J&J Innovation announces 17 collaborations to focus on advancing global healthcare
Research alliance with Washington University marks first collaboration for Janssen Disease Interception Accelerator in type 1 diabetes
Johnson & Johnson Innovation has announced 17 new collaborations with research institutions and healthcare companies, bringing the total number of collaborations formed since the 2013 launch of Johnson & Johnson Innovation to more than 200. This announcement includes the first alliance for the Disease Interception Accelerator (DIA), a research agreement with Washington University to identify the root cause of type 1 diabetes and enable the development of interventions that halt progression to disease.
‘Johnson & Johnson Innovation is focused on bringing forward cutting-edge healthcare solutions that could extend and improve lives. These collaborations announced aim to accelerate innovation at all stages of research and development,’ said Dr Paul Stoffels, Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals. ‘We are committed to working with researchers around the world to push the boundaries of what science and medicine can achieve to transform healthcare.’
Intercepting type 1 diabetes
The DIA and Janssen Pharmaceuticals have formed a first-of-its-kind collaboration with award-winning immunologist Dr Emil Unanue, Paul & Ellen Lacy Professor of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University. Through this collaboration, the role of antigen presenting cells in the initiation and progression of type 1 diabetes in humans will be explored.
The ability to detect and potentially intercept type 1 diabetes in at-risk individuals before the disease sets in or insulin dependence develops has the potential to greatly improve health and well-being. ‘We are pursuing disease interception to discover and develop novel solutions to halt or alter disease-causing processes in at-risk patients,’ said Dr Benjamin Wiegand, Head, DIA, Janssen Research & Development.
‘The research collaboration with Dr Unanue and Washington University is an example of the exciting work underway in our first disease area, focused on type 1 diabetes. We believe collaborations linking our internal expertise with leading external research can bring about transformational medical solutions across many diseases where strong scientific rationale exists to intercept disease,’ he added.
Other collaborations include
- advancing new healthcare products in China
- launching a Nordic innovation
- collaborating with Toronto-based MaRS Innovatoin
- building strategic alliances with German scientists
- improving the prediction of human response to drugs
- exploring new antibody discovery platforms
- advancing treatments for inflammatory bowel disease
- identifying environmental factors involved in asthma
- addressing the underlying causes of ankylosing spondylitis
- harnessing the power of kinase inhibitors
- developing drugs for dengue fever
- teaming with South African scientists on a potential hepatitis B cure
- working to improve orthopaedic surgeries
- advancing RNA-based medicines
- working to improve health outcomes.
