On April 25 2022, H3D and Johnson and Johnson (J&J) celebrated the launch of the new J&J Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery at H3D University of Cape Town.
The need for a diverse, global scientific network that can stimulate more innovation in more places has never been more evident. Put simply, more innovation – driven by empowered, local innovators – is needed to help confront health challenges facing communities around the world and close the health equity gap.
J&J is committed to fostering this kind of innovation – from the lab to the last mile of health delivery. By joining forces with the H3D Center, together we will focus on advancing early-stage research to outpace the rising challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by bringing together the resources of the world’s largest healthcare company with the technical expertise and talent of the first drug discovery and development institution in Africa.
AMR has been named one of the top ten global health threats by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has the power to transform easily treated diseases into deadly killers by rendering medicines and medical innovations ineffective. In 2019, more than 5 million deaths were attributed to AMR, making it one of the leading causes of death worldwide. MDR Gram-negative bacteria are particularly concerning to public health because of their resistance to multiple antibiotics and the limited availability of treatment options. Currently, all three of the resistant bacteria described as critical priority level by the WHO are Gram-negative.
The Satellite Center at H3D, the only one in Africa, marks the first expansion in a network of research partnerships that we first launched in mid-2021, and additional Satellite Centers are expected to open in the future. Find out more about this innovative, localized research network here.