The Corrupting Influence of the Business of Biotech
This past weekend supplied several different examples of the way that commercial prospects affect important decisions about scientific research. What is perhaps scariest is that in many—perhaps most—cases, this influence is not even recognized by the scientists involved.
The most specific article was published in the Contra Costa Times and titled:
Corporate U: Industry's reach into academia renews fears of undue influence
It focused on reaction to Jennifer Washburn's recent Center for American Progress report, "Big Oil Goes to College." Since the Contra Costa Times is part of the Bay Area News Group, which includes the Oakland Tribune and the San Jose Mercury News, reporter Suzanne Bohan naturally went to scientists from Stanford and UC Berkeley for comment. Unsurprisingly, they were shocked—shocked and hurt; shocked, hurt and disappointed—by the suggestion that they and their research were anything but disinterested. Among the comments included were:
Read More"We're all proposing to do the science exactly how we would want to, without any constraints."
"We get out of the ivory tower and into the real world."
"We spend a lot of time and money on peer review."
"I do think that the university should be the bastion of independent thought. I hold that value and I think everybody here does. I don't see what we're doing here is in any way in conflict with that."
"In the end, the most robust enforcer of academic freedom is the respect of UC Berkeley faculty for the academic tradition itself."