Robert C. Robbins, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the Texas Medical Center
Robert C. Robbins, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the Texas Medical Center
Innovation

Texas Medical Center and Johnson & Johnson Innovation announce new incubator

Texas Medical Center and Johnson & Johnson Innovation announce new incubator

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Johnson & Johnson Innovation, LLC., today announced plans to expand JLABS (formally called Janssen Labs) to include a new incubator located within Texas Medical Center’s new Innovation Institute. This facility is located at 2450 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas. The 30,000-square foot JLABS facility will accommodate up to 50 life science startups.

“As one of the top five global biotechnology clusters, and home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, Houston is a flourishing life science hub in which we see great potential for an incubator to enable the talented scientists in the region to take their innovation to the next level,” said Melinda Richter, head of JLABS, part of Johnson & Johnson Innovation. “The continued demand for our JLABS model fueled our decision to expand with JLABS @TMC, which furthers our goal of helping entrepreneurs advance science with the potential to become transformational solutions for patients.”

Johnson & Johnson Innovation seeks to find the best science and technology, no matter where it is, to solve the greatest unmet needs of our time. JLABS @TMC will link regional entrepreneurs with the full breadth of Johnson & Johnson Innovation including funding, services and education with direct access to R&D expertise from our medical device and diagnostic technologies, consumer healthcare products, and Janssen pharmaceuticals teams. JLABS @TMC will also follow the same no-strings attached approach currently in operation at the California- and Boston-based JLABS facilities.

“The arrival of JLABS @TMC creates a resource-rich environment that will not only support new startups fueled by the numerous medical and research institutes in the region, but will also be attractive to investors and entrepreneurs in the strong Texas life science industry. We look forward to launching the life science incubator in our space with JLABS and supporting their efforts to help bring innovation in the region to market,” said Robert C. Robbins, president and chief executive officer of the Texas Medical Center.

The announcement is part of a main stage presentation at today’s Texas FreshAIR Annual Conference.  The University of Texas System FreshAIR initiative is an effort to create successful partnerships between UT System health institutions and the life sciences industry. The University of Texas is part of the Texas Medical Center. TMCx is a life science accelerator and one of the core components of TMC’s Innovation Institute, which offers entrepreneurs a full spectrum of support, including curriculum about entrepreneurship, a network of advisors and mentors as well as access to strategic and venture investors.

The JLABS network currently hosts 70 life science companies across its three active facilities located in San Diego, San Francisco (JLABS @QB3) and Boston (JLABS @LabCentral). As announced earlier this year, JLABS @South San Francisco will open in early 2015 and will accommodate up to 50 companies in the Bay area. Applications are currently being accepted across all sites from biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, consumer and digital health companies, including the Houston incubator. To apply visit jlabs.jnjinnovation.com.

The flagship location, JLABS in San Diego, opened its doors in January 2012, offering emerging life science companies modular wet lab units and office space, as well as shared core laboratory equipment and business facilities. The flagship incubator has since expanded to add a concept lab offering single bench spaces, as well as an open collaboration office area designed to provide a high-energy space where entrepreneurs can interact and exchange ideas. JLABS regularly holds events designed to strengthen an entrepreneur’s tool kit, ranging from topics such as best practices when filing a biologic IND to key insights from those that have completed successful IPOs.

Read more about this exciting partnership here.

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