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 22 Apr 2022

European Biotech Investors Brace for Volatility in 2022

After gathering huge investment funds in 2021, European biotech investors took a breather in the first quarter of 2022, with the plan to steadily fund private biotechs amid a tumultuous public market. The last two years have seen a record-breaking amount of money flowing to biotech investors, with almost €10B reaching European life science funders […]

April 22, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 20 Apr 2022

Valneva’s Covid-19 Vaccine Reaches UK Market with EU In Sights

A Covid-19 vaccine developed by the French company Valneva has received the green light from the UK’s drug regulator. The EMA, meanwhile, is proving harder to convince. The UK’s relationship with the French vaccine developer Valneva has run hot and cold over the past two years. In 2020, the UK government invested in Valneva’s manufacturing […]

April 20, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

finance top biotech investment March 2022

News and Trends 11 Apr 2022

The Top European Biotech Investments in March 2022

As wars and inflation buffet European markets, private biotech companies raised fewer investments in March 2022 than in previous months. The top private rounds went to firms developing cancer treatments and microbiome therapeutics. The first quarter of 2022 has seen a gradual decline of biotech investments in the European space. The total raised by European […]

April 11, 2022 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

UK kynos epidarex anti inflammatory drugs

News and Trends 8 Apr 2022

Epidarex Backs UK Startup Developing Emerging Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

The UK-US venture capitalist Epidarex Capital has led an €11M (£9M) funding round raised by the Edinburgh-based Kynos Therapeutics, which aims to develop anti-inflammatory treatments by blocking an emerging metabolic target. Much of the UK’s biotech innovation is concentrated in the so-called Golden Triangle, encompassing the hubs of Cambridge, Oxford, and London. In 2020, Epidarex […]

April 8, 2022 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 6 Apr 2022

Immunocore Approvals Open Door for TCR Cancer Drugs

The EU has followed the FDA in granting market approval to Kimmtrak, the first-ever bispecific drug based on a cancer-hunting protein called a T-cell receptor (TCR). These regulatory wins by the UK firm Immunocore pave the way for other treatments deploying TCRs. TCRs have become a hot topic in immuno-oncology. Many companies are developing cancer […]

April 6, 2022 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 1 Apr 2022

Europe Shuns Russian Covid-19 Vaccines as Ukraine War Continues

In the last two years, Russian Covid-19 vaccine makers had a tough time penetrating the European market with their flagship vaccine, Sputnik V. This year, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has likely dashed Sputnik V’s chances of reaching Europe anytime soon. Just months after the Covid-19 pandemic began, Russia was the first country to approve a […]

April 1, 2022 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

gene therapy bacteria ilya pharma lactic acid

News and Trends 23 Mar 2022

Ilya Pharma Paves Way for Bacterial Gene Therapy with €8.5M Funding

Cell and gene therapies are taking off in a big way in Europe. As the buzz grows, the Swedish firm Ilya Pharma has raised €8.5M to lay down the foundations of bacterial gene therapies for enterocolitis and diabetic ulcers. Investor interest in cell and gene therapy is ramping up fast around the world, with a […]

March 23, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

radiopharmaceutical treatments precirix jeito

News and Trends 17 Mar 2022

€80M Series B Establishes European Champion in Radiopharmaceuticals

Big European venture capital firms Jeito, Forbion, and Inkef Capital have teamed up to propel the local radiopharmaceutical scene by investing €80M in the Belgian firm Precirix. Europe has a long history of expertise in the development of radiopharmaceutical drugs. One of the pioneers in the field was Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA) in France. AAA […]

March 17, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 15 Mar 2022

Biotech Stocks in “Total Eclipse” as Financial Pressures Mount

More than a year after biotech stock indices peaked, the markets are worse than ever. Meanwhile, rumors of an impending wave of opportunistic biotech acquisitions are yet to materialize. In February of last year, biotech stocks across Europe and the US saw the end of a pandemic-fuelled growth spurt. Since then, the stock growth of […]

March 15, 2022 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

Scenic biotech lysosomal storage disorders

News and Trends 10 Mar 2022

Emerging Startups Take Aim at Lysosomal Storage Disorders

Lysosomal storage disorders such as Niemann-Pick type C have proved difficult to tackle in the biotech industry. With recent funding rounds in the bag, Scenic Biotech and Maze Therapeutics strive to treat these conditions by activating protective genes. Lysosomal storage disorders are inherited conditions caused by mutations in metabolic enzymes found inside our cells, leading […]

March 10, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 8 Mar 2022

The Top European Biotech Investments in February 2022

Companies developing lab automation, ophthalmological treatments, and novel foods received Europe’s top biotech investments in February 2022. European and Israeli biotech investments in February 2022 narrowly beat January’s performance. Life sciences companies in these regions bagged 52 private investments and initial public offerings (IPOs), worth €664M in total. Meanwhile, January’s tally was 41 deals totaling […]

March 8, 2022 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

News and Trends 3 Mar 2022

Europe’s Ophthalmology Scene Stays Hot for Biotech Funding

Ophthalmology-focused startups had a record year for venture capital funding in 2021. Impressive Series A rounds and collaborations hint at a continuing upward trend for the field in 2022. Biotech companies researching treatments for ophthalmological conditions experienced a splurge of venture capital (VC) funding in 2021, with the total more than trebling the haul from […]

March 3, 2022 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith

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Jonathan Smith

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Articles by Jonathan Smith

European Biotech Investors Brace for Volatility in 2022

Valneva’s Covid-19 Vaccine Reaches UK Market with EU In Sights

The Top European Biotech Investments in March 2022

Epidarex Backs UK Startup Developing Emerging Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Immunocore Approvals Open Door for TCR Cancer Drugs

Europe Shuns Russian Covid-19 Vaccines as Ukraine War Continues

Ilya Pharma Paves Way for Bacterial Gene Therapy with €8.5M Funding

€80M Series B Establishes European Champion in Radiopharmaceuticals

Biotech Stocks in “Total Eclipse” as Financial Pressures Mount

Emerging Startups Take Aim at Lysosomal Storage Disorders

The Top European Biotech Investments in February 2022

Europe’s Ophthalmology Scene Stays Hot for Biotech Funding

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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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