Novartis in deal with SVGI to develop influenza vaccines using revolutionary "synthetic genomics" technology and with Cepheid for monitoring test

Swiss drug major Novartis (NOVN.VX) has entered an agreement with Synthetic Genomics Vaccines Inc (SGVI) to apply "synthetic genomics" technologies to accelerate the production of the influenza seed strains required for vaccine manufacturing and so significantly reduce the time to ramp up production of a new flu vaccine. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The seed strain is the starter culture of a virus, and is the base from which larger quantities of the vaccine virus can be grown. The three-year agreement, supported by an award from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), could ultimately lead to a more effective response to seasonal and pandemic flu outbreaks.

Currently, Novartis and other vaccines companies rely on the World Health Organization to identify and distribute live reference viruses to create seasonal or pandemic vaccines. Under this collaboration, Novartis and SGVI will work to develop a "bank" of synthetically constructed seed viruses ready to go into production as soon as WHO identifies the flu strains. The technology could reduce the vaccine production time by up to two months, which is particularly critical in the event of a pandemic.