The Syfy television network this week officially greenlit Helix, a new scripted series from Battlestar Galactica showrunner Ronald D. Moore. Thursday's announcement confirms earlier reports of Moore's involvement, though the network has yet to name a release date, saying only that the show will debut "later this year."

"A terrifying life-and-death struggle."

In a press release, Syfy described Helix (a working title) as "an intense thriller" about a team of scientists from the Center for Disease Control. After being sent to the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, they soon become entangled in a far more apocalyptic affair, facing "a terrifying life-and-death struggle that holds the key to mankind’s salvation or total annihilation."

There's no word yet on casting, though the film's producers boast a sterling pedigree. Joining Moore as executive producers are Lynda Obst, who produced Contact in 1997, and Steven Maeda, who served as co-executive producer on Lost, and worked as a story editor on The X-Files.