J&J’s New Innovation Center To Serve Asia

Johnson & Johnson Innovation announces R&D collaborations with universities and industry partners along with opening of its Asia Pacific Innovation Center.

AsianScientist (Nov. 10, 2014) – Johnson & Johnson Innovation has opened its Asia Pacific Innovation Center, located in Shanghai with satellites in Singapore, Australia and Japan. With local science and technology experts and deal-making capabilities, the Center will identify and develop promising early-stage opportunities across the Company’s three areas of focus: Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices and Diagnostics and Consumer healthcare products.

“We are excited to launch the Asia Pacific Innovation Center which builds on the momentum of our Centers in London, California and Boston. Our goal is to collaborate with the best minds in the region to advance new technologies and deliver transformative solutions for the people of China and Asia Pacific at large, and throughout the world,” said Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals.

To date, the Innovation Centers have established more than 80 collaborations, including six announced today with organizations in Australia and China.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation is working with key stakeholders in China including the government, industry and academic partners to accelerate innovation for China and around the world. Through the Innovation Center, regionally-based entrepreneurs and scientists in Asia Pacific have one-stop access to customized support for promising early-stage ideas and technologies including funding, early and commercial expertise.

“The Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies has a long standing presence in China extending back almost 30 years,” commented Mr. Jesse Wu, Chairman, Johnson & Johnson China. “The Asia Pacific Innovation Center supports our larger goal to address China’s specific healthcare needs, invest in local capabilities, and increase our external collaborations.”

In collaboration with Peking University, Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Johnson & Johnson Innovation will work to identify agonists and antagonists for G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to help develop novel medicines. GPCRs interact with proteins in a cell’s plasma membrane and play a role in many biological processes. An imbalance in GPCR signalling may be implicated in cognitive and other neurologic diseases. Through the collaboration, Peking University will screen candidates using their novel assay.

Janssen Research & Development and Johnson & Johnson Innovation has also established an R&D collaboration with Zhejiang University to elucidate the physiological and pathological role of human lactate receptor GPR81 in the regulation of metabolism and metabolic syndrome such as dyslipidemia, obesity, and diabetes.

The Asia Pacific Innovation Center will establish a regular presence in Suzhou BioBAY, an incubator with more than 400 companies in the areas of drug discovery, biotech, IVD, medical devices and nanotech. The office will function as an extension of the Asia Pacific Innovation Center to work with academics and entrepreneurs on a more local basis. The Innovation Center Partnering Offices are part of a broader strategy to interact more directly with life science clusters around the world.

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Source: Johnson & Johnson Innovation
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