Biotech Juggernaut: Hope, Hype, and Hidden Agendas of Entrepreneurial BioScience

Tracing the rise and cultural politics of biotechnology from a critical perspective, Biotech Juggernaut examines the intensifying effort of bioentrepreneurs to apply genetic engineering technologies to the human species. It explains how converging vectors of economic, politic, social, and cultural elements are driving biotechnology’s swift advance.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The biotech juggernaut is a rapidly growing industry that is driven by the hope, hype, and hidden agendas of bioentrepreneurs. These individuals are utilizing genetic engineering technologies to manipulate the human species and expand the commercial reach of synthetic biology or extreme genetic engineering. In the 1980s, legal developments concerning patenting laws transformed scientific researchers into bioentrepreneurs, often motivated by the desire to create profit-driven biotech start-up companies or serve on their advisory boards. However, these conflicts of interest pose a significant obstacle to considering the social and ethical consequences of the technologies they seek to develop.

Bioentrepreneurs have frequently worked to obscure the potential impact of these technologies on human evolution and to downplay the social costs associated with pursuing this path. Biotech Juggernaut aims to address this informational imbalance by tracing the rise and cultural politics of biotechnology from a critical perspective. It explains how the converging vectors of economic, political, social, and cultural elements driving the swift advance of biotechnology constitute a juggernaut. The book concludes with a reflection on whether it is possible for an informed public to halt this runaway force.

The biotech juggernaut is a complex and multifaceted industry that requires careful consideration of its potential benefits and risks. While it has the potential to revolutionize medicine, agriculture, and other fields, it also raises important ethical and social questions. It is essential that policymakers, scientists, and the public engage in open and informed discussions about the future of biotechnology to ensure that it is developed and used in a responsible and ethical manner.

Weight: 326g
Dimension: 234 x 168 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138043237