Publisher's Synopsis
The biotech revolution is here to stay, and no one can afford to ignore it.
Dramatic advances in genetics over the last two decades are transforming the world and polarizing public opinion in much the same way as Darwin′s theory of natural selection did in the late 1800s. While the ′green′ biotech industry (genetically modified crops) has suffered recently from vociferous criticism, ′red′ biotech (genetically engineered medicine) is going from strength to strength. Top–selling biotech drugs are galvanizing the pharmaceutical industry as biotech players create new markets. Greatly improved treatments for common ailments such as arthritis are producing enormous financial rewards, while many companies are focusing on the ′Holy Grail′ of medicine: better treatments – and perhaps even cures – for cancer.
Medical biotech is a high–risk business. Millions of dollars are expended on compounds that may not make it through the rigorous approval process of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). It also takes time. A drug may take years to make it from discovery to the marketplace, and the majority fails to pass all the hurdles on the way. Public opinion and legislation are also unpredictable factors; the enthusiasm for the "race" to sequence the human genome is countered by fears about eugenic and ownership issues.
This book is a collection of interviews with leading biotech scientists and industrialists who talk candidly about the risks and rewards of commercial biotechnology.
Features interviews with:
∗ Faraz Naqvi (Dresdner RCM Biotechnology Fund)
∗ Kari Stefansson (deCODE Genetics)
∗ Jean Deleage (Alta Partners)
∗ Ed Kania (OneLiberty Ventures)
∗ Alan Kingsman (Oxford Biomedica)
∗ Noubar Afeyan (NewcoGen Group)
∗ Janis Fraser (Fish & Richardson P.C)
∗ Ian Gowrie–Smith (SkyePharma)
∗ Dan Roach (CeNeS Ltd)