Smartkem Unlocks New Generation of Flexible Biometrics with World-First All-Organic Sensor

Rhea-AI Summary

Smartkem (Nasdaq: SMTK) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University announced the world's first all-organic-transistor (AOT) biometric sensor, a flexible 256x256 active-matrix optical imager with integrated gate driver.

The IEEE paper, co-authored by Smartkem CTO Dr. Simon Ogier, is being presented by Prof. Xiuyan Li at the 71st Annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting on December 10, 2025 at 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST. The technology targets curved biometric surfaces (finger/palm) and enables advanced liveness detection via multi-wavelength and dynamic imaging to help distinguish real fingerprints from spoofs. The paper will be published online following IEDM 2025.

News Market Reaction

+10.13%

4 alerts

+10.13% News Effect

+8.8% Peak Tracked

+$1M Valuation Impact

$11M Market Cap

0.9x Rel. Volume

On the day this news was published, SMTK gained 10.13%, reflecting a significant positive market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +8.8% during that session. Our momentum scanner triggered 4 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility. This price movement added approximately $1M to the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $11M at that time.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Imager resolution: 256x256 Conference edition: 71st Presentation date: December 10, 2025 +1 more

4 metrics

Imager resolution 256x256 All-organic-transistor active-matrix optical imager

Conference edition 71st IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2025)

Presentation date December 10, 2025 IEDM 2025 conference presentation

Presentation time 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST IEDM 2025 session for biometrics paper

Market Reality Check

Price: $0.3197 Vol: Volume 48,819 is below 20...

low vol

$0.3197 Last Close

Volume Volume 48,819 is below 20-day average 192,643 (relative volume 0.25x), suggesting a subdued pre-news setup. low

Technical Price at 1.58 is trading below the 200-day MA at 1.69, reflecting a longer-term downtrend into this announcement.

Peers on Argus

Sector peers showed mostly positive moves (e.g., AXTI +21.63%, ATOM +8.33%, ASYS...

Sector peers showed mostly positive moves (e.g., AXTI +21.63%, ATOM +8.33%, ASYS +2.5%), while SMTK was up a modest 1.28%, and no peers appeared on the momentum scanner, pointing to stock-specific rather than broad momentum.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 01 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 01	Technology presentation	Positive	+5.6%	Showcased MiP4 MicroLED backlight with high brightness and GaN savings.
Nov 20	Merger LOI extension	Neutral	-14.7%	Extended non-binding LOI for all-stock merger and adjusted investment deadline.
Nov 20	Merger LOI extension	Neutral	-14.7%	Reiterated LOI extension terms and Nasdaq-listed AI infrastructure focus.
Nov 20	Merger LOI extension	Neutral	-14.7%	Detailed 60-day extension and conditions for proposed all-stock combination.
Nov 13	Earnings and liquidity	Negative	-10.6%	Reported low revenue, high losses, and reliance on bridge financing.

Pattern Detected

Technology showcase news (e.g., new display/semiconductor advances) has coincided with positive reactions, while financing, liquidity, and merger-related disclosures have generally aligned with negative moves.

Recent Company History

Over the last month, Smartkem has combined technical showcases with significant strategic and financial stress. On Nov 13, 2025, Q3 results highlighted minimal revenue of $81,000 and ongoing losses, followed by a -10.56% move. Multiple Nov 20, 2025 LOI extension releases around a proposed Jericho merger saw shares drop about -14.65%, underscoring sensitivity to deal and funding risk. In contrast, the Dec 1, 2025 MicroLED-related presentation coincided with a +5.63% gain. Today’s biometrics breakthrough fits the pattern of technically positive, application-focused news against a challenged financial backdrop.

Market Pulse Summary

The stock surged +10.1% in the session following this news. A strong positive reaction aligns with p...

Analysis

The stock surged +10.1% in the session following this news. A strong positive reaction aligns with prior responses to Smartkem’s technology milestones, such as the +5.63% move after the MicroLED presentation on Dec 1, 2025. However, recent filings show heavy reliance on bridge financing and a small market cap near $9.6M, which may constrain how long enthusiasm persists. Past drops of -10.56% and -14.65% around earnings and LOI updates highlight how funding or deal risks could temper sustained gains.

Key Terms

all-organic-transistor, biometric sensor, liveness detection, active-matrix, +2 more

6 terms

all-organic-transistor technical

"created the world's first all-organic-transistor (AOT) biometric sensor, in collaboration"

An all-organic transistor is an electronic switch built entirely from carbon-based materials rather than traditional silicon, enabling lightweight, flexible, and potentially lower-cost circuits that can bend or be printed like ink. Investors care because this technology can open new product categories (wearable sensors, disposable medical patches, flexible displays) and change manufacturing economics, but trade-offs in speed, durability and scale affect commercial viability much like choosing paper packaging over rigid plastic.

biometric sensor technical

"created the world's first all-organic-transistor (AOT) biometric sensor, in collaboration"

A biometric sensor is a device that measures a person’s physical or physiological traits—like heart rate, fingerprints, facial features or skin temperature—so a system can recognize, monitor or verify them. For investors, these sensors matter because they enable products and services (wearables, security systems, medical monitors) that can drive recurring revenue, open new data-driven markets, and carry regulatory or privacy risks that affect a company’s growth and valuation.

liveness detection technical

"By enabling advanced liveness detection techniques, the sensor can capture subtle signals"

Liveness detection is a security check that ensures a biometric sample—like a face scan, fingerprint or voice—is coming from a real, present person rather than a photo, mask, or recording. Investors care because it reduces identity fraud and chargebacks, supports regulatory compliance for customer verification, and can be a competitive advantage for companies selling or using secure authentication systems, much like a guard verifying someone is actually at the door.

active-matrix technical

"Flexible 256x256 All-Organic-Transistor Active-Matrix Optical Imager with Integrated"

Active-matrix is a display design where each pixel has its own tiny electronic switch and memory so it can change brightness and color quickly and independently—think of a light dimmer for every single dot on the screen. For investors, it matters because this design usually delivers sharper images, faster motion and better power efficiency but can raise manufacturing complexity and costs, which affects product pricing, margins and supplier competitiveness in consumer electronics markets.

optical imager technical

"All-Organic-Transistor Active-Matrix Optical Imager with Integrated Gate Driver"

An optical imager is a device that captures pictures or maps of objects by detecting light—much like a camera or the human eye—and converts that light into digital data for viewing or analysis. For investors, it matters because the quality, cost and uniqueness of an imager determine how well medical scanners, industrial sensors or consumer gadgets perform, which influences product competitiveness, regulatory approval prospects and potential revenue from device sales or licensing.

organic semiconductor technical

"a company developing a new class of organic semiconductor technology, today announced"

An organic semiconductor is a carbon-based material that conducts electrical charge in a controlled way, like silicon does in electronics but with lighter, often flexible and printable properties. For investors, these materials can enable lower-cost, bendable displays, lightweight solar panels and novel sensors, so developments in organic semiconductors can change a company’s product opportunities, manufacturing costs, margins and competitive position—like a new building material that opens different markets.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Paper detailing this breakthrough to be published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as part of a project under the National Key R&D Program of China in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU).

MANCHESTER, England, Dec. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartkem, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMTK), a company developing a new class of organic semiconductor technology, today announced that it has created the world's first all-organic-transistor (AOT) biometric sensor, in collaboration with the SJTU.

This novel technology significantly increases the sensitivity of optical detection for flexible biometric applications, such as finger or palm print recognition on curved surfaces and has the potential to help address challenges like fingerprint spoofing. By enabling advanced liveness detection techniques, the sensor can capture subtle signals that distinguish real fingerprints from fake ones, whether through multi-wavelength imaging or dynamic imaging that reveal motion or blood flow.

A paper describing this new technology, titled 'Flexible 256x256 All-Organic-Transistor Active-Matrix Optical Imager with Integrated Gate Driver' and co-authored by Smartkem Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Simon Ogier, will be published by the IEEE and presented by Prof. Xiuyan Li, SJTU at the 71^st Annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting today, Wednesday, December 10^th, 2025, at 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST.

