Janssen Korea Ltd. and Johnson & Johnson Innovation Announce Awardees of the Seoul Innovation QuickFire Challenge on Healthcare for the New Normal in Collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Korea Health Industry Development Institute

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Janssen Korea Ltd. and Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC today, in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) and Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), named DC Medical and deepmedi as awardees of the Seoul Innovation QuickFire Challenge on Healthcare for the New Normal.  

The awardees will receive up to KRW 150,000,000 (approximately US $125,000¹) in grant funding, one year of residency at the Seoul Bio Hub², and access to mentorship, programming and resources from Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS.

• DC Medical: DC Medical develops and commercializes innovative medical devices, including a portable diagnostic device that uses Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) technology with the goal of detecting the risk of premature birth for mothers.
• deepmedi: deepmedi is developing and providing smartphone sensor-based health information estimation technology through deep learning and image processing.

"As we continue to understand the implications of our new reality, there is a critical need to improve patient care through the uncharted times ahead," said Melinda Richter³, Global Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS. "The Seoul Innovation QuickFire Challenge on Healthcare for the New Normal aimed to leverage the collective strength of Seoul's robust healthcare innovation ecosystem to catalyze forward-thinking innovations harnessing data and technology."

The challenge invited innovators from around the world to submit ideas aiming to address and enable potential healthcare solutions for these challenging times. Specific areas of interest included:

• Health technologies including big data, artificial intelligence, and block chain
• E-health platforms that can improve the patient journey, empowering decision making for physicians and leading to better patient outcomes
• Rapid diagnostics for early detection and monitoring of rare diseases – in particular for Pulmonary Hypertension
• Companion diagnostics for oncology
• Smart systems for vaccine distribution and patient adherence

"In many ways, the pandemic has ushered in a new era of innovation rooted in boundless creativity and passion, which was apparent in the strength of applications we received for this challenge," said Jenny Zheng, Area Managing Director, Janssen North Asia⁴. "We look forward to working with DC Medical and deepmedi with the aim to support the advancement of their innovative science."

The QuickFire Challenge aims to advance breakthrough ideas for healthcare solutions by combining Johnson & Johnson Innovation's unique vision for collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government's efforts to drive innovation and commercialize its research outcomes; KHIDI's professional and systems-building support; and the Seoul Bio Hub's ability to accelerate the development and commercialization of potential early-stage life science solutions.

DC Medical and deepmedi join six previous Seoul Innovation QuickFire Challenges awardees named annually between 2017 through 2019.

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 QuickFire Challenge campaigns to seek out the best science. For more information, visit www.jlabs.jnjinnovation.com or follow @JLABS. 

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At Janssen, we're creating a future where disease is a thing of the past. We're the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, working tirelessly to make that future a reality for patients everywhere by fighting sickness with science, improving access with ingenuity, and healing hopelessness with heart. We focus on areas of medicine where we can make the biggest difference: Cardiovascular & Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Diseases & Vaccines, Neuroscience, Oncology, and Pulmonary Hypertension. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/JanssenGlobal. Janssen Korea Ltd. is one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. 

Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 related to a new collaboration and product development. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Janssen Korea Ltd., any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the potential that the expected benefits and opportunities related to the collaboration may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; challenges inherent in new product development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and obtaining regulatory approvals; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; uncertainty of commercial success for new products; the ability of the company to successfully execute strategic plans; impact of business combinations and divestitures; challenges to patents; changes in behavior and spending patterns or financial distress of purchasers of health care products and services; and global health care reforms and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Janssen Korea Ltd., any of the other Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC and Johnson & Johnson do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.

¹ South Korean Won equals 0.00083 United States Dollar
² From the KRW150 million grant, each awardee will receive a KRW75 million grant including one-year mandatory residency, which must be used toward the rent and utilities at the Seoul Bio Hub for a year.
³ Melinda Richter is employed by Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC
⁴ Jenny Zheng is employed by Janssen Korea Ltd.

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Related Links

http://www.jnjinnovation.com

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