Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has signed 15 new partnerships to explore, develop and advance new medical devices, therapeutics and consumer health solutions.

Formed through Johnson & Johnson Innovation arm, the collaborations include use of artificial intelligence by Canada-based WinterLight Labs for the early detection of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease.

The arm and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (JPI) penned an exclusive research collaboration to use University of Pennsylvania’s adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors delivery for the treatment of the disease.

Johnson & Johnson Innovation and JPI also partnered with the Northern California Institute for Research and Education and the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center to monitor brain health in elderly people.

An alliance with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will involve the development of a saliva-based diagnostic test to identify throat cancers early.

J&J will also work with the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to prevent, intercept and cure lung cancer, and with Singapore-based MiRXES to develop a new diagnostic for early detection of cancer.

With MiNDERA, the firm is advancing a minimally invasive microneedle device being developed for the research, diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory skin diseases.

Johnson & Johnson Vision and Narayana Nethralaya Foundation and Medical Research Foundation partnered for the discovery and validation of diagnostic tools to identify individual vision-care needs.

The collaborations also include microbiome therapeutics developer Holobiome for the treatment of central and enteric nervous system diseases.

The firm has also partnered with various organisations to work on treatments for a variety of other diseases, including skin conditions, psoriasis, and metabolic diseases such as obesity and myopia.

J&J executive vice-president and chief scientific officer Paul Stoffels said: “By advancing transformative healthcare innovations together with entrepreneurs, academic centers and institutions, we are one step closer to addressing many pressing global healthcare challenges.”