Novartis could have gone anywhere to develop lifesaving drugs. It chose to bet big on San Diego scientists.
The Swiss pharma giant broke ground on its $1.1 billion research campus in Sorrento Mesa on Friday. When it opens in 2029, scientists plan to tackle one of the most common neurological diseases — Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, which damages nerves and inhibits the ability to move.
“I don’t have anything to take, I just watch my body deteriorate,” said Susan Ruediger, who lives with CMT. She stood on stage next to Novartis leaders and scientists during the groundbreaking. “Right now, I’m thinking I’ll be in a wheelchair in the next 10 to 15 years, and I’m way too young for that.”
The disease — which impacts an estimated 1,300 San Diegans — starts in the hands or feet and disseminates throughout the body. It can lead to the inability to walk, and in the most severe cases, breathe.
Developing the first treatment for the disease will be one a major focus at the new Novartis facility.
The campus, poised to be Novartis’ West Coast headquarters, is a key pillar of the company’s $23 billion U.S. investment plan, announced last year.
“San Diego is certainly one of the top places in the U.S. right now,” said Thierry Diagana, head of global health and California sites for Novartis Biomedical Research. “It’s a no- brainer if you want to be a major life science innovator.”
The 466,000-square-foot campus is expected to be operational by 2029. The site aims to consolidate Novartis’ West Coast operations into one campus that will house around 1,000 employees.
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A rendering of the billion-dollar campus Novartis is building in San Diego. The site aims to consolidate Novartis’ West Coast operations into one campus that will house around 1,000 employees. (Alexandria Real Estate Equities)
The global pharma giant planted its flag in California 25 years ago, founding the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation.
Today, it has facilities in Sorrento Valley, Torrey Pines and recently opened a cancer drug manufacturing plant in Carlsbad.
Diagana imagines this facility to be the “growth engine” of Novartis. While he acknowledged that a majority of pharmaceutical activity exists outside of Southern California, many breakthroughs trace back to San Diego scientists.
“Many medicines that are marketed actually originated from San Diego in oncology, neuroscience and global health. We have seen over time the value of being in California, in San Diego in particular, and so we really want to double down on this,” he said.
The “flexible” facility, developed by Alexandria, will focus on creating medical breakthroughs in oncology, neuroscience, global health and diseases of aging.
“Instead of having everything locked in based on large pieces of equipment, everything’s going to be integrated on like shopping carts,” described Diagana. “You can move them around, and you can make them very modular, so you don’t have big infrastructure constraints as you’re contemplating switching from one technology to another.”
Considering how quickly AI accelerates, Diagana wants to ensure that the billion-dollar space can change at the speed of progress. He envisions an open floor plan where scientists can literally wheel around discoveries, testing new approaches with gene therapies.
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Side profile of the new Novartis facility set to open in 2029.
This facility is “designed to power future drug discovery, with a focus on genetics and human biology in key therapeutic areas such as neuroscience and oncology, it will create a single Novartis research center within one of the world’s premier life sciences ecosystems — accelerating our pipeline from discovery to patients,” said Fiona Marshall, president of biomedical research at Novartis.
It will likely tap local talent to fuel its research pipelines.
Novartis has a history of acquiring local biotech startups. It acquired San Diego-based Kate Therapeutics in 2024 in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. The company aims to target neuromuscular diseases using gene therapies.
Last year, in a $1.7 billion deal, Novartis bought Regulus Therapeutics, a local company that expands novel microRNA-targeting therapies, strengthening renal disease and RNA-therapeutics pipelines.
Novartis has announced other significant investments around the country, as part of its $23 billion investment plan, including a new flagship manufacturing hub in North Carolina; expanding existing facilities in Indiana and New Jersey; and plans to build new manufacturing facilities in Florida and Texas.