Novartis To Expand Research In Malaysia

Novartis has signed an agreement with Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) and BiotechCorp to discover bioactive compounds.

Alexander Jetzer-Chung, director of Novartis said that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) has given the company a chance to leverage on Malaysia’s biodiversity for the development of new medical opportunities.

Chung said: “This is bound to be a very effective partnership, especially with the strong support of the Sarawak state government and BiotechCorp”

Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis will offer interships for SBC scientists, including microbiologists and natural products chemists, for them to work at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel, Switzerland, reported Bernama.

Novartis will also provide support to develop bioprospecting activity and will identify new bioactive compounds sourced.