Short but Sweet

Although our stay here in Basel, Switzerland was short, we had the chance to do and see a ton!

The visit to the Novartis Research Facility was great. I was surprised at the level of security at which the facility operates. The scientists there were extremely friendly and welcoming, At the facility in Basel, we were given a tour of many of the labs. We saw how tablets are made, the lab were formulation takes place, and the lab where analysis takes place. We were also shown the climate controlled rooms where the formulations are stored for safety testing. The samples are left in the rooms, of varying temperatures and humidity, for 5 years. During this time they are tested at regular intervals to determine the expiration date and required storage conditions.

From the Basel facility, we took a bus to the St. Aubin facility. There we got to see much more of the animal health side of the company’s research. I was very surprised at the cleanliness and standard of care provided to the research animals. The animals were very well taken care of. Other than the research animal facilities, the technology used in the laboratories was most impressive. Machines performed any mundane task, such as pipetting, recording results, and others. The parasite breeding room was also impressive. Thousands of flies were bred and kept easily in a 2x2 box.

Novartis was generous enough to put us up in the nicest hotel in town. We stayed in the tallest inhabited building in Basel, the Ramada Plaza. It was fantastic. We all had our own private rooms, with a phenomenal view of the city.

I enjoyed the free time that we had in the city. We had time for shopping, and a guided walking tour of city. I had a great time in Basel!

-Kati