Johnson & Johnson Innovation has opened JLABS @South San Francisco (JLABS @SSF), a 30,000-square-foot incubator located in South San Francisco, Calif. The Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS site can accommodate up to 50 startups from across the healthcare spectrum including biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health. 

Melinda Richter, head of JLABS, said, "Since the launch of JLABS, our goal always has been to provide entrepreneurs with the tools, support and environment in which their ideas can flourish and their companies can thrive. We look forward to enabling more innovators in the Bay Area through access to JLABS, and supporting the advancement of what could ultimately become life-saving products and solutions for patients."

J&J Innovation has entered into a collaboration with PerkinElmer to outfit the new JLABS @SSF facility with world-class lab instruments and software as well as provide training, OneSource Laboratory Services and on-site technical support for the resident companies.  

The following companies are the first to be selected to become residents of JLABS @SSF: Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, Afferent Pharmaceuticals, Alkahest, Applied Molecular Transport, Audentes Therapeutics, Cortexyme, Driver BioEngineering, EpiBiome, Goleini and MiNDERA.

The JLABS network now currently hosts more than 80 companies across four active sites located in San Diego, San Francisco (JLABS @QB3 and JLABS @SSF) and Boston (JLABS @LabCentral). An additional site in Houston (JLABS @TMC) is anticipated to open in 2016. Applications currently are being accepted from biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer and digital health companies across all JLABS sites.