Johnson & Johnson Innovation Announces Awardee of the Reimagining Respiratory Protection QuickFire Challenge and Launches the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge in Collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS (JLABS) and Janssen Research & Development, LLC, in collaboration with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced Air99 as the awardee of the Reimagining Respiratory Protection QuickFire Challenge and also launched the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge.

Air99 will receive $100,000 in funding from BARDA, access to the JLABS ecosystem and mentoring to aid in the development of their innovative respirator designed with the aim to fit, look and work better than conventional pollution and face masks.

"At Johnson & Johnson Innovation, we recognize the growing unmet need around infectious disease prevention and protection. Developing technologies to shield against respiratory pathogens can have an individual and global impact. A breakthrough solution not only has the potential to save one life, but in doing so can protect a whole community from an outbreak," said Sally Allain, Head of JLABS @ Washington, DC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS. She joined Rick Bright, Ph.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and Director of BARDA to make the announcements at BARDA Industry Day, where the public and private sectors convene to advance health security efforts for the protection of the nation and people around the globe.

According to the 2018 Worldwide Threat Assessement by the U.S. Intelligence Community, the frequency and diversity of disease outbreaks have steadily increased since 1980. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response cites an increasing number of immunocompromised and/or unvaccinated people, global mobility, and antibiotic resistance as contributing factors to a heightened threat of infectious disease. New solutions that are suitable for all populations and ages and can easily integrate into every day life are needed to protect individuals and communities.

Reinforcing their joint commitment to global pandemic preparedeness, JLABS and BARDA also announced a new QuickFire Challenge.The Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge invites visionaries to submit ideas for potential solutions that repel and protect against airborne viruses while integrating seamlessly into everyday life. The innovator(s) with the best idea will be awarded up to $200,000 in funding, access to the JLABS ecosystem and support in developing their ideas from BARDA for one year, to advance health security products and technologies as they navigate research, development and regulatory pathways.

"Our partnership with BARDA on the Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge deepens our engagement with experts and start-up innovators working on the frontlines combatting 21st century health threats," said Melinda Richter, Global Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS.

As part of the JLABS @ Washington, DC opening in the nation's capital in late 2020, BARDA will maintain a specialized innovation zone dedicated to the advancement of medical countermeasures aimed at securing our nation from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, as well as from pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases. The innovation zone will provide residency for emerging companies focused on developing solutions to improve the speed and effectiveness of a medical countermeasures response to emerging pathogens and health security threats.

"Our interconnected world demands that we all work together to prepare and protect our communities against public health emergencies," added Bright. "Our ongoing collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation through the QuickFire Challenge program and JLABS @ Washington, DC, is a shining example of how the public and private sectors have come together to accelerate innovative research and development efforts that address evolving health security threats and our ability to effectively respond to help save lives in times of crisis."

The Invisible Shield QuickFire Challenge encourages innovators to submit their novel ideas starting today, October 15, 2019 through February 14, 2020. The awardees will be announced in the fall of 2020. For more information about the application process, please visit https://jlabs.buzz/invisibleshield.

The QuickFire Challenge is managed by JLABS, a global network of open innovation ecosystems, enabling and empowering innovators across a broad healthcare spectrum to create and accelerate the delivery of life-saving, life-enhancing health and wellness solutions to patients around the world. 

For more information about the QuickFire Challenges, please visit: https://jlabs.jnjinnovation.com/quickfire-challenges.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation 

Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC focuses on accelerating all stages of innovation worldwide and forming collaborations between entrepreneurs and Johnson & Johnson's global healthcare businesses. Johnson & Johnson Innovation provides scientists, entrepreneurs and emerging companies with one-stop access to science and technology experts who can facilitate collaborations across the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer companies of Johnson & Johnson. Under the Johnson & Johnson Innovation umbrella of businesses, we connect with innovators through our regional Innovation Centers; Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS; Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc.; and our business development teams to create customized deals and novel collaborations that speed development of innovations to solve unmet needs in patients. JLABS provides the laboratories, expertise, education, tools and resources needed to help life science startups thrive, all with no strings attached. A Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center for Device Innovation at the Texas Medical Center (CDI @ TMC) has been established to accelerate the development of medical devices. For more information about Johnson & Johnson Innovation, please visit: www.jnjinnovation.com.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS

Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS (JLABS) is a global network of open innovation ecosystems, enabling and empowering innovators across a broad healthcare spectrum including pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and health tech sectors to create and accelerate the delivery of life-saving, life-enhancing health and wellness solutions to patients around the world. JLABS achieves this by providing the optimal environment for emerging companies to catalyze growth and optimize their research and development by opening them to vital industry connections, delivering entrepreneurial programs and providing a capital-efficient, flexible platform where they can transform the scientific discoveries of today into the breakthrough healthcare solutions of tomorrow. At JLABS, we value great ideas and are passionate about removing obstacles to success to help innovators unleash the potential of their early scientific discoveries. JLABS is a no-strings-attached model, which means entrepreneurs are free to develop their science while holding on to their intellectual property. JLABS also produces campaigns to seek out the best science called QuickFire Challenges. For more information, visit https://jlabs.jnjinnovation.com/ or follow @JLABS. 

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science.

We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenGlobal.

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Innovation