12/2019): Promethera has increased the total raised in its Series D round to €47.2M with the addition of new investors, including Innovation Growth Ventures and Pegasus Tech Ventures among others. The round will fund two ongoing clinical trials and the start of at least two new trials outside Europe. Published on 07/05/2019 The Belgian […]

December 17, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 16 Dec 2019

Amarin’s Triglyceride-Lowering Drug Gets Second FDA Nod to Tackle Cardiovascular Disease

A treatment developed by the Irish company Amarin has become the first FDA-approved drug to lower the risk of strokes and heart attacks when combined with statins in patients with high levels of circulating fat molecules called triglycerides. To be eligible for Vascepa, patients must also either have established cardiovascular disease, or type 2 diabetes […]

December 16, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Best in Biotech 16 Dec 2019

10 Holiday Gifts for the Biotechnologist in Your Life

Socks and sweaters are great gifts for Christmas, but sometimes, a bit of biotech love goes a long way. Here’s a list of cool holiday gifts to get for your biotech friends and family. Whether it’s a fancy genetics shoulder bag, a cuddly immune cell, or glow-in-the-dark mushrooms, you have this holiday sorted. DNA-shaped […]

December 16, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 13 Dec 2019

Transgene’s Cancer Vaccine Abandoned after Phase II Fail

French biotech Transgene has ceased the development of a therapeutic cancer vaccine that failed to shrink tumors in patients with lung cancer in a phase II trial. In the phase II trial, Transgene tested its therapeutic cancer vaccine in combination with chemotherapy and the checkpoint inhibitor drug nivolumab, marketed as Opdivo. The treatment failed to […]

December 13, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

antibiotic resistance iterum therapeutics

News and Trends 12 Dec 2019

Iterum Therapeutics Reels from Antibiotic Phase III Fail

An antibiotic candidate developed by the Irish company Iterum Therapeutics has failed to meet the main goal of a phase III trial, a blow for efforts to meet the challenge of global antibiotic resistance. Iterum Therapeutics’ drug sulopenem was tested in a phase III trial that recruited 674 patients suffering from complicated intra-abdominal infections. These […]

December 12, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

cancer immunotherapy immunos therapeutics

News and Trends 11 Dec 2019

€14M Series A to Fund Cancer Immunotherapy Boosting Checkpoint Inhibitors

The Swiss biotech ImmunOs Therapeutics has raised a Series A round of €13.7M (CHF 15M) that will fund the first human trials of its cancer immunotherapy that could improve the response of cancer patients to checkpoint inhibitors. The round was co-led by the Swiss life sciences venture capital firm BioMedPartners and by Pfizer Ventures. The […]

December 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Interview 11 Dec 2019

Collaboration Between Founders and Investors Primes Biotech Startups for Success

How can entrepreneurs work with investors to maximize the chances of their company succeeding? Venture capital partner Nanna Lüneborg and biotech entrepreneur Mai-Britt Zocca spoke at Labiotech Refresh in Copenhagen about their experiences in founding IO Biotech, a Danish biotech startup that develops cancer immunotherapies. Zocca and Lüneborg were both involved in setting up IO […]

December 11, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 10 Dec 2019

ObsEva’s Oral Treatment for Uterine Fibroids Nails Phase III

An oral drug developed by the Swiss company ObsEva was shown to reduce menstrual bleeding and pain caused by uterine fibroids. The phase III trial tested ObsEva’s drug candidate linzagolix in 535 women suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding caused by benign tumors in the uterus called uterine fibroids. The effects of the drug were compared […]

December 10, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

dna data storage self replicating machine

News and Trends 9 Dec 2019

Scientists Use DNA Data Storage to Hide Information in Everyday Objects

Scientists have developed a method for storing DNA data in 3D-printed objects, which could one day allow machines to replicate themselves. The group, based at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, as well as in Israel and the US, began by synthesizing DNA molecules that encode blueprints of the Stanford bunny, a rabbit-shaped object commonly used in testing […]

December 9, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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