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

Best in Biotech 15 May 2023

The six most advanced microbiome players aiming for the gut

After decades of research, gut microbiome therapies are beginning to reach the market. Here are six of the companies harnessing the power of the microbiome to develop treatments derived from the gut. Over the years, gastrointestinal research has increasingly focused on the role of the microbe communities residing in our gut, known collectively as the […]

May 15, 2023 - 7 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 6 Mar 2023

The biggest private biotech investments in February 2023

The companies Aera Therapeutics, Hemab and Loam Bio bagged the biggest biotech investments in February 2023. Around the world, gene therapy, manufacturing and biomaterials attracted the most investor interest. Private biotech fundraising in February 2023 lacked the massive funding rounds seen in January, from the likes of Asimov and BioRay Pharmaceuticals. However, there was still […]

March 6, 2023 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 6 Feb 2023

The biggest private biotech investments in January 2023

The companies Asimov, BioRay Pharmaceuticals and Colossal Biosciences bagged the biggest biotech investments in January 2023. Around the world, synthetic biology players and firms developing treatments for hormonal disorders attracted the biggest funding rounds. 2023 began with a bang in terms of biotech funding, and there are signs of stabilization in biotech stocks after two […]

February 6, 2023 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Woman looking through a window and seeing biotechnology such as pills and vaccines. It indicates the biotech trends coming in the future

Best in Biotech 12 Jan 2023

The biggest biotech trends that will shape 2023

2023 has begun at full throttle. We have collected seven major biotech trends that industry experts are keeping an eye on over the next 12 months. Just like that, another year has begun. 2023 has already launched with announcements of big pharma acquisitions and the approval of Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab by the […]

January 12, 2023 - 9 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 9 Jan 2023

The biggest private biotech investments in December 2022

The companies Apogee Therapeutics, Pulmocide and Qitan Technology bagged the biggest biotech investments in December 2022. Around the world, immunology and manufacturing players attracted the biggest funding rounds. We’ve hit 2023 and a lot of biotech fundraising took place in the final month of 2022. We’ve gathered the biggest biotech investments that went to private […]

January 9, 2023 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 5 Jan 2023

Navignostics maps tumor proteomes to improve precision oncology

New cancer drugs are entering the market every year, but it’s hard to know which patients they benefit the most. The Swiss firm Navignostics is making spatial maps of the tumor’s proteome to identify the right treatment for the patient and boost precision oncology approaches. A wide range of technologies is being deployed in the […]

January 5, 2023 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 22 Dec 2022

10 biotech companies to watch in 2023

2022 is coming to an end. Here is a list of biotech companies from around the world that we are keeping in our sights in 2023. The year 2022 has seen a lot of uncertainty in biotech markets, resulting in tumbling or volatile stocks. A high number of biotech companies are even trading with market […]

December 22, 2022 - 9 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 20 Dec 2022

Ebvallo approval ushers in off-the-shelf T-cell immunotherapies

Patient-derived CAR-T immunotherapies have dominated the cancer immunotherapy space over the last decade. The EU approval of Atara Biotherapeutics’ Ebvallo marks the first immunotherapy based on T cells sourced from healthy donors. Since the approvals of Kymriah and Yescarta in 2017, CAR-T immunotherapies have changed the way we treat rare forms of blood cancer. In […]

December 20, 2022 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 19 Dec 2022

Green Bioactives grows medicines in plant cells

Though plants may hold the key to new, effective medicines, sourcing these compounds sustainably is difficult. Green Bioactives devises eco-friendly ways to produce plant-derived drugs via plant cell cultures. For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has designed synthetic small molecule drugs and manufactured them via chemical synthesis. While this approach provides an easy way to supply […]

December 19, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 15 Dec 2022

To avoid stagnation, the EU must refine its ATMP regulation

Over the decades, the EU has spearheaded the adoption of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) such as cell and gene therapies. However, changes are needed to ATMP regulations to keep Europe competitive with the rest of the world. The EU has a rich resource base in terms of biotech innovation. Over the last decades, this […]

December 15, 2022 - 8 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

cancer protein degradation sibylla biotech

Interview 14 Dec 2022

Sibylla Biotech: how physicists met biologists to discover new drugs

Discovering new drugs remains an inefficient, trial and error-based process. The founding team behind the Italian startup Sibylla Biotech explain how their interdisciplinary approach can speed up drug discovery in the protein degradation space. Protein degradation is a hot field in the biotech industry, with many pharmaceutical companies forging lucrative deals with protein degradation players. […]

December 14, 2022 - 9 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 13 Dec 2022

Biomemory is making DNA hard drives cheap and sustainable

The world is running out of ways to store the mountains of data we produce. Biomemory is creating DNA-based hard drives that could store this information cheaply, sustainably and for centuries. Society has advanced very far in technologies to store critical data, moving from punched cards and floppy disks in the 20th century to hard […]

December 13, 2022 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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