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

Startup Scout 1 Feb 2019

This Biotech Links the Gut Microbiome to Diseases Using Norwegian Poo

In Norway’s capital city of Oslo, the biotech Bio-Me can rapidly screen for specific gut bacteria, gathering data from thousands of Norwegian stool samples to link the gut microbiome to diseases. Mission: To rapidly screen thousands of stool samples from a Norwegian population study and link the gut microbiome with disease. Client companies will then […]

February 1, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

CRISPR wageningen netherlands gluten wheat

News and Trends 31 Jan 2019

CRISPR Gene Editing Could Make Gluten Safe for Celiacs

A Dutch research group is using the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to modify wheat gluten, letting people with celiac disease eat gluten without experiencing debilitating symptoms. In celiac disease, the immune system attacks gluten, causing damage to the intestine. This forces sufferers to stick to expensive gluten-free versions of foods such as bread, which […]

January 31, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 31 Jan 2019

Novozymes Signs Deal to Develop Biodegradable Plastics

The Danish enzyme manufacturer Novozymes has launched a joint development collaboration with the French biotech Carbios to commercialize biodegradable plastics. Under the agreement, Novozymes is to use its manufacturing muscle to scale up and produce Carbios’ plastic-degrading enzyme technology for Carbios’ subsidiary company Carbiolice. Carbiolice is to embed these enzymes into single-use plastics, such as […]

January 31, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

orphazyme niemann pick type c disease rare metabolic disease molecules

News and Trends 30 Jan 2019

Danish Biotech’s Drug for Rare Metabolic Disease Aces Clinical Trial

A drug, developed by the Danish biotech Orphazyme for a rare metabolic disease, has shown promising results in a phase II/III trial, reducing the disease’s progression by 74%. The 50 patients recruited into the trial suffered from Niemann-Pick disease type C, a metabolic disease in which proteins crucial for storing fat molecules such as cholesterol […]

January 30, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

destiny pharma mrsa antibiotic resistance

More News! 29 Jan 2019

Antibiotic Nasal Gel for Surgical Infections Cruises Through Phase I

An antibiotic nasal gel, developed by the UK company Destiny Pharma to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections, has shown no adverse effects in healthy volunteers in a phase I trial. Destiny’s antibiotic nasal gel is designed to prevent post-surgical infections of the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus, which can come in the dangerous drug-resistant strain MRSA. “About […]

January 29, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Philogen cancer immunotherapy antibody pharma t cell

News and Trends 25 Jan 2019

Swiss-Italian Biotech Bags Antibody Deals with Three Big Pharma

The Swiss-Italian company Philogen has announced three different partnerships with Novartis, Celgene, and Janssen to develop new forms of immunotherapy and small molecule drugs. Philogen develops immunocytokines, which are antibodies that are fused with proteins that modify the immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. For example, this treatment can bind to tumors and activate […]

January 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 25 Jan 2019

This Biotech Makes Cosmetics out of Seaweed

Algaia is a French biotech based in Brittany, and for good reason. Here it harvests the blankets of Atlantic seaweed on the coast and extracts products for use in food, cosmetics and more. Mission: To maximize the number of useful products you can extract out of seaweed. Algaia uses seaweed as a source of useful […]

January 25, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

exxonMobil biofuel renewable energy group clariant

More News! 24 Jan 2019

ExxonMobil Recruits Swiss Company to Make Biofuels

The Swiss biofuels company Clariant is joining up with US companies ExxonMobil and the Renewable Energy Group to make biodiesel from agricultural waste. The new partnership hopes to combine technology from the Renewable Energy Group and Clariant to produce biodiesel — a biofuel that is a mix of ethanol and fat or cooking greases. Unlike […]

January 24, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

PharmaBiome microbiome ulcerative colitis

Interview 23 Jan 2019

Tackling the Complexity of the Gut Microbiome for Better Treatments

An imbalance in gut microbe species is linked with gastrointestinal disease. Philip talked with the CEO and co-founder of the Swiss startup PharmaBiome, Tomas de Wouters, about the complexity of rebalancing the gut microbiome in these conditions. The microbiome is a hugely complex ecosystem of microbes living all around the body. Different parts of the […]

January 23, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

novo nordisk holding impact antimicrobial resistance slides

News and Trends 22 Jan 2019

MinervaX Latest Beneficiary of Novo’s Antimicrobial Resistance Fund

The Novo Holdings REPAIR Impact Fund, launched to fight antimicrobial resistance, has invested €4.4M in the Danish company MinervaX to help fund the phase I trial of a vaccine that could protect newborn babies from streptococcal infections. The Novo Holdings REPAIR Impact Fund aims to combat the growing menace of pathogens resistant to antimicrobial drugs, such as […]

January 22, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 21 Jan 2019

Danish Biotech Turns Bacteria into Fermentation Workaholics

The Danish biotech Enduro Genetics has shown it can improve the yield of fermentation by engineering bacteria to become ‘addicted’ to being productive. Fermentation vats full of bacteria or yeast are the workhorses for industries such as the pharmaceutical and chemical industry. They are used to mass-produce products including detergents, drugs and biofuels. The cells […]

January 21, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 18 Jan 2019

Biotech Partnership Raises €7.5M to Recycle Plastics With Enzymes

The French biotechs Carbios and Toulouse White Biotechnology have been awarded €7.5M to industrialize their plastic recycling programme, which uses enzymes to break down waste. The funding comes from the public initiative Investments for the Future Program, which is aimed to foster innovation in French industries. The €7.5M is to be paid in installments over […]

January 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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