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 12 Dec 2018

Antibody Hitting Tumor Self-Destruct Button Passes Phase I

A first-in-class antibody cancer treatment, from the French company Netris Pharma, has shown good safety and anti-tumor effects in a phase I trial in patients with advanced solid tumors. The antibody met the trial’s primary objective of good tolerability in the 19 recruited patients. In addition, the antibody helped to stabilize the disease and shrink […]

December 12, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

carthera brain cancer ultrasound glioblastoma cells cover

News and Trends 12 Dec 2018

Ultrasound Brain Cancer Therapy Gets €9M Series B Funding

A Series B funding round has bagged the French company CarThera €9M to fund the clinical development of an ultrasound brain cancer therapy. “The objective was for €8M, and we raised €1M more than expected,” Frederic Sottilini, CEO of CarThera, said to me. “That was very positive for us.” CarThera’s therapy uses a beam of ultrasound […]

December 12, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 11 Dec 2018

Robotic Organoid Platform to Boost Personalized Medicine

The Swiss biotech Sun Bioscience has launched a robotic platform designed to standardize the production of 3D cell models of organs called organoids, making it easier to personalize treatments to a patient. Organoids are clusters of cells grown in the lab, and developed into miniature organs, such as the brain or intestine. Often no bigger […]

December 11, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 10 Dec 2018

Scientists Repurpose Skin Cells to Fight Cancer

Researchers have reprogrammed skin cells to make them behave like immune cell sentinels called dendritic cells, which can recruit the immune system to fight tumors. This discovery makes a step toward better cancer immunotherapy. “We are merging two different areas of research,” Carlos-Filipe Pereira, from Lund University, Sweden, said to me. “One of them is […]

December 10, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

desentum hay fever allergy vaccine espoo

Startup Scout 7 Dec 2018

This Hypoallergenic Vaccine Could Alleviate Hay Fever Faster Than Approved Vaccines

We decided to make a visit to Espoo, Finland, this week, to visit Desentum. The company is developing allergy vaccines that could be safer and faster than approved vaccines. Mission: To make a vaccine that decreases the time taken to reduce allergies compared with approved vaccines, which contain the natural allergen. Desentum plans to do […]

December 7, 2018 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

argenx llama inspired antibodies cover cancer immunotherapy

News and Trends 5 Dec 2018

Llama-Inspired Antibodies Succeed in Clinical Trials and Financial Deal

Autoimmune disease and acute myeloid leukemia may have a llama-inspired antibody treatment one day. The Dutch company argenx’s antibodies have shown positive results in clinical trials, and have attracted Janssen into a collaboration to advance their use in cancer immunotherapy. In a phase II trial, the company’s lead antibody, efgartigimod, reduced the number of bleeding […]

December 5, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

uniQure Freeline aruvant blood disorders

News and Trends 4 Dec 2018

Gene Therapies for Blood Disorders Marching Through the Clinic

Gene therapy holds great potential as a cure for blood disorders such as hemophilia and sickle cell disease, which have limited treatment options. This week, several gene therapy companies have released promising clinical trial results in hemophilia and sickle cell anemia. Presenting at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, Dutch company uniQure […]

December 4, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

aprea therapeutics anti cancer protein cover

News and Trends 3 Dec 2018

First-in-Class Cancer Drug Gets €50M Boost

The biopharmaceutical company Aprea Therapeutics has raised €50M to fund a Phase III trial of its first-in-class cancer drug candidate, which kills tumor cells by restoring the function of a key anti-cancer protein called p53. Aprea’s planned Phase III trial will test the company’s lead candidate small molecule drug combined with the chemotherapy drug azacitidine. […]

December 3, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

momentum bioscience blood infection sepsis UK cardiff

Startup Scout 30 Nov 2018

This Biotech Speeds Up Blood Infection Diagnosis

In the city of Cardiff, UK, Momentum Bioscience aims to trim down the unnecessary use of antimicrobial drugs in hospitals. To do this, it is developing molecular diagnostics that, within hours, tell doctors when or when not to use antibiotics in patients with a suspected blood infection. Mission: When diagnosing blood infections, physicians often need […]

November 30, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

cambridge nature placenta organoid stemcell fetus

More News! 29 Nov 2018

Long-Lasting Placenta Organoids Could Improve Pregnancy Research

Researchers have made 3D placenta organoids from human cells that can last for over a year, improving over the current models to study disease in pregnancy and develop drugs. Researchers at the University of Cambridge grew the organoids from stem cells extracted from donated placenta tissue at 6-9 weeks of pregnancy. The organoids replicated the […]

November 29, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Interview 28 Nov 2018

Navigating the Rare Disease Space: Insights from a Danish CEO

Developing drugs for rare diseases is a tough nut for biotech companies to crack. Labiotech’s Helen Albert interviewed the CEO of the Danish company Orphazyme, Anders Hinsby, at the recent BIO-Europe conference in Copenhagen, who told her about the appeals and challenges of making it in the rare disease space. Traditionally, the low number of […]

November 28, 2018 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 26 Nov 2018

Smart Asthma Inhaler Fails Phase III

It is bad news for asthma sufferers, as a UK biotech has abandoned the development of its smart inhaler after finding that it was no better than placebo in a Phase III trial. Over 52 weeks of treatment, the company Vectura tested whether the inhaler reduced the worsening of asthma symptoms, such as wheezing and […]

November 26, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Jonathan Smith

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Articles by Jonathan Smith

Antibody Hitting Tumor Self-Destruct Button Passes Phase I

Ultrasound Brain Cancer Therapy Gets €9M Series B Funding

Robotic Organoid Platform to Boost Personalized Medicine

Scientists Repurpose Skin Cells to Fight Cancer

This Hypoallergenic Vaccine Could Alleviate Hay Fever Faster Than Approved Vaccines

Llama-Inspired Antibodies Succeed in Clinical Trials and Financial Deal

Gene Therapies for Blood Disorders Marching Through the Clinic

First-in-Class Cancer Drug Gets €50M Boost

This Biotech Speeds Up Blood Infection Diagnosis

Long-Lasting Placenta Organoids Could Improve Pregnancy Research

Navigating the Rare Disease Space: Insights from a Danish CEO

Smart Asthma Inhaler Fails Phase III

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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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