Johnson & Johnson Launches Next Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced on April 25, 2022 the launch of the J&J Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery (Satellite Center) at the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Centre, University of Cape Town, in Cape Town, South Africa.

This launch expands the J&J Centers for Global Health Discovery (J&J Centers), a global network of research collaborations between the company and leading research institutions to address some of the world’s most pressing global health challenges. The Satellite Center at H3D will work to address the present and rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with a specific focus on multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB), which is a prevalent threat globally, and specifically in Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named AMR to be one of the top 10 global health threats because of its potential to transform easily treatable diseases into deadly killers by rendering medicines and treatments ineffective. According to a press release, more than 5 million deaths were attributed to AMR in 2019, making it one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

“Investing to increase the capacity of the innovation ecosystem in Africa is critical to strengthening the R&D pipeline for entrenched and emerging global health challenges,” said Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, MD, PhD, global head, global public health R&D at Janssen Research & Development, LLC. “By leveraging the unique strengths of H3D and the J&J Centers, we can cultivate the talent and capacity needed to drive innovation in the global fight against AMR.”

Source: Johnson and Johnson