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 5 Nov 2018

Series C Bags German Company €17M for Irregular Heartbeat Treatment

Omeicos Therapeutics has secured €17M in a Series C round to fund clinical development of its lead treatment for irregular heartbeat. Robert Fischer, CEO of the German biopharmaceutical company, told me that getting the attention of investors such as the Dutch company Forbion, which led the round, was just as helpful as the money itself. […]

November 5, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 2 Nov 2018

Gut Bacteria Treatment Shows Promise for Rare Genetic Kidney Condition

The Swedish biotech Oxthera reported positive preliminary Phase II results using its gut bacteria treatment, Oxabact, in patients with a rare genetic condition that causes kidney failure. The results came from an interim analysis one year into a three-year trial, where Oxthera is testing its gut microbiome treatment on patients with primary hyperoxaluria type […]

November 2, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 2 Nov 2018

This Biotech Uses Metal Alloys to Reshape Your Bones

We venture up to the North European climes of Finland this week. In the city of Espoo, Synoste is developing bone lengthening devices made of smart malleable materials. Mission: To modernize bone lengthening devices with new techniques such as using malleable metals with wireless control. People born with discrepancies in limb length often suffer from […]

November 2, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Orchard therapeutics gene therapy header

News and Trends 1 Nov 2018

Gene Therapy Company’s IPO Shoots it to Billion-Euro Biotech List

Orchard Therapeutics, a British company developing gene therapy for rare genetic diseases, has launched its Nasdaq IPO and is now reportedly worth $1.25B (€1B). This IPO propels Orchard to the handful of European biotechs worth €1B or more. The new money might help with the marketing and manufacture of Strimvelis, an EMA-approved gene therapy for […]

November 1, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 31 Oct 2018

Forget Daily Pills: HIV Could Be Treated With Monthly Injections

A monthly antiviral injection may be as good as daily HIV drugs for suppressing infections, reports the British biotech ViiV Healthcare. This could make the treatment of HIV easier for patients and improve compliance. In the first five months of a Phase IIb trial, the company gave 274 HIV-infected adults three daily oral antiretrovirals. After […]

October 31, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 31 Oct 2018

Multiple Myeloma Antibody Therapy Achieves Positive Phase III Results

An antibody therapy for the blood cancer multiple myeloma achieved positive results at Phase III, decreasing the risk of the disease getting worse and patient death by 45% in a Phase III trial. The blockbuster antibody daratumumab, developed by Janssen using a license from the Danish company Genmab, was given to patients in combination with […]

October 31, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 30 Oct 2018

British Diagnostics Firm Develops More Accurate Fetal Health Screen

A lab kit from British diagnostics company Angle could make non-invasive fetal health screens more accurate by analyzing whole fetal cells in the mother’s blood. To screen your unborn baby for genetic conditions, the most accurate current option is invasive techniques such as amniocentesis. These techniques take samples directly from the womb that contain fetal […]

October 30, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 29 Oct 2018

Tree Bark Could be a Sustainable Source of Adhesives and Sugars

Researchers at the Technical Research Centre of Finland are making it easier to process spare tree bark into useful resins and sugars. In Finland, three million tonnes of bark is produced from softwood trees such as firs and pines, and, despite its potential as a source of industrial products, a lot is thrown away. “Bark […]

October 29, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 29 Oct 2018

Plasma Replacement Therapy Promising in Alzheimer’s Patients

A blood plasma replacement therapy from Spanish company Grifols reduced cognitive decline by 61% in patients with moderate Alzheimer’s disease compared with placebo. The researchers monitored the cognitive symptoms of 496 patients with Alzheimer’s disease in the Phase IIb/III trial. Over 14 months, the therapy had no effect in patients with mild Alzheimer’s, but the […]

October 29, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 26 Oct 2018

BASF Will Use CRISPR to Gene-Edit Crops and Microbes

The German chemical giant BASF has obtained a non-exclusive license from the US Broad Institute for the use of CRISPR-Cpf1 gene-editing technology in agricultural and microbiological applications. CRISPR-Cas9 is a fast and easy technique for editing the genome that has gained worldwide fame. It has the potential for use in many applications such as in […]

October 26, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 26 Oct 2018

Danish Biotech Closes €79M Series C to Develop Inhaled Lung Disease Drug

The Danish company Galecto Biotech can breathe a contented sigh. Its Series C funding round has raised €79M to finance a Phase II/III trial of its inhaled drug for a deadly lung disease. The amount raised is 30% higher than the company’s initial €60M goal, Galecto’s CEO, Hans Schambye, told me. “Being able to raise […]

October 26, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 26 Oct 2018

This Biotech Develops Biodegradable Antimicrobial Paint For Your Yacht

It is time to sail to Portugal for our Lisbon-based biotech of the week, BioMimetx. The company is developing biodegradable antimicrobial paint additives to help marine industries keep their surfaces clean of microbe buildup. Mission: Are you an environmentally conscious yacht owner who wants a clean boat bottom? If so, you are in luck, as […]

October 26, 2018 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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