Dr. Jay Bradner, a decorated cancer researcher from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, turned heads last year when he accepted a top job at Novartis, one of the world’s largest drug makers. Academics jump to industry all the time, but Bradner made his name with a move pharma almost never makes: When he discovered a potentially cancer-fighting molecule, he just gave it away.
I sat down with Bradner Monday as he settled in as head of the Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research (NIBR), a Kendall Square-headquartered operation that employs more than 6,000 scientists with a budget above $6 billion. Here are excerpts from our conversation:
Image: JOHN BLANDING/BOSTON GLOBE - Dr. Jay Bradner is head of the Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research.
