Commercial Research Issues
Convener: Jennifer Fishman
Collaborators: Melissa Barber, Robert Binstock, David Deeds,
Sharona Hoffman, Maxwell Mehlman
Led by Jennifer Fishman, this group conducts empirical,
ethical/legal, and health policy studies of the issues raised
by the early commercialization of genetic research ideas and
tools. It studies the tension between entrepreneurial
values and public health goals in the scientific culture of
human genetics and genomics.
Our initial pilot project
focused on the social factors involved in entrepreneurial decision
making by genome scientists in two very different commercial
venues: companies aimed at developing medical interventions;
companies that use genomic research strategies to develop non-medical
consumer products. This study collected quantitative and
qualitative empirical data to map out the social values that
influence the types of relationships that researchers are developing
with commercial concerns.
Aims:
1. The design and implementation of a survey to identify base-line
ethical norms and attitudes of genome scientists about entrepreneurial
and commercial activity in genetic research.
2. The design and implementation of in-depth interviews and
participant observation of genetic researchers at two different
sites. These sites will vary in terms of their affiliation with
an academic institution, the nature of the products in development,
and the acceptability of an entrepreneurial "ethos"
present at each site. One site will be a commercial research
facility associated with an academic institution; the other
will be a private, independent entity whose focus is on genetic
research for cosmetic or nutraceutical purposes.
3. To investigate the ethical issues involved in the ways in
which researchers are using commercial and popular interest
in genetic technologies to advance their research and potential
commercial involvements.
4. To develop guidelines designed for regulatory bodies (e.g.,
the FDA and the FTC) and for research groups to assist in their
development, advertisement, and marketing of genetic research.
Background and Rationale:
In recent years, there have been numerous studies investigating
the nature of relationships between research investigators and
industry. Findings from these studies call attention to
the considerable moral ambiguity surrounding the production
of science and the development of commercial products. Building
on this body of research, the proposed study focuses on the
early stages of these relationships, as well as on the ethical
and institutional frameworks grounding these relationships.
This pilot project augments current studies investigating
academic-industry relationships by focusing on the culture of
science in genomics. It provides important information
on the social, economic, and political context of commercialism
in genetic research. The methods used in Dr. Fishman's previous
work examining new pharmaceutical developments will be applied
to genetic research in order to understand the social world
of genetic researchers. Key questions include: What is the epistemic
milieu within which genetic researchers are operating? What
are the professional guidelines and norms influencing genetic
researchers involved in the commercialization of products based
on their scientific endeavors? Scientists in both kinds of companies
see prospects for personal commercial gain in their basic research.
Would they or other genome scientists draw moral distinctions
between their choices? This project draws on methods and approaches
from work in science and technology studies, an area of research
that focuses on the social and cultural aspects of scientific
work. Dr. Fishman's previous work studying Viagra, which
straddles the line between "treatment" and "enhancement,"
will enable further study of the equally ambiguous area of genetic
research for the development of cosmetic and nutritional products.
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