Over the past decade there has been a consistent decline in focus on basic science in global health, but there are clear steps we can take to turn the tide and deliver innovations against the diseases that disproportionately impact the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. 

The J&J Centers are a pillar of Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to solve some of the world’s most pressing health challenges by leading collaborations that accelerate lifesaving innovations from the lab to the last mile. The J&J Centers will turn science into solutions that advance a healthier, safer and more just world where everyone, everywhere, can thrive. 

The J&J Centers are powered by an initial five-year commitment in partnership with a local institution to leverage established infrastructure, like lab space, and recruit local scientific and technical staff. The partnership will provide long-term professional opportunities while advancing the R&D needed to meet the needs of underserved communities. 

J&J Satellite Center at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine 

The J&J Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery at LSHTM, launched in July 2021, combines the unique breadth, depth and experience of Johnson & Johnson with the expertise of one of the world’s foremost global health research institutes to accelerate discovery research. The Satellite Center is specifically focused on advancing the development of next-generation drug regimens capable of treating all forms of TB, which are needed to counter the rising threat of AMR. TB is an ancient and deadly disease which still kills 1.6 million people each year and accounts for nearly one-third of all deaths from AMR. 

J&J Satellite Center at the Holistic Drug Discovery & Development Centre 

The J&J Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery at the Holistic Drug Discovery and Development Centre (H3D), University of Cape Town, South Africa, launched in April 2022, is working to drive solutions to address the present and rising threat of AMR in the region and around the world. The Satellite Center at H3D is focused specifically on multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, which are particularly concerning to public health because of their resistance to multiple antibiotics and the limited availability of treatment options.  

As the first and only J&J Satellite Center on the continent, this partnership leverages the unique strengths of both organizations to substantially expand H3D’s infectious disease drug discovery portfolio, while catalyzing investment to help further strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the region.

J&J Satellite Center at Duke-NUS 

Launched in June 2022, the J&J Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery at Duke=NUS Medical School, Singapore is working to advance health threats posed by flaviviruses, such as dengue, which infect over 400 million people each year. This collaboration is critical, as global warming threatens to exacerbate the problem by enabling the vectors that carry flaviviruses to venture beyond their tropical habitats. 

 As the first Satellite Center in the Asia-Pacific region, it builds on the longstanding collaboration between the two organizations and marks the SingHealth Duke-NUS Medical Centre’s latest efforts to develop a collaborative Discovery District on its campus. By using state-of-the-art approaches in molecular virology and innovative in vivo approaches to evaluate candidate drugs in model systems, the Satellite Center aims to develop a drug pipeline for dengue and other flaviviral diseases.