Announcing the Deep Tissue Healing QuickFire Challenge

July 16, 2026- Today, Johnson & Johnson announced the launch of the Deep Tissue Healing QuickFire Challenge. Innovators around the world are invited to submit ideas for approaches focused on deep healing mechanisms that can promote safe and sustained responses in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

In chronic inflammatory diseases, tissues are repeatedly exposed to immune-driven damage. Impaired repair of barrier tissues can contribute to persistent inflammation, disease progression, and increased risk of infection, and other long-term complications.¹ In rheumatic diseases, chronic inflammation similarly drives progressive destruction of joint structures and can extend to other organ systems. In both cases, sustained cycles of damage and maladaptive repair can result in aberrant tissue remodeling, leading to fibrosis, and in certain patient subsets, an increased risk of cancer.^2,3

The innovators with the most promising potential solutions aligned to this QuickFire Challenge will have the opportunity to present in a virtual pitch session to Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Immunology R&D leadership in November 2026.^*

Applications will be accepted until September 18, 2026: https://jji.jnj/DeepTissueQFC

About Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson works across the innovative medicine and medical technology sectors to accelerate early-stage, transformational solutions by catalyzing the best ideas, wherever they are in the world. We do this by harnessing our deep scientific capabilities coupled with a wide range of tools, including customized deal structures, company creation, incubation and startup services, capital investments and other innovative business models that aim to meet the diverse needs of entrepreneurs, scientists, and emerging companies. Our goal is to help life science and health technology innovations thrive through collaboration and partnership with the global ecosystem, so that together we can change the trajectory of human health. Meet our passionate team of science and technology experts and learn how to collaborate with us at www.jnjinnovation.com.