Taiwan-Janssen Project, focusing on R&D of treating lung, rectal and colorectal cancers in 2019, has awarded grants to three academic/research units, according to Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).
The three award recipients are: a team organized by Biomedical Technology and Device Research Laboratories (BTDRL) at government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute; one from National Taiwan University (NTU); and one from Taipei Medical University (TMU).
Taiwan-Janssen Project is jointly sponsored by MOST, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and Belgium-based Janssen Pharmaceutica, which is subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
Focusing on cancer treatment, the project calls for proposals from Taiwan-based academic and research organizations and then selects those with potential technologies for use in developing pharmaceuticals, diagnostic devices or medical materials.
Janssen will offer 3-year R&D subsidy of US$500,000 to the BTDRL team, while MOEA will also offer financial assistance at a certain percent of the amount.
The NTU team will be given US$60,000 from MOST for developing blood tests to identify epigenetic marks that could be signs of lung cancers in early stages, while the TMU teams will receive a MOST grant of US$40,000 for its research of using intestinal metagenomic sequencing to develop a vitro screening platform for people with high risks of rectal and colorectal cancers.
Janssen will offer 6-month technological counseling services for the NTC and TMU teams.
Taiwan-Janssen Project's award ceremony
Photo: MOST