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What obstructions stand in the way of our universities in their endeavours to develop higher courses in Veterinary medicine cannot be realised by Parliament and the general public. These obstructions are due to the continued existence of regulations which should have been swept away long ago, and, I must add, to the most regrettable inertia of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. It is intolerable that courses of instruction rendering a candidate eligible to practise as a veterinary surgeon can only be given by the universities of this country provided they receive the approval of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Large established corporations face many challenges to develop and sustain dynamic capabilities in innovation and the creation of new businesses because of constraints arising from technological and resource lock-ins, and routine and cultural rigidities. From the 1960s large corporations became increasingly aware of such problems. Heavy research spending was not translated into successful new business creation. The formation of autonomous entrepreneurial units within large corporations was one response. The origins of Unilever's home pregnancy test, Clearblue, which was launched in 1985, is used as a case study to examine the viability of one version of this strategy. Unilever was able to translate its extensive knowledge base in immunology into a successful branded product in medical diagnostics by creating a separate corporate entity, Unipath, with a distinctive culture, shielded from the mainstream Unilever organisation, yet able to draw on corporate capabilities in marketing, and financial resources. Yet the very distinctiveness of Unipath orphaned it within Unilever, and the business was divested in 2001., The relative ability of different sizes of firm and organisational designs to develop and sustain dynamic capabilities in innovation and create new businesses remains a matter of contention. While Chