J&J Announces 15 New Collaborations

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Innovation announced

focused on developing novel healthcare solutions in areas of high unmet needs, the company said in a statement released on Jan. 5, 2017. In the statement, J&J said Janssen entered a collaboration and option agreement with Bird Rock Bio, which is evaluating a CB-1-targeting antibody, namacizumab, in Phase I trials. J&J said the drug is an investigational nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) treatment, and that Janssen has exclusive rights to acquire Bird Rock Bio following the Phase I data readout.

Janssen is also collaborating with Amorsa Therapeutics and Synthetic Genomics. The company is collaborating with Amorsa Therapeutics to develop new treatments for depression. Both companies have entered a research, option, and license agreement for Amorsa to use their proprietary ketamine analog technology to develop new antidepressants. Janssen and Prevention B.V. will collaborate with Snythetic Genomics on ribonucleic acid (RNA) to treat infectious diseases and cancers. In an agreement supporting the Johnson & Johnson Global Public Health organization, Janssen will work with the Medicines for Malaria Venture to develop a long-acting injectable anti-malarial agent.

In the statement, J&J also announced JLINX’s, an initiative by J&J in Europe to identify early-stage companies pursuing research opportunities, first resident companies. In 2017, J&J has added S-Biomedic, Caelus Health, Octimet Oncology, and eTheRNA to its list of resident companies. For more information about the J&J Innovation Global collaborations, view the

Source: Johnson & Johnson Innovation