Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the incubation arm of healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), said today that it’s investing in a variety of medical device and pharmaceutical programs, including 3D printing, coatings and contact lenses.
The new”investments and strategic transactions” feature a joint effort with MIT spinout Inkbit Corp., which is developing “a unique multi-material 3-D printing technology” that’s well-suited to complex consumer products with integrated electronics, the company said. J&J said its Johnson & Johnson Services division will help Inkbit optimize and validate its additive manufacturing system.
Another research program involves Slips Technologies and its coating technology, “in which residual process fluids slip right off,” aiming to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes, J&J said.
The J&J Innovations facility in Boston and the company’s vision care business inked a pair of deals with the University of Waterloo in Ontario to develop contact lenses with “unparalleled visual performance and new health benefits,” the company said.
“Fulfilling the unmet needs facing patients today requires continued investment in the ideas that could become the healthcare solutions that improve and extend patients’ lives in the future,” chief scientific officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in prepared remarks. “Today’s collaborations illustrate Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s continued commitment to identifying and advancing the most innovative ideas – wherever they originate – that could transform patients’ lives, particularly those in most need in developing parts of the world.”
Last month, J&J inked a deal with a subsidiary of Hewlett Packard to develop 3D printing tech for “better healthcare outcomes at reduced costs” and added 24 companies to J&J Innovation’s JLabs incubator in Toronto.
