Jonathan Smith, Author at Labiotech.eu - Page 39 of 53

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

Partnerships Cover

Interview 6 May 2019

2019 Will Be a “Year of Realism” for Biotech Investments

Biotech investors regularly jump on new crazes, including the microbiome and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. At BIO-Europe Spring 2019, Regina Hodits, Managing Partner at German VC firm Wellington Partners Life Sciences, spoke to us about the firm’s realistic approach to biotech investment. Biotechnology is an industry with high risks and high rewards. Before a medical biotech […]

May 6, 2019 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

combioxin antibiotic resistance pneumonia

News and Trends 3 May 2019

Drug Mopping Up Bacterial Toxins Shows Potential to Tackle Antibiotic Resistance in Phase I

An antibiotic-enhancing drug developed by the Swiss biotech Combioxin to tackle antibiotic resistance showed promising effects in a phase I trial. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem around the world, causing common infections such as pneumonia to become harder to treat. As standard antibiotics become less and less effective, we urgently need to find new […]

May 3, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

green basilisk self healing concrete delft

Startup Scout 3 May 2019

This Biotech Makes Self-Healing Concrete Using Bacteria

Imagine walls and buildings that heal themselves just like your skin does. The Dutch biotech Green Basilisk is making this idea a reality by embedding special limestone-producing bacteria into concrete. Mission: To make concrete that can heal cracks and other kinds of damage using bacteria. This self-healing power cuts the maintenance the material requires, and […]

May 3, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

liver disease

News and Trends 2 May 2019

Drug for Autoimmune Liver Disease Yields Mixed Results in Hard-to-Treat Patients

Developed by the French biotech Genkyotex, a first-in-class treatment for the liver disease primary biliary cholangitis failed to reduce a key disease biomarker in a phase II trial, but showed potential for reducing liver scarring. Primary biliary cholangitis is an autoimmune disease that damages the liver and can lead to liver scarring (fibrosis) or the […]

May 2, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

orchard therapeutics

News and Trends 30 Apr 2019

Orchard’s Gene Therapy Shows Potential in Treating Patients with Beta Thalassemia

Patients with the life-threatening blood disorder beta-thalassemia required fewer blood transfusions after receiving a gene therapy developed by the UK company Orchard Therapeutics, with four out of nine no longer depending on transfusions. Beta thalassemia is a genetic disorder that affects hemoglobin, a protein that blood cells use to carry oxygen. In the most severe […]

April 30, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

liver fibrosis alentis switzerland cirrhosis cancer

News and Trends 30 Apr 2019

Swiss Biotech Raises €11M to Develop Treatments for Liver Fibrosis

Founded in March this year, Alentis Therapeutics has bagged a Series A round of €11.1M (CHF 12.5M) to develop antibody drugs treating liver fibrosis, which currently has no approved treatments. Liver fibrosis is the scarring of liver tissue, which can happen as a consequence of aging, chronic hepatitis or conditions such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). […]

April 30, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Pepsico pepsi nestle carbios plastic recycling

News and Trends 29 Apr 2019

Nestlé and Pepsi Invest in French Plastic Recycling Biotechnology

The food companies Nestlé Waters, Pepsi and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe have joined an industrial consortium to fund the development of Carbios’ enzyme technology for plastic recycling. A garbage truck’s worth of plastic waste enters the oceans every minute, contaminating the environment and damaging ecosystems around the world. This is leading to more pressure […]

April 29, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

crispr cas9 cassava crop virus resistance

News and Trends 29 Apr 2019

Viruses Evolve to Defeat CRISPR-Cas9 in Genetically-Modified Plants

Researchers found that viral pathogens can quickly evolve to overcome transgenic cassava plants expressing the bacterial weapon CRISPR-Cas9, which could have major regulatory implications. Geminiviruses are pathogens that kill off crops such as beans, cotton and cassava plants. Past efforts to breed plants that are resistant to infection have not been successful. One potential method […]

April 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

episome biotech paper waste biorefining turkey

Startup Scout 26 Apr 2019

This Biotech Turns Paper Waste into Biogas Using Enzymes

In sunny Turkey, the company Episome Biotech is developing a fermentation technique that digests paper waste and turns it into useful products such as biogas, biofuel, and fertilizer. Mission: To transform paper waste from garbage into a metaphorical gold mine. The company’s enzyme-based method is designed to make it easy for paper mills to cut […]

April 26, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

stem cell therapy diabetes cytoseek

News and Trends 25 Apr 2019

UK Scientists Engineer Cell Membrane for Long-Lasting Cell Therapy

Scientists at the University of Bristol, UK, have made a cell therapy that produces a glue-like hydrogel, which could make stem cells last for longer in the body and help wound healing in conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Cell therapies have a lot of potential for healing wounds and regenerating tissue, but they also […]

April 25, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

horizon 2020 europe biotech

News and Trends 25 Apr 2019

Horizon Europe Scheme Gets EU Parliament Approval

The proposed Horizon Europe research funding scheme, the new Horizon 2020, has had approval from the EU parliament to launch in 2021. Since 2014, the EU research initiative Horizon 2020 has been providing funding for European innovation in biotech as well as other areas of research in academia and industry. The successor program of Horizon […]

April 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

kapsera paris microbiome agriculture

Startup Scout 19 Apr 2019

This Biotech Fertilizes Crops with Little Microbe Capsules

We’re zooming over to France this week. The biotech Kapsera makes capsules of microbes that present a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to traditional fertilizers and insecticides. Mission: To develop biodegradable capsules containing microbes. These treatments could control pests and fertilize crops in a more sustainable way than chemical treatments. Agriculture is facing tough challenges […]

April 19, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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