Johnson & Johnson, Children’s National launch JLABS @ Washington, DC

Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC and Children’s NationalHealth System (Children’s National) are collaborating to launch JLABS @Washington, DC – a 32,000-square foot facility to be located at the newChildren’s National Research and Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C. ThisChildren’s National expansion is set on a nearly 12-acre portion of the formerWalter Reed Army Medical Center campus in the nation’s capital. The co-locationof the Research and Innovation Campus with key partners in the areas of publichealth research, innovation and incubator space is critical to accelerating thetranslation of potential breakthrough discoveries into new treatments andtechnologies. The JLABS @ Washington, DC site will be open to pharmaceutical,medical device, consumer and health technology companies that are aiming toadvance the development of new drugs, medical devices, precision diagnosticsand health technologies, including applications in pediatrics.

This collaboration marks the second time Johnson &Johnson and Children’s National have teamed up to emphasize the importance ofinvesting in the health and well-being of babies and children around the world.Through either sponsorship or membership, both entities founded Safe KidsWorldwide, a nonprofit organization aiming to help families and communitieskeep kids safe from injuries.

“The vision we pursued for this campus required a globalinnovation partner with a strong commitment to pediatric health and a clearunderstanding of the next big areas of opportunity for improving human health.We believe the JLABS model is exactly what is needed to help us drivediscoveries that are then rapidly translated into new treatments andtechnologies,” said Kurt Newman, M.D., president and Chief Executive Officer,Children’s National.

Children’s National leads the FDA-funded National CapitalConsortium for Pediatric Device Innovation in collaboration with the Universityof Maryland, College Park. The consortium has provided mentorship support tomore than 60 medical device startups to help advance their pediatricinnovations. Five of the devices assisted by this program have received eitherCE Mark approval or FDA market clearance. Children’s National has also spun outmore than 20 start-up companies from its own intellectual property.

Children’s National is currently ranked 7th in NationalInstitutes of Health (NIH) research funding among pediatric hospitals. The newcampus will allow Children’s National to expand its research programs. A keyarea of expansion when the campus opens will be high-impact opportunities inpediatric genomic and precision medicine, anchored by the organization’s Centerfor Genetic Medicine Research and Rare Disease Institute. Its proximity tofederal research institutions and agencies, universities, and academic researchcenters enables the new Children’s National campus to leverage the ecosystem ofthe public and private sectors to help bolster innovation.

JLABS, in addition to offering emerging life sciencecompanies modular lab units, office space, shared core laboratory equipment andbusiness facilities, will link the entrepreneurs within the district and acrossthe greater Virginia and Maryland regions with the full breadth of the Johnson& Johnson Innovation model, including opportunities for funding,third-party services, educational events and R&D experts from medicaltechnology, consumer healthcare product and Janssen pharmaceutical teams. Inaddition to providing access to scientific, industry and capital fundingexperts from across the industry, JLABS @ Washington, DC will also follow thesame no-strings attached approach currently in operation in San Diego; SanFrancisco; South San Francisco; Boston; Lowell, MA; Houston; Toronto; New YorkCity; Beerse, Belgium; and Shanghai, China (opening June 2019).

Global Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS,Melinda Richter said, “The JLABS’ no-strings-attached model aims to remove thebarriers for startups by providing the resources they need without taking anyequity or intellectual property and encourages collaboration by providingaccess to the world’s leading experts, executives, and funders to grow theircompanies. With JLABS @ Washington, DC housed at this one-of-a-kind facilityfor pediatric research, we complement the Children’s National’s mission whilefurther strengthening and expanding the region’s network to encompass the fullbreadth of science and technology innovators who are focused on developingtransformative solutions to improve lives. In this model, our goal is to providea platform for innovators to be ‘heroes in their own hometown’ while enhancingand saving lives, including those of our most precious and vulnerable, all overthe world.”