Janssen licenses innovative diabetes research programmes

Janssen has licensed a portfolio of small molecule and biologic research programmes in the field of diabetes from Evotec and Harvard University.

The company will gain exclusive access to new technology oriented around the regeneration of insulin-producing beta cells, thus helping to reverse a process that is integral to the onset of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Evotec, Harvard and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have been working together on the CureBeta project since 2011, building on pioneering work by Dr Douglas Melton.

Beta cells located in the pancreatic islet play a vital role in synthesising, storing and secreting insulin, with their progressive failure and loss causing diabetes.

Dr Peter DiBattiste, global therapeutic head for cardiovascular and metabolism at Janssen Research and Development, said: "This collaboration strengthens our long-term diabetes development pipeline and directly reflects our commitment to making a difference for the millions of people worldwide living with this disease."

Last month, the company expanded its capabilities further through the acquisition of Corimmun, a privately held German drug development company.