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

acute respiratory distress syndrome pantherna berlin inflammatory disease

Startup Scout 2 Aug 2019

This Biotech Uses Messenger RNA to Treat Lethal Lung Inflammation

Based close to Berlin, Germany, the biotech startup Pantherna Therapeutics is developing a messenger RNA drug to treat a life-threatening lung condition that requires mechanical ventilation. Mission: To develop a messenger RNA (mRNA) drug to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome, an inflammatory lung reaction that kills up to half of patients with the condition. Acute […]

August 2, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

atlantic healthcare pouchitis inflammatory bowel disease

More News! 1 Aug 2019

Atlantic Healthcare’s Inflammatory Bowel Disease RNA Drug Fails Phase III

Hopes of seeing an approved treatment for the inflammatory bowel condition pouchitis have been dashed as the UK company Atlantic Healthcare’s RNA drug has proved ineffective in a phase III trial. The trial tested Atlantic Healthcare’s RNA drug alicaforsen as a treatment for patients with pouchitis. Patients with this condition have their colon surgically replaced […]

August 1, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

inflammatory bowel disease treatment personalized medicine predictimmune

News and Trends 31 Jul 2019

British Biotech Raises €11M to Market Personalized Medicine Test

The UK biotech PredictImmune has raised €11M (£10M) in a Series B fundraising round to commercialize technology to predict the progress of inflammatory bowel disease in newly diagnosed patients. The funds will finance the global launch of PredictSURE IBD, a blood test that can identify patients with the most severe cases of inflammatory bowel disease, […]

July 31, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 31 Jul 2019

French Biotech’s Insulin Resistance Treatment Boosted by €67M Series A

The French company Alizé Pharma III has raised a Series A round of €67M to push two peptide drugs into phase I, including a drug treating rare genetic conditions causing insulin resistance. The money will advance Alizé Pharma III’s two preclinical drugs into clinical trials, with phase I trials expected to begin in 2020. One […]

July 31, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

agrosavfe belgium strawberry pesticide fungal

News and Trends 30 Jul 2019

Belgian Biotech Raises €35M to Develop Eco-Friendly Pesticides

The Belgium-based company AgroSavfe has raised a Series C round of €35M to develop an environmentally friendly crop pesticide inspired by llama antibodies. AgroSavfe will use the funds to develop and manufacture its lead protein fungicide on a commercial scale. The company aims to get approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency and launch the […]

July 30, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 29 Jul 2019

€43M Series C to Launch UK Company’s Home Hemodialysis Kit

Quanta Dialysis Technologies has raised €43.2M ($48M) to fund the commercial launch of a device that makes home hemodialysis more straightforward and economical for kidney failure patients. The UK-based Quanta will use the money to launch its technology in the UK later this year, and also apply for FDA approval. The technology previously obtained a […]

July 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 26 Jul 2019

This Biotech Makes Food for Space Missions Using Bacteria

Time to head to Helsinki, Finland, this week! We’re visiting Solar Foods, a biotech using bacteria to produce protein-rich flour out of carbon dioxide and water. Mission: To develop a protein-rich powder that can be made with little more than bacteria, electricity and water. This production method could be more efficient and sustainable than traditional […]

July 26, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 25 Jul 2019

French Biotech Aims for Chikungunya Vaccine First with €21M Fundraise

The French vaccine developer Valneva has received a €21M ($23.4M) grant to catch up with the competition in commercializing the first potential vaccine for the chikungunya virus. Coming from the nonprofit Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the grant will boost the manufacturing and development of Valneva’s vaccine for the tropical disease chikungunya, which causes […]

July 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 25 Jul 2019

German Biotech Breath Therapeutics Acquired in Deal Worth up to €500M

The Italian company Zambon has acquired the German biotech Breath Therapeutics for up to €500M, getting hold of its treatment for a rare lung disease known as popcorn lung. The deal includes an upfront payment of €140M and up to €360M upon reaching undisclosed regulatory milestones. Zambon will take over the development of a treatment […]

July 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 23 Jul 2019

HIV Drug Suppresses Virus for Almost Two Years When Other Treatments Fail

A first-in-class HIV treatment developed by the UK company ViiV Healthcare has suppressed the virus in people who have become resistant to other antiretroviral drugs, providing protection for at least 96 weeks. The phase III trial tested ViiV Healthcare’s first-in-class drug fostemsavir in 272 HIV-infected people who had failed to respond to approved antiretroviral drugs. […]

July 23, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

rnai rna intereference silence therapeutics mallinckrodt

More News! 19 Jul 2019

Mallinckrodt Teams up with UK RNAi Biotech in Deal Worth up to €553M

The UK-based biotech Silence Therapeutics has signed a deal worth up to €553M ($693M) with the UK pharma company Mallinckrodt to develop RNA interference (RNAi) therapies for autoimmune diseases. Mallinckrodt will pay Silence Therapeutics €17.8M ($20M) upfront, and up to €600M ($673M) in developmental milestone payments. In exchange, it will get a license for an […]

July 19, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

captor therapeutics cancer treatment protein degradation wroclaw

Startup Scout 19 Jul 2019

This Biotech Breaks Down ‘Undruggable’ Proteins to Treat Cancer

In the Polish city of Wrocław, Captor Therapeutics is developing cancer treatments that destroy disease-causing proteins. Mission: To develop cancer treatments able to degrade proteins that are normally outside the reach of traditional drugs, called the ‘undruggable proteome’. Small molecule drugs are able to target a small minority of proteins in the cell, such as […]

July 19, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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