Jonathan Smith

United Kingdom

Science Writer and Journalist at Freelance

Reporter for @labiotech_eu. #Data visualisation and #locust nerd. Language learner. #scififantasy fan, #scicomm #PhD

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Articles

Ashwagandha has ‘tremendous potential’ for promoting healthy aging: Review

May 16, 2024 | foodnavigator.com | Jonathan Smith

Preclinical studies indicate that compounds in the plant can modulate which genes are turned into proteins in the cell and could be effective in tackling conditions related to immunity and aging including long Covid and Alzheimer’s disease. “Management of aging is difficult due to its progressive and irreversible nature, as well as the comorbidities associated with aging,” wrote Sujit Nair (PhytoVeda Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India) and colleagues.
European biotech companies with oncology projects attract Big Pharma - Snapshot

May 13, 2024 | ionanalytics.com | Jonathan Smith |Samantha Shaji |Marie-Laure Keyrouz |Lloyd Vassell

Oncology is a growth area for the European biotech industry and experts see large pharmaceutical companies continuing to snap up new intellectual property (IP) over the coming few years. “Interest in oncology M&A is continuously growing as the top 20 pharma companies face the imminent loss of exclusivity of some of their best performing cancer drugs in the next five to six years,” said Fady Riad, CEO of the consulting firm Centurion Life Sciences.
European Regenerative Medicine Snapshot: Dealmaking on uptick

Nov 23, 2023 | ionanalytics.com | Jonathan Smith |Santosh Shetty |Marie-Laure Keyrouz |Lucy Chapman

This is an overview of Mergermarket’s proprietary intelligence in the regenerative health space in Europe over the last five months, featuring existing opportunities in the market. Snapshot is the new name for a Preview. Regenerative medicine – a broad term encompassing engineered tissues, as well as next-generation gene and cell therapies – is a growth area for the European biotech industry and experts expect dealmaking to increase as the innovations gain traction.
Memo Therapeutics raises $27.7 million Series C to develop antibody treatment for viral infection

Nov 2, 2023 | biopharma-reporter.com | Jonathan Smith

With the round in hand, the firm plans to scale up the manufacturing of its lead candidate AntiBKV ready for phase 3 development and potential commercialization for the treatment of BK polyomavirus (BKV) infection in kidney transplant recipients. Additionally, the proceeds will be deployed to advance other programs in MTx’s pipeline. The round was led by Pureos Bioventures with participation from existing investors including Swisscanto, Vesalius Biocapital and more.
Interview: DSM-Firmenich innovates with cannabidiol formulations

Nov 1, 2023 | outsourcing-pharma.com | Jonathan Smith

In a conversation at CPHI Barcelona last week, global market development manager Athanasia Kanli and manager marketing communication Céline Zuber explained how the company is tackling this mission. The cannabis plant is famous for its mind-altering effects and its recreational use is illegal in many countries. However, the medical applications of cannabis, particularly those linked to active ingredients in the plant, are gaining increasing interest.
Sanofi invests $30m in MeiraGTx’s gene therapy pipeline

Oct 31, 2023 | biopharma-reporter.com | Jonathan Smith

In exchange for its investment in MeiraGTx, Sanofi will have the right of first negotiation to use the biotech’s Riboswitch gene regulation technology to develop therapies against disease targets in immunology and the central nervous system, and for GLP-1 and other gut peptides in metabolic disease therapies. Sanofi also has the first option to jump on MeiraGTx’s ongoing phase 2-stage gene therapy for the treatment of radiation-induced dry mouth, also known as xerostomia.
Novo Nordisk Foundation to establish €127 million cell therapy plant

Sep 21, 2023 | biopharma-reporter.com | Jonathan Smith

The plant, dubbed the Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator, will be fully owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and will be located at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Lyngby, which already has experience and infrastructure related to cell manufacturing. Construction of the plant is planned to start in 2024 and the plant is expected to be open in 2027.
Fujifilm Diosynth builds advanced therapy manufacturing facility in UK

Sep 19, 2023 | biopharma-reporter.com | Jonathan Smith

The site is based in Darlington and contains modern equipment and clean rooms for manufacturing viral vectors, which are often used to deliver gene therapies into patient tissues. The facility also has a cell culture capacity of up to 200 litres in addition to segregated suites for viral and non-viral work. The CDMO subsidiary of Fujifilm Corporation has been expanding its manufacturing muscle in recent years.
Samsung Biologics extends Bristol Myers Squibb manufacturing pact

Sep 19, 2023 | biopharma-reporter.com | Jonathan Smith

Samsung Biologics has an existing manufacturing agreement to produce BMS’ antibody cancer drugs in South Korea, with continued expansions in their collaboration taking place over time. The latest deal with BMS will see Samsung producing BMS’ products in its latest facility, Plant 4, which was completed earlier this year. A filing by Samsung Biologics indicates that the deal, which was placed with BMS’ subsidiary Swords Laboratories, is worth around $242 million over the next seven years.
Evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of an integrative group psychological intervention for people with Multiple Sclerosis: A study protocol (pdf) | Paperity

Sep 16, 2023 | paperity.org | Evangelia Fragkiadaki |Nikki Cotterill |Claire Rice |Jonathan Smith

PLOS ONE, Jul 2023 Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is characterised by significant symptom diversity and complexity. The unpredictability of the symptoms and the emotional and cognitive facets of the disease have a significant impact on the patients’ quality of life, relationships and other significant areas of living.