J&J forms groups to tackle prevention, microbiome

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced on Thursday the creation of three new dedicated groups to concentrate its R&D work in disease interception, disease prevention and microbiome research. Each of the new groups will collaborate with the pharma's existing therapeutic areas -- cardiovascular and metabolism; immunology; infectious diseases and vaccines; neuroscience; and oncology -- and with external partners in industry and academia.

The Disease Interception Accelerator will research ways to predict and prevent progression to disease in at-risk populations. The group's first research collaboration, with the juvenile diabetes advocacy group JDRF, aims to develop diagnostics, therapeutics or combination approaches intended to prevent the onset of Type I diabetes in individuals who are at risk for the disease, before clinical symptoms emerge. ...