Presenter	Prof. Xiuyan Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Location	Hilton San Francisco Union Square, USA
Date	Wednesday, December 10
Time	3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST
Presentation Title	Flexible 256x256 All-Organic-Transistor Active-Matrix Optical Imager with Integrated Gate Driver
Abstract	Read abstract here

"This is a true world-first and a powerful demonstration of the many potential use cases for Smartkem's organic transistor platform," said Ian Jenks, Chairman and CEO of Smartkem. "By creating the first fully all-organic-transistor active-matrix biometric sensor, we've shown that OTFT technology can outperform conventional inorganic sensors in sensitivity, while enabling entirely new classes of flexible, curved biometric devices. This work opens the door to a new generation of lightweight, high-performance bio- and optical sensing."

Register for the 71^st Annual IEEE International Electron Device Meeting here.

The paper will be published online following the IEDM 2025 conference in San Francisco. Available to view here.

About Smartkem

Smartkem is seeking to change the world of electronics with a new class of transistors developed using its proprietary advanced semiconductor materials. Our TRUFLEX® semiconductor polymers enable low temperature printing processes that are compatible with existing manufacturing infrastructure to deliver low-cost, high-performance displays. Our semiconductor platform can be used in a range of display technologies including MicroLED, LCD and AMOLED, as well as in applications in advanced computer and AI chip packaging, sensors, and logic.   

Smartkem designs and develops its materials at its research and development facility in Manchester, UK and operates a field application office in Hsinchu, Taiwan, close to collaboration partner, The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), where it provides prototyping services. Smartkem is developing a commercial-scale production process and Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools to demonstrate the commercial viability of manufacturing a new generation of displays using its materials.   

The company has an extensive IP portfolio including 140 granted patents across 17 patent families, 14 pending patents and 40 codified trade secrets. 

For more information, visit the Smartkem website or follow on LinkedIn.  

About IEDM

IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) is the world's pre-eminent forum for reporting technological breakthroughs in the areas of semiconductor and electron-device technology, design, manufacturing, physics, and modeling. IEDM is the flagship conference for nanometer-scale CMOS transistor technology, advanced memory, displays, sensors, MEMS devices, novel quantum and nano-scale devices and phenomenology, optoelectronics, devices for power and energy harvesting, high-speed devices, as well as process technology and device modeling and simulation. The conference scope not only encompasses devices in silicon, compound, and organic semiconductors, but also emerging material systems.

The IEEE Electron Devices Society is dedicated to promoting excellence in the field of electron devices, and sponsors the IEDM. Learn more at https://eds.ieee.org/.

Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-looking statements, including, among other things, its market position and market opportunity, expectations and plans as to its product development, manufacturing and sales, and relations with its partners and investors. These statements are not historical facts but rather are based on Smartkem, Inc.'s current expectations, estimates, and projections regarding its business, operations and other similar or related factors. Words such as "may," "will," "could," "would," "should," "anticipate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "expect," "intend," "plan," "project," "believe," "estimate," and other similar or elated expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult or impossible to predict and, in some cases, beyond the Company's control. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update information in this release to reflect events or circumstances in the future, even if new information becomes available.  

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2822344/5663848/Logo___Smartkem.jpg

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smartkem-unlocks-new-generation-of-flexible-biometrics-with-world-first-all-organic-sensor-302637842.html

SOURCE Smartkem

FAQ

What did Smartkem (SMTK) announce on December 10, 2025 about organic biometric sensors?

Smartkem announced a world-first all-organic-transistor biometric sensor, a flexible 256x256 active-matrix optical imager developed with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

When and where is the SMTK co-authored paper presented at IEDM 2025?

The paper is presented by Prof. Xiuyan Li at the 71st IEDM on December 10, 2025 at 3:15pm PST / 6:15pm EST in San Francisco.

How could the SMTK all-organic sensor affect fingerprint spoofing detection?

The sensor enables advanced liveness detection using multi-wavelength and dynamic imaging to capture signals like motion or blood flow that distinguish real fingerprints from fakes.

Will the Smartkem (SMTK) IEEE paper be publicly available after the presentation?

Yes, the paper will be published online by IEEE following IEDM 2025 and made available to view.

What applications does the SMTK all-organic-transistor imager target?

It targets flexible, curved biometric devices such as finger and palm print recognition on non-flat surfaces and other lightweight optical sensing uses.

Who co-authored the Smartkem paper and which institution collaborated on the research?

The paper is co-authored by Smartkem CTO Dr. Simon Ogier and was developed in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University under a National Key R&D Program of China.