Janssen Labs Expanding and Accelerating Coast to Coast -- Unveils Plan to Enhance the Innovation Ecosystem with New Incubator in South San Francisco and Awards One Year of Lab Space to Three Innovative Healthcare Companies in Boston

SAN DIEGO, May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Labs, part of Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen), today announced plans to open Janssen Labs @South San Francisco, a new 30,000-square foot, standalone operation based at 329 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, CA. The new location will accommodate up to 50 independent, emerging companies to be co-located with staff from Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC. Like the successful flagship Janssen Labs in San Diego, Janssen Labs @South San Francisco will include a combination of shared and private lab and office spaces and feature value-added solutions including operational support, education and business services. Janssen Labs @South San Francisco is scheduled to open at the end of the year.   

In addition to the expansion in California, today Janssen Labs, in collaboration with the Johnson & Johnson Innovation center in Boston, selected three emerging companies that will be awarded $50,000 each to become a part of the Janssen Labs @LabCentral community for one year, located in the Kendall Square biotech hub in Cambridge, MA. These companies will be announced on stage at the New England Venture Capital Association's 2nd Annual NEVY Awards tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET at the House of Blues in Boston.

"Our goal is to improve the investment profile of life science companies by drastically reducing the cost and time to market," said Melinda Richter, head of Janssen Labs. "What started as an experiment has evolved into a proven, comprehensive model that is expanding. Ultimately, success is to bring more solutions to patients that need them." 

Janssen Labs currently hosts 53 life science companies across its three incubators located in San Diego, San Francisco (Janssen Labs @QB3) and Boston (Janssen Labs @LabCentral). Janssen Labs in San Diego opened its doors in January 2012 offering emerging life science companies modular wet lab units and office space, as well as shared core laboratory equipment and business facilities. The flagship incubator has since expanded to add a concept lab offering single bench spaces, as well as an open collaboration office area designed to provide a high-energy space where entrepreneurs can interact and exchange ideas.

Several Janssen Labs occupants have entered into strategic relationships across the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, including:

• Araxes Pharma, residing at Janssen Labs in San Diego, formed a cancer drug discovery and development collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc. Araxes is part of Wellspring Biosciences LLC.
• Alector, residing at Janssen Labs @QB3, established a collaboration to explore a novel Alzheimer's disease target with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Assembly Pharmaceuticals, a company residing at Janssen Labs @QB3 in the Bay Area received an investment from Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, the venture capital arm of Johnson & Johnson.

In addition, several Janssen Labs occupants have entered into strategic relationships with other industry partners or have received further investment since joining Janssen Labs.

Janssen Labs @South San Francisco will also be home to staff of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center in California who catalyze collaborations between regional innovators and the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. Based in Menlo Park, the Johnson & Johnson Innovation center in California is home to a team of business, science and transaction experts who are focused on identifying and building novel early-stage collaborations with emerging companies, entrepreneurs and academic centers across western North America. This team has full and broad deal-making capabilities, with flexibility to adapt deal structures to match early-stage needs and opportunities.

Janssen Labs is currently accepting applications from biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, consumer and digital health companies for all of its sites, including the South San Francisco incubator. To apply visit https://www.janssenlabs.com/contactus/application. 

About Janssen Labs
Janssen Labs, part of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, is a life science incubator providing emerging companies many of the advantages of being in a big company, without the capital investment. Janssen Labs offers singular bench tops, modular wet lab units and office space on a short-term basis, allowing companies to pay only for the space they need, with an option to quickly expand when they have the resources to do so. Companies residing at Janssen Labs also have access to core research labs hosting specialized capital equipment and shared administrative areas. Janssen Labs is an open innovation model, and the agreement for space does not grant Janssen any stake in the companies, nor will the companies have a guaranteed future affiliation with Janssen. The flagship facility is located in San Diego at Janssen's West Coast Research Center, and Janssen Labs has now established locations in San Francisco through a collaboration with the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), and in Boston, through a collaboration with Lab Central. The new facility Janssen Labs @South San Francisco is leased space from HCP BTC, LLC. For more information please visit www.janssenlabs.com.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC focuses on accelerating early-stage innovation worldwide and forming collaborations between entrepreneurs and Johnson & Johnson's global healthcare businesses. Johnson & Johnson Innovation provides scientists, entrepreneurs and emerging companies one-stop access to science and technology experts who can facilitate collaborations across the pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics and consumer companies of Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson Innovation includes local deal-making capabilities with the flexibility to adapt deal structures to match early-stage opportunities and establish novel collaborations that speed development of innovations to solve unmet needs in patients. For more information please visit: www.jnjinnovation.com

Janssen Research & Development, LLC
Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen), is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.  Janssen is headquartered in Raritan, N.J., and has facilities in Europe, the United States and Asia. Janssen is leveraging drug discovery and drug development in a variety of therapeutic areas, including Neuroscience, Oncology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, and Cardiovascular and Metabolism to address unmet medical needs worldwide.  

SOURCE Janssen Research & Development, LLC