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Janssen Joins Dementia Project
Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies plan to invest $10 million in a new UK government-led global dementia discovery fund for research to find ways to prevent and treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The investment will come through its affiliate venture arm, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc.
The global Dementia Discovery Fund brings together industry, governments and nonprofit organizations to generate new investment sources to support “novel translational science,” according to Johnson & Johnson. The company is a founding collaborator of the fund along with the UK Government Department of Health.
“At Johnson & Johnson, we are proud to work with the UK government and other partners on the establishment of the global Dementia Discovery Fund,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most critical public health problems, and it will be solved by working collaboratively. This means supporting leading scientists and working side by side with industry, government, and other groups to fund promising science that will lead to new treatments.”
Dementia is a progressive condition that slowly robs people of their ability to think and function. Approximately 44 million people worldwide suffer from dementia. The number is expected to double by 2030 and more than triple by 2050, according to Johnson & Johnson.
Janssen has a comprehensive Alzheimer’s disease research and development program, concentrating on slowing or preventing disease progression. Researchers at the company are studying hallmarks of the illness – amyloid plaques, tau tangles and loss of nerve cell connections in the brain– all of which can lead to Alzheimer’s dementia. Research projects include small molecule treatments, antibodies and therapeutic vaccines. Janssen also currently is involved in numerous scientific collaborations in this field.
Source: Johnson & Johnson
Published: March 25, 2015
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