LIFE SCIENCES
LIFE SCIENCES
Building on a Legacy In Dynamic , Innovative Ways
By Diane Walsh Editor , COMMERCE
New Jersey is the cradle of the life sciences industry . The rich history dates back to 1886 when the pharmaceutical giant , Johnson & Johnson , was founded in New Brunswick . Today ’ s scientists and engineers are building on the legacy in dynamic , disruptive and innovative ways .
Dean Paranicas , the president and CEO of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey , a trade association for research-based pharmaceutical and medical technology companies , sounds like a proud parent when he marvels over the industry ’ s vast accomplishments that produce more than $ 118 billion in economic impact each year . That translates in 21 percent of the state ’ s GDP being derived from life sciences .
More than 430,000 jobs are tied to the industry in the Garden State with biopharmaceutical companies directly employing 63,000 workers and medical technology companies employing 12,000 .
Fourteen of the globe ’ s top 20 research-based biopharma companies have headquarters or other offices in New Jersey , while 12 of the world ’ s top 20 medtech firms are also based in the state . Their presence brings with it the highest concentration of scientists and engineers in the nation .
The pharma cluster earned New Jersey the nickname of the nation ’ s medicine cabinet and contributed to the state ranking No . 1 in the development of heart disease and stroke medication and becoming the top recipient of funding from the National Institute of Health . The drive to innovate and lead is palpable .
Jeffrey J . Headd , Ph . D , works at the heart of this ecosystem as vice president of commercial data science at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine . He expects “ we ’ ll do more to advance human health in the next decade than what has occurred in the last century .”
Headd joined J & J 10 years ago and now leads a team of 80 technology and data science professionals headquartered in Raritan . He partners with commercial leadership across business functions to identify and tackle critical challenges with novel data-driven solutions . His multi-disciplinary team applies expertise in artificial intelligence , explainable machine learning , data integration , and other modern analytical methods .
J & J employs 14,000 people in New Jersey , as part of worldwide workforce of 130,000 . The iconic firm is leveraging AI across the value chain . “ It has a tremendous potential to advance human health on a global scale ,” Headd said , adding “ It ’ s critically important that AI is used as an enabler of human decision-making , not a replacement for it .”
For instance , Headd said his team is using AI and machine learning in Alzheimer ’ s research by analyzing voice recordings . “ We ’ re looking for speech patterns that can identify both the early signs and the different stages and severity of Alzheimer ’ s ,” he explained .
Big data is driving much of the innovation , agreed David S . Perlin , Ph . D , the chief scientific officer and senior vice president of the Center for Discovery and Innovation established by Hackensack Meridian Health , the state ’ s largest healthcare network . Five years ago , in a fateful move the center was founded on the same tract in Nutley where the pharmaceutical trailblazer Hoffman LaRoche operated its laboratories for nearly a century . The pioneering work done by Hoffman LaRoche , or Roche as it is now known , earned the site recognition as the birthplace of biotechnology .
“ We ’ re looking for speech patterns that can identify both the early signs and the different stages and severity of Alzheimer ’ s ”
Perlin said CDI was created as an entrepreneurial academic research center to address unmet medical needs . One of its main thrusts is to make science work for patients in real time . Its approach collapsed the traditional silos of research . Instead , key stakeholders were amassed together .
“ All the people who can impact the solution , we have brought them to the table and put them in a common ecosystem ,” Perlin explained . The cadre may include academic scientists as well as clinicians and partners from pharmaceutical , biotech and diagnostic work .
Initially , when the CDI opened there were four laboratories . Now there are 32 labs employing 190 scientists and support staff achieving great success as they focus on oncology and infectious disease . In the early days of the pandemic the CDI developed one of the first PCR tests for the virus , which was approved by the FDA under its Emergency Use Authorization . This rapid , highly sensitive test shortened the time for results from 8 to 10 days , down to just two hours . It enabled hospital emergency departments to quickly triage and help severely ill patients .
Under Perlin ’ s leadership the CDI is also running one of nine national antiviral drug accelerators to develop drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses of pandemic potential . “ Our job is to deliver faster and more effectively ,” he said , adding “ We have to deliver a medical solution , essentially in real time .”
Perlin is also energized by the collaborations CDI has with the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine , located on the same site in Nutley . “ You ’ re really at the nexus of a whole new generation of research and clinical work . It ’ s really quite amazing what ’ s happening and that it ’ s in the footprint of where Roche was .”
Dr . Jeffrey Boscamp , president and dean of the medical school , said it takes an innovative approach emphasizing the social determinants of health . In their first year , students are paired with families and then work as their navigators in the healthcare system .
Continued
Johnson & Johnson was the first innovative healthcare company to be founded in New Jersey , helping launch the State as a hub for healthcare innovation .
Photo : Johnson & Johnson
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