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

orchard therapeutics cell therapy stem cell rare disease

News and Trends 28 Mar 2019

Gene Therapy Exceeds Expectations in Treating Children’s Neurological Disease

A gene therapy developed by the UK company Orchard Therapeutics has greatly improved the motor symptoms of children with an incurable neurological disease. The 20 children in the phase II trial suffered from metachromatic leukodystrophy, a rare genetic disease caused by the mutation of a protein that breaks down sulfur-containing molecules in cells. This leads […]

March 28, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

polyneuron anti mag peripheral neuropathy autoimmune disease nerve

News and Trends 28 Mar 2019

Swiss Biotech Raises €20M to Develop Decoy Drugs in Autoimmune Disease

The biotech Polyneuron has raised a Series A round of €20.1M (CHF 22.5M) to start human testing with a treatment for a rare autoimmune disease. Based in Basel, Polyneuron is developing drugs to treat anti-MAG peripheral neuropathy. This debilitating disease is caused by the immune system producing autoantibodies that attack nerve support cells, which stops […]

March 28, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Heptares AstraZeneka AZD4635 checkpoint inhibitor

News and Trends 27 Mar 2019

Artificial Intelligence Could Beat Tumors Resistant to Immunotherapy

The French company OSE Immunotherapeutics has signed a partnership to use artificial intelligence to develop treatments for tumors that don’t respond to checkpoint inhibitor drugs. In the last five years, checkpoint inhibitor drugs have become a potentially life-saving option for people that don’t respond to traditional cancer treatments. These antibody drugs have shown promise in […]

March 27, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

bioarctic alzheimers disease plaques amyloid beta neurons Edited

More News! 25 Mar 2019

Swedish Biotech’s Stock Severely Hit by Failure of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug

The failure of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease drug in a phase III trial last week caused BioArctic’s stock price to plummet by 35% on Nasdaq Stockholm. The Swedish company has just begun a phase III trial of its own Alzheimer’s treatment. Last week, Biogen and its pharma collaborator Eisai discontinued the phase III development of an […]

March 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Startup Scout 15 Mar 2019

This Biotech Wants You to Age Well

Age is a risk factor in many diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. The UK biotech Samsara Therapeutics thinks that it can make drugs that can prevent multiple conditions at once by targeting the aging process itself. Mission: To develop drugs that target the biological mechanisms underlying aging. Slowing the aging process seems like […]

March 15, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

microsoft synthace oxford biomedica gene therapy cell therapy

News and Trends 14 Mar 2019

Microsoft Aims to Make Cell Therapies Cheaper with Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft has launched a collaboration with the UK company Oxford BioMedica to use Microsoft’s artificial intelligence technology to make gene and cell therapy manufacturing easier and cheaper. Genetically programming cells and viruses to make cell and gene therapies is not as simple as programming a computer. Organisms have many layers of complexity and unpredictability, sometimes […]

March 14, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

arthritis pediatric juvenile idiopathic Leuven

News and Trends 13 Mar 2019

Artificial Intelligence Detects Juvenile Arthritis in the Blood

Using artificial intelligence, a Belgian research group can diagnose juvenile arthritis from blood samples with almost 90% accuracy and identify different forms of the disease, something that is not currently possible. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness in children under the age of 16. The disease is hard to treat because there […]

March 13, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

osteoarthritis stem cell regenerative medicine

News and Trends 12 Mar 2019

Stem Cells and Hydrogel Make Potential Osteoarthritis Treatment

Scientists from the Netherlands have received a €600,000 grant to test a treatment for osteoarthritis in humans that combines hydrogels and stem cells to help the knee joint heal. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage in joints such as the knees breaks down, causing stiffness and pain. There is no cure at the moment, and most current […]

March 12, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

geneuro multiple sclerosis neuron viral dna

News and Trends 12 Mar 2019

Blocking Hidden Viral Protein Shows Promise for Treating Multiple Sclerosis

An antibody that blocks the action of a hidden viral protein encoded by our genome shows encouraging signs of slowing down the progression of multiple sclerosis, according to the Swiss biotech GeNeuro which carried out the research. GeNeuro’s monoclonal antibody drug targets the hidden viral protein because it’s linked to the occurrence of multiple sclerosis, […]

March 12, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 8 Mar 2019

HIV Drug Shows Promise for Treating Ulcerative Colitis Patients

A small molecule drug, developed by the company Abivax for treating HIV, has also shown promise for patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis, reducing the disease severity consistently for over six months. Abivax tested the drug on patients with moderate-to-severe cases of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel condition that causes rectal bleeding and […]

March 8, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

influenza virus antiviral drugs atriva therapeutics germany tuebingen 1

News and Trends 8 Mar 2019

Flu Resistant to Antivirals? This Biotech Has a Drug for That

We are visiting the medieval German city of Tübingen this week. It hosts the biotech Atriva Therapeutics, which is developing antiviral drugs for influenza that can circumvent drug resistance. Mission: To make antiviral drugs that, unlike conventional drugs, target the host cell instead of the virus. This can prevent the virus from building resistance to […]

March 8, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 6 Mar 2019

Second Patient Achieves HIV Remission After Bone Marrow Transplant to Treat Cancer

For the second time in history, an HIV-positive patient with blood cancer has achieved HIV remission following a customized bone marrow transplant to treat their cancer from an HIV-resistant donor. The HIV-positive patient received a bone marrow transplant to treat the blood cancer Hodgkin’s lymphoma, from which he also suffered. The researchers used this cancer […]

March 6, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Jonathan Smith

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Articles by Jonathan Smith

Gene Therapy Exceeds Expectations in Treating Children’s Neurological Disease

Swiss Biotech Raises €20M to Develop Decoy Drugs in Autoimmune Disease

Artificial Intelligence Could Beat Tumors Resistant to Immunotherapy

Swedish Biotech’s Stock Severely Hit by Failure of Biogen’s Alzheimer’s Drug

This Biotech Wants You to Age Well

Microsoft Aims to Make Cell Therapies Cheaper with Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Detects Juvenile Arthritis in the Blood

Stem Cells and Hydrogel Make Potential Osteoarthritis Treatment

Blocking Hidden Viral Protein Shows Promise for Treating Multiple Sclerosis

HIV Drug Shows Promise for Treating Ulcerative Colitis Patients

Flu Resistant to Antivirals? This Biotech Has a Drug for That

Second Patient Achieves HIV Remission After Bone Marrow Transplant to Treat Cancer

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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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