Novartis AG has an impressive heritage in the organ transplant sector spanning more than 30 years. Now, they are pioneering a new class of potential products that are in early clinical development. In Vivo spoke to Eric Hughes, Head of Immunology, Hepatology and Dermatology at Novartis about development of a fully human anti-CD40 targeting monoclonal antibody which acts to inhibit the CD40 signaling pathway and inhibit activation of CD40-expressing cells. While many companies are looking at CD40 activation in the development of anticancer agents, only a handful are looking at this immunosuppressive process.