Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4201

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Krimsky S, Ennis JG, Weissman R.
Academic-corporate ties in biotechnology: a quantitative study.
Sci Technol Human Values 1991 Sum; 16:(3):275-87

Abstract:

The rapid commercialization of applied genetics in the mid-1970s, accompanied by a sudden rise in academic-corporate partnerships, raised questions about the impacts these linkages have had on the social and professional norms of scientists. The extent and pattern of faculty invovlement in commercialization of biological research is largely an unexplored area. This article provides a quantitative assessment of the linkages between biology faculty in American universities and the newly formed biotechnology industry. The results of this study, covering the period 1985-88, show that academic scientists reponded en masse to participating in the commercialization of genetics research by establishing formal associations with many of the new biotechnology companies. A data base consisting of 889 U.S. and Canadian biotechnology companies and 832 scientists who had formal ties to them was developed over a four-year period. The patterns of academic-corporate linkages are revealed by institution. Three universities with the most commercially active faculty are Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. Of the 359 biomedical scientists and geneticists who were members of the National Academy of Sciences (in 1988), at minimum, 37% had formal ties with the biotechnology industry.

Keywords:
*analytic survey/biotechnology/corporate funding/United States/Canada/Harvard/Stanford/Massachussets Institute of Technology/drug company sponsored research/relationship between researchers, academic institutions and industry/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND INDUSTRY/SPONSORSHIP: RESEARCH Biology Biomedical Research* Biomedical Technology Conflict of Interest DNA, Recombinant Economics* Entrepreneurship* Financial Support* Genetics Humans Industry* Peer Review Research* Research Personnel* Science Statistics United States Universities*