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

agrosavfe belgium strawberry pesticide fungal

News and Trends 30 Jul 2019

Belgian Biotech Raises €35M to Develop Eco-Friendly Pesticides

The Belgium-based company AgroSavfe has raised a Series C round of €35M to develop an environmentally friendly crop pesticide inspired by llama antibodies. AgroSavfe will use the funds to develop and manufacture its lead protein fungicide on a commercial scale. The company aims to get approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency and launch the […]

July 30, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 29 Jul 2019

€43M Series C to Launch UK Company’s Home Hemodialysis Kit

Quanta Dialysis Technologies has raised €43.2M ($48M) to fund the commercial launch of a device that makes home hemodialysis more straightforward and economical for kidney failure patients. The UK-based Quanta will use the money to launch its technology in the UK later this year, and also apply for FDA approval. The technology previously obtained a […]

July 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 26 Jul 2019

This Biotech Makes Food for Space Missions Using Bacteria

Time to head to Helsinki, Finland, this week! We’re visiting Solar Foods, a biotech using bacteria to produce protein-rich flour out of carbon dioxide and water. Mission: To develop a protein-rich powder that can be made with little more than bacteria, electricity and water. This production method could be more efficient and sustainable than traditional […]

July 26, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 25 Jul 2019

French Biotech Aims for Chikungunya Vaccine First with €21M Fundraise

The French vaccine developer Valneva has received a €21M ($23.4M) grant to catch up with the competition in commercializing the first potential vaccine for the chikungunya virus. Coming from the nonprofit Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the grant will boost the manufacturing and development of Valneva’s vaccine for the tropical disease chikungunya, which causes […]

July 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 25 Jul 2019

German Biotech Breath Therapeutics Acquired in Deal Worth up to €500M

The Italian company Zambon has acquired the German biotech Breath Therapeutics for up to €500M, getting hold of its treatment for a rare lung disease known as popcorn lung. The deal includes an upfront payment of €140M and up to €360M upon reaching undisclosed regulatory milestones. Zambon will take over the development of a treatment […]

July 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 23 Jul 2019

HIV Drug Suppresses Virus for Almost Two Years When Other Treatments Fail

A first-in-class HIV treatment developed by the UK company ViiV Healthcare has suppressed the virus in people who have become resistant to other antiretroviral drugs, providing protection for at least 96 weeks. The phase III trial tested ViiV Healthcare’s first-in-class drug fostemsavir in 272 HIV-infected people who had failed to respond to approved antiretroviral drugs. […]

July 23, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

rnai rna intereference silence therapeutics mallinckrodt

More News! 19 Jul 2019

Mallinckrodt Teams up with UK RNAi Biotech in Deal Worth up to €553M

The UK-based biotech Silence Therapeutics has signed a deal worth up to €553M ($693M) with the UK pharma company Mallinckrodt to develop RNA interference (RNAi) therapies for autoimmune diseases. Mallinckrodt will pay Silence Therapeutics €17.8M ($20M) upfront, and up to €600M ($673M) in developmental milestone payments. In exchange, it will get a license for an […]

July 19, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

captor therapeutics cancer treatment protein degradation wroclaw

Startup Scout 19 Jul 2019

This Biotech Breaks Down ‘Undruggable’ Proteins to Treat Cancer

In the Polish city of Wrocław, Captor Therapeutics is developing cancer treatments that destroy disease-causing proteins. Mission: To develop cancer treatments able to degrade proteins that are normally outside the reach of traditional drugs, called the ‘undruggable proteome’. Small molecule drugs are able to target a small minority of proteins in the cell, such as […]

July 19, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

More News! 19 Jul 2019

UK VC Medicxi Closes Third Fund with €400M to Boost European Biotech

The UK-based venture capital investment firm Medicxi has closed its third fund, totaling €400M, to nurture early- and late-stage healthcare biotech companies in Europe. The firm will begin investing in the first beneficiary companies of this fund in the next few months. The big round was raised in just six weeks, and dwarfs Medicxi’s previous […]

July 19, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 18 Jul 2019

Genmab’s Huge IPO Raises €450M to Develop Antibody Drugs

The Danish biotech Genmab has made a big splash on the Nasdaq, raising a €450M ($506M) IPO to fuel its antibody drug programs in cancer, autoimmune diseases, and more. This IPO is one of the biggest in biotech history, behind the whopping €530M Nasdaq entry from US mRNA biotech Moderna last year. It’s also to […]

July 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

pneumonia polyphor antibiotic murepravadin

More News! 18 Jul 2019

Swiss Pneumonia Antibiotic Abandoned in Phase III

The Swiss biotech Polyphor has discontinued two phase III trials of its antibiotic for treating pneumonia after halting both trials due to safety concerns in May. The two phase III trials were testing Polyphor’s intravenous antibiotic murepavadin in hospitalized patients with pneumonia. In May, Polyphor halted the two trials due to an unexpectedly high incidence […]

July 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

anthrax treatment belgium VIB nanobodies

More News! 17 Jul 2019

Scientists in Belgium Cure Anthrax in Mice by Smashing Bacteria’s Armor

Belgian researchers have developed a potential treatment for anthrax that breaks down the bacteria’s thick protein armor. Anthrax is a deadly type of bacteria famous for its use in terrorist attacks in 2001. Although anthrax infections can be treated with antibiotics, they can prove hard to treat when the bacteria are inhaled or ingested. Scientists […]

July 17, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Jonathan Smith

About

Articles by Jonathan Smith

Belgian Biotech Raises €35M to Develop Eco-Friendly Pesticides

€43M Series C to Launch UK Company’s Home Hemodialysis Kit

This Biotech Makes Food for Space Missions Using Bacteria

French Biotech Aims for Chikungunya Vaccine First with €21M Fundraise

German Biotech Breath Therapeutics Acquired in Deal Worth up to €500M

HIV Drug Suppresses Virus for Almost Two Years When Other Treatments Fail

Mallinckrodt Teams up with UK RNAi Biotech in Deal Worth up to €553M

This Biotech Breaks Down ‘Undruggable’ Proteins to Treat Cancer

UK VC Medicxi Closes Third Fund with €400M to Boost European Biotech

Genmab’s Huge IPO Raises €450M to Develop Antibody Drugs

Swiss Pneumonia Antibiotic Abandoned in Phase III

Scientists in Belgium Cure Anthrax in Mice by Smashing Bacteria’s Armor

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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