Gene Jockeys: Life Science and the Rise of Biotech Enterprise
Biologist and science historian Nicolas Rasmussen delicately unravels the tangled fibres of discovery, entrepreneurship and lab life in the first decades of genetic engineering... An engaging, ultimately elegiac tale of lost innocence, as researchers struggle with the angel of the search for truth on one shoulder, and the devil of wealth and fame on the other.(Nathaniel ComfortNature)Gene Jockeysis a scholarly and fascinating account of the early days of the biotechnology industry. With lots of technical detail this should appeal to the serious molecular biologists and biotechnologists interested in the roots of their discipline.(Sir Richard Roberts, New England Biolabs; Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine)Following the twists and turns in the experimental paths that yielded the first recombinant drugs, Rasmussen offers a clear view of the difficulties encountered in the application of the new science of recombinant DNA to bacterial synthesis for drug production. His thorough search of legal documents relating to patents enriches this account of the race to market. A tour de force.(Robert Olby, author ofPath to the Double Helix: The Discovery of DNA)A fascinating and highly entertaining account—essential not just for historians of business and the life sciences, but also for intellectual property scholars.(Graham Dutfield, University of Leeds, author ofIntellectual Property Rights and the Life Science Industries)This is a remarkably original account of the first two decades of the biotechnology industry, when molecular geneticists from academia joined with venture capitalists and hungry investors to form smart and nimble companies. Rasmussen tells a rich and eye-opening story, spotlighting how the first generation of biotechnologists made their firms vital outposts of academic culture and how the firms achieved and marketed blockbuster drugs. In all, an even-handed, informative, and important book.(Daniel Kevles, Yale University; author ofIn the Name of Eugenics,The Physicists, andThe Baltimore Case)Gene Jockeysoffers an insightful, comprehensive, and exciting story that faithfully evokes the earliest days of modern biotechnology. An outstanding read for scientists and anyone interested in biotech.(John Shine AO, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney)Although some would assign more societal benefit and importance to the early products of biotech than Rasmussen, the stories of the competition between teams of scientists to produce the first set of human proteins as therapeutics are both exciting and revealing of the faults of mankind.(Phillip Sharp, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine)