Novartis bankrolls a drug manufacturing revolution

With the help of a $65 million contribution from Novartis, scientists at MIT are launching a 10-year program aimed at revolutionizing the way drugs are manufactured. At the heart of the project is an effort to dump the traditional approach to manufacturing drugs in batches in favor of a high-tech process that allows for continual processing. For Novartis, the new research effort underscores a long-term commitment to the Boston area, where it has developed extensive scientific programs involved in drug discovery and manufacturing. Up to 10 MIT faculty members will be involved in the manufacturing research program, and they'll be assisted by dozens of students and postdoctoral staffers.

It won't be an easy task. Drug manufacturing today requires extensive efforts involving a series of chemical reactions that have to be undertaken one step at a time. And as any manufacturer would be quick to tell you, even the slightest fluctuations in the environment or the manufacturing approach can derail the process. The scientists will look to develop a new approach that conveys drugs through an automated and continuous approach, much like the way cars are made today.

- see the press release
- read the article from the Boston Globe

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