May 8, 2002–Basel, Switzerland–Following in the footsteps of Merck & Co., Wyeth and Pfizer, pharmaceutical manufacturer and researcher Novartis AG is opening a new research facility in Cambridge, MA.

With an initial investment of $250 million, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Inc. (NIBRI ) will lease a 255,000 s.f. lab and office center owned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT.) NIBRI scientists will work in both labs and cleanrooms to research new drugs for diabetes, cardiovascular and infectious diseases.

Under the leadership of Mark Fishman, M.D., NIBRI will employ some 400 scientists and technology experts. Long-term plans include hiring an additional 500 scientists and expanding the facility, according to a company release.

"Launching a new research strategy and aligning our research under the leadership of a top scientist will enhance the quality of our science and of our discovery efforts and further our ability to provide innovative drugs for patients around the world. Our establishment of NIBRI in Cambridge, in the midst of one of the world’s most impressive pools of scientific talent and academic institutions, will help attract the best researchers and increase research productivity by capitalizing on the vast increase in therapeutic targets stemming from the sequencing of the human genome," notes Daniel Vasella M.D., CEO Novartis AG.