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 26 Jun 2020

CSL Behring Nabs UniQure’s Hemophilia Gene Therapy for up to €1.8B

Big pharma CSL Behring will pay the Dutch gene therapy developer uniQure an upfront of €400M for the global rights to a phase III-stage gene therapy for the blood disorder hemophilia B. Under the terms of the agreement, uniQure will complete an ongoing phase III trial of the gene therapy, with topline results expected […]

June 26, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

parkinsons disease treefrog therapeutics cell therapy

News and Trends 9 Jun 2020

French Manufacturing Plant Launches to Make Cell Therapy Cheap and Scalable

The Bordeaux-based company Treefrog Therapeutics has opened an industrial demonstration plant with the aim of producing cell therapies 10 times more efficiently than with current technology. The €2M plant occupies an area around a fifth of the size of a football field and is expected to produce 80 billion cells per year when it reaches […]

June 9, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 3 Jun 2020

What Did European Oncology Players Offer at ASCO 2020?

Despite widespread clinical trial delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many oncology biotechs have been able to continue their fight against cancer. With advances in CAR T-cell therapies, cancer vaccines, RNA drugs, and more, European companies held a strong presence at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) this year. The huge ASCO conference has […]

June 3, 2020 - 10 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 29 May 2020

Argenx Follows up Phase III Success with Giant €785M Global Offering

The Dutch biotech argenx has cashed in on recent positive phase III results by launching an enormous €784.7M ($862.5M) global share offering. Argenx’s fundraise swiftly follows the announcement of phase III trial results earlier this week, where its lead candidate antibody drug, efgartigimod, improved motor symptoms of patients with the chronic autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis. […]

May 29, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 26 May 2020

Argenx’s Rare Disease Treatment Strikes Gold in Phase III

The Dutch biotech argenx aims to apply for FDA approval of its lead candidate efgartigimod after the first-in-class drug improved motor symptoms of the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis in a phase III trial. The phase III trial tested the effect of efgartigimod in 167 patients with generalized myasthenia gravis. In this incurable chronic condition, the […]

May 26, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Interview 21 May 2020

What 2019 Can Teach About European Biotech Investments Going Forward

Following 2018’s bumper harvest for equity funding in European biotech, 2019 proved even more lucrative, particularly for private biotech companies. What are the biggest investment lessons learned from 2019, and how could Covid-19 change the dynamic in 2020? With the coronavirus pandemic thrusting global industry sectors into chaos, investors and entrepreneurs need to understand the […]

May 21, 2020 - 9 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

novartis spinal muscular atrophy gene therapy

News and Trends 19 May 2020

Update: Novartis’ Gene Therapy Zolgensma Gets Nod from EU

Update (19/05/2020): The gene therapy Zolgensma, developed by the big pharma Novartis and approved in the US last year, has received conditional approval in Europe for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The gene therapy is approved to treat patients with a clinical diagnosis of SMA type 1 or SMA patients that have up […]

May 19, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 12 May 2020

Gamida Cell’s Bone Marrow Transplant Cuts Treatment Time in Phase III

A rapid-acting bone marrow transplant developed by the Israeli biotech Gamida Cell was engrafted in blood cancer patients 10 days faster than standard umbilical cord blood transplants in a phase III trial. The trial recruited 125 blood cancer patients in more than 50 clinical centers globally. One group received a standard transplant of donor umbilical […]

May 12, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

microfluidics lab on a chip miDiagnostics

Startup Scout 1 May 2020

Belgian Company Harnesses Lab-on-a-Chip Technology to Diagnose Disease

The Belgian startup miDiagnostics is developing technology to diagnose diseases quickly, accurately, and at the point-of-care using a silicon lab-on-a-chip and nanoscale-precision microfluidics. Having good diagnostics in place can save lives. This principle is especially true in times of crisis, such as the current coronavirus pandemic. However, producing good diagnostics isn’t a simple task. In […]

May 1, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Kurma Partner biotech investment rare diseases

News and Trends 30 Apr 2020

Update: Kurma Partners’ Third Biofund Closes at €160M

Update (30/04/2020): The French VC firm Kurma Partners has completed the final closing of its third therapeutic fund, exceeding its initial target of €150M. The final closing of Kurma Biofund III was supported by Bpifrance, the European Investment Fund, Idinvest Partners, the Pasteur Institute, the German public development bank NRW.BANK, and Servier Laboratories. Kurma managed […]

April 30, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 24 Apr 2020

First Volunteers Dosed with European Coronavirus Vaccine

The first European vaccine for coronavirus disease to enter clinical trials has been administered to UK volunteers in a project led by the University of Oxford. One volunteer was injected with the coronavirus vaccine and another with a control vaccine yesterday in a phase I trial that aims to recruit over 1,000 participants. The trial […]

April 24, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Orchard therapeutics gene therapy header

News and Trends 23 Apr 2020

Sofinnova Invests €20M in Three Italian Rare Disease Biotechs

The French VC firm Sofinnova Partners has invested €20M in three Italian biotech companies via its Telethon Fund, which focuses on firms developing treatments for rare diseases. The deals by the Sofinnova Telethon Fund were made over the last several months. The companies the Fund invested in — Genespire, Epsilen Bio, and PinCell — are […]

April 23, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Jonathan Smith

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Articles by Jonathan Smith

CSL Behring Nabs UniQure’s Hemophilia Gene Therapy for up to €1.8B

French Manufacturing Plant Launches to Make Cell Therapy Cheap and Scalable

What Did European Oncology Players Offer at ASCO 2020?

Argenx Follows up Phase III Success with Giant €785M Global Offering

Argenx’s Rare Disease Treatment Strikes Gold in Phase III

What 2019 Can Teach About European Biotech Investments Going Forward

Update: Novartis’ Gene Therapy Zolgensma Gets Nod from EU

Gamida Cell’s Bone Marrow Transplant Cuts Treatment Time in Phase III

Belgian Company Harnesses Lab-on-a-Chip Technology to Diagnose Disease

Update: Kurma Partners’ Third Biofund Closes at €160M

First Volunteers Dosed with European Coronavirus Vaccine

Sofinnova Invests €20M in Three Italian Rare Disease Biotechs

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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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