Shanghai Bound

Novartis says it will build a $100-million research centre in Shanghai, specializing in infectious causes of cancer. The lab will start operations next May in temporary premises and then build a larger facility, which, the Swiss drug company says, will eventually house 400 scientists. The centre will be part of a network of eight strategic labs that Novartis operates around the world, and represents one of the most determined efforts yet by pharmaceutical companies to establish a research foothold in China (see Nature 440, 990–991; 2006).

Airbus Dip

The parent company of Europe-based aircraft manufacturer Airbus reported sharp losses in the third quarter, caused in part by continuing delivery problems with the A380 superjumbo (see Nature 443, 385; 2006). Aerospace group EADS reported an operating loss of €239 million (US$308 million), against profits of €559 million in the same period last year. Airbus suffered another serious blow on 7 November, when FedEx cancelled an order for ten freight-carrying A380s and said it would buy from Boeing instead.

Translation Push

The University of Tokyo has announced that it will launch a Translational Systems Disease Biology initiative, which will try to use proteomic and epigenomic approaches to seek disease cures. It aims to work across departments and with outside companies to develop new drugs within ten years. The initiative is seen as part of a push by the medical school at Japan's leading university to break with its 'ivory-tower' image and forge closer links with patients and with business.