QuickFire Challenge winners look to solve global health issues

Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Janssen Research & Development have announced the winners of the World Without Disease QuickFire Challenge — a global competition that sought comprehensive, end-to-end, integrated solutions that have the potential to improve the health of people around the world.

Over 470 global entrants applied to the competition, with the solutions across the pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer sectors. Of these, just three winners were selected.

Australia’s own Professor Leslie Yeo, based at RMIT University, was awarded for the development of a handheld, personalised nebuliser that could one day deliver lifesaving cancer drugs and vaccines traditionally given by intravenous infusion or injection. Cheap, lightweight and portable, the nebuliser delivers precise, needle-free drug doses to patients with life-threatening or debilitating lung conditions including cancer, tuberculosis, asthma and cystic fibrosis.

US start-up company Glyscend, led by CEO Ashish Nimgaonkar, won its award for reducing the concept of bariatric (gastric bypass) surgery into a pill. The company is developing the first orally administered intestinal barrier which mimics the intestinal bypass portion of bariatric surgery, thus providing the therapeutic benefits of this surgery in pill form.

Another US start-up company, Neurotrack (led by CEO Elli Kaplan), was awarded for its Imprint Check-Up eye-tracking test for cognitive decline. The five-minute test is said to be the only tool that can predict memory loss before it starts and is thus critical for the prevention of cognitive decline.

Each award winner will receive US$500,000 ($660,000) as well as a residency at JLABS, Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s incubator facility, established to support start-ups and entrepreneurs with access to world-class expertise and technology.

“We continue the fight for a world without disease and are inspired by these three highly innovative and forward-looking companies, each of which holds potential to transform patient care for widespread health conditions,” said Melinda Richter, head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation | JLABS. “We look forward to working more closely with these grants recipients as they advance their healthcare innovations with the goal of delivering solutions to the patients that need them.”