J&J Innovation unveils 15 new deals

The Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) announced 15 new collaborations Friday, including a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania to develop a gene therapy to treat Alzheimer's disease. The partners will use the university's adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to deliver antibodies developed by J&J's Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. unit that target "the main pathological hallmarks" of AD. Janssen will have exclusive, worldwide rights to commercialize resulting products.

During a multiyear collaboration, J&J Innovation will work with Beacon Discovery Inc. (San Diego, Calif.), a GCPR discovery incubator, to develop next-generation therapeutics to treat obesity and other metabolic diseases. Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA) formed Beacon in 2016...