US-listed multinational pharmaceutical firm Johnson and Johnson (J&J) has opened its Boston Innovation Centre, the third of four regional life sciences collaboration hubs.
J&J announced last year an initiative to open four innovation hubs in some of the world’s leading life sciences hubs, specifically London, Boston, California and China, in an effort to increase collaboration between the firm and early-stage life science opportunities.
The centre will be home to a team of business, science experts and representatives of J&J’s venture arm Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation with the aim of identifying and supporting early-stage collaborations with new firms, entrepreneurs and academic centres located around the Massachusetts area.
The Boston Centre’s first collaborations include a research alliance with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to examine inflammatory bowel disease, investments in biotech startups Rodin Therapeutics and Vedanta Biosciences, and an expansion deal with Janssen Labs, currently located in San Diego and the University of California, San Francisco
Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer, said: “The East Coast’s significance as a hotbed for life sciences innovation grounded in collaboration is indisputable, and continues to grow. With the establishment of our Boston Innovation Centre, we look forward to further fostering collaboration with some of the world’s leading scientists, renowned academic centres, and influential entrepreneurs to enable future innovations that will advance human health.”
