Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, has acquired XO1 Limited, a privately held asset-centric virtual biopharmaceutical company founded to develop the anti-thrombin antibody ichorcumab. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Ichorcumab is a recombinant human antibody developed to mimic the activity of a human antibody which appears to produce an anticoagulated state without predisposition to bleeding.

The opportunity was identified and facilitated through Johnson & Johnson Innovation, London. Ichorcumab was initially developed by Cambridge University Hospitals and Cambridge University with support from Cambridge Enterprise, the University's commercialization arm. The technology was licensed by Cambridge Enterprise to XO1 Limited in order to take its development towards the clinic. XO1 Limited was established by Index Ventures as an asset-centric company, a model advanced by Index, via a fund launched in 2012 in which Johnson & Johnson Innovation is an investor.

Source: Johnson & Johnson