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

In Depth 6 Jan 2021

The Bio-Based Economy: What’s Holding It Back?

As pollution and climate change become growing problems, breaking society’s addiction to fossil fuels is a daunting task. What are the main obstacles holding European biotechs back from building a more sustainable economy and how can we resolve them? Modern society’s dependence on fossil fuels is unsustainable. Although the Covid-19 pandemic caused a 7% drop […]

January 6, 2021 - 9 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Best in Biotech 28 Dec 2020

A Year to Remember: The Biggest European Biotech News in 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic caused huge disruption for European biotech in 2020, but the industry pulled through. Let’s look back at some of the top moments in the last 12 months. After the many drug approvals, startup foundations, and venture capital highs we saw in 2019, it looked like 2020 was going to be a comfortable […]

December 28, 2020 - 12 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 23 Dec 2020

Humble Beginnings: The Origin Story of Modern Biotechnology

The history of modern biotechnology began around four decades ago with the invention of genetic engineering. Genentech, one of the fundamental companies in this field, set many trends for modern biotech companies today. Biotechnology doesn’t necessarily involve labs. In fact, humans have been using forms of biotechnology for millennia, for example, using fermentation to brew […]

December 23, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

mRNA DNA race Covid 19 vaccine BioNTech Pfizer

News and Trends 22 Dec 2020

EMA Greenlights BioNTech and Pfizer mRNA Vaccine for Covid-19

BioNTech and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, made from messenger RNA, has become the first of its kind to be approved by the EMA. The EMA has granted conditional approval to Comirnaty, a vaccine against Covid-19 developed by BioNTech and Pfizer. The approval comes weeks after the UK became the first country in the world to approve […]

December 22, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

tourette syndrome treatment noema pharma

News and Trends 7 Dec 2020

Swiss Startup Tackles Tourette’s Syndrome Despite Recent Failures

In spite of recent failures of clinical trials from others in the field, Swiss company Noema Pharma is gearing up to develop better treatments for the neurological condition Tourette’s syndrome. Noema Pharma will use a recent €49M Series A round to bankroll the phase I development of a candidate for Tourette’s syndrome along with the […]

December 7, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

In Depth 30 Nov 2020

Can Anti-Aging Research Keep Us Healthy in the Long Run?

Searching for the fountain of eternal youth has been the dream of humanity for millennia. While this is still in the realm of science fiction, anti-aging companies are hoping to tackle age-related diseases by targeting the underlying biology of aging. While we’ve been hunting for immortality for millennia, there hasn’t been much success. However, an […]

November 30, 2020 - 10 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

cancer treatments immuno oncology companies

News and Trends 23 Nov 2020

SynOx Joins Wave of Biotechs Attacking Solid Tumor ‘Comfort Zone’

The newly founded SynOx has become the latest startup to attack solid tumors via their ‘comfort zone’, known as the tumor microenvironment. SynOx was spun out of the UK firm Celleron Therapeutics last week with a huge Series A round of €37M. The fledgling company is developing an antibody drug that Celleron licensed from Roche […]

November 23, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 19 Nov 2020

mRNA Stocks Soar with Final Results of BioNTech’s Covid-19 Vaccine

The field of messenger RNA therapeutics is flying high as BioNTech and Pfizer conclude a phase III trial with their Covid-19 vaccine showing 95% effectiveness. The phase III trial recruited over 43,000 volunteers to gauge whether Covid-19 infections could be prevented by a vaccine made out of messenger RNA (mRNA). One group received two doses […]

November 19, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 16 Nov 2020

Innate Immunity in Cancer Gains Recognition with Affimed’s €1.8B Deal

Last week’s €1.75B deal between the German biotech Affimed and Swiss giant Roivant backs up an emerging trend of harnessing our innate immune system to treat cancer. According to the deal’s terms, Affimed will receive €51M upfront to license to Roivant a preclinical-stage antibody drug for several undisclosed types of cancer. Roivant will handle the […]

November 16, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Best in Biotech 16 Nov 2020

12 Biotech-Themed Online Courses to Try at Home During Lockdown

With national lockdowns forcing millions to stay home in the Covid-19 era, this could be a big opportunity to take an online course about the biotech industry and how to run a business in this exciting field. Over the past decade, universities have started offering courses on online platforms such as Coursera and FutureLearn that are […]

November 16, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 3 Nov 2020

Kiadis’ Natural Killer Cell Therapies Earn €308M Acquisition by Sanofi

The French big pharma Sanofi has offered €308M to acquire the Dutch firm Kiadis Pharma and get hold of cancer cell therapies based on a type of immune cells called natural killer cells. The offer comes not long after Sanofi inked a deal worth up to €857.5M to license a preclinical-stage cancer cell therapy from […]

November 3, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 29 Oct 2020

Universal Flu Vaccines Yield Second Clinical Failure This Year

In a blow to hopes for better protection from seasonal flu, last week’s phase III failure of BiondVax’s universal flu vaccine follows the phase II flop of Vaccitech’s flu vaccine in January. Last week proved a major setback for the Israeli biotech BiondVax. The company’s vaccine — designed to protect against multiple strains of flu […]

October 29, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Jonathan Smith

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Articles by Jonathan Smith

The Bio-Based Economy: What’s Holding It Back?

A Year to Remember: The Biggest European Biotech News in 2020

Humble Beginnings: The Origin Story of Modern Biotechnology

EMA Greenlights BioNTech and Pfizer mRNA Vaccine for Covid-19

Swiss Startup Tackles Tourette’s Syndrome Despite Recent Failures

Can Anti-Aging Research Keep Us Healthy in the Long Run?

SynOx Joins Wave of Biotechs Attacking Solid Tumor ‘Comfort Zone’

mRNA Stocks Soar with Final Results of BioNTech’s Covid-19 Vaccine

Innate Immunity in Cancer Gains Recognition with Affimed’s €1.8B Deal

12 Biotech-Themed Online Courses to Try at Home During Lockdown

Kiadis’ Natural Killer Cell Therapies Earn €308M Acquisition by Sanofi

Universal Flu Vaccines Yield Second Clinical Failure This Year

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest biotech news!

Catalonia: A biotech hub going from strength to strength, with Barcelona at its core

Top biotech deals of February 2025

Grab your free report on 3D organoids and explore their future potential

These 7 biotechs are shaping the next generation of endometriosis care

Connect with decision-makers and researchers worldwide for collaborative opportunities

Subscribe to our newsletter

Advertise with us

Catalonia: A biotech hub going from strength to strength, with Barcelona at its core

Top biotech deals of February 2025

Grab your free report on 3D organoids and explore their future potential

These 7 biotechs are shaping the next generation of endometriosis care

Connect with decision-makers and researchers worldwide for collaborative opportunities

Subscribe to our newsletter

Advertise with us

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Articles by Jonathan Smith

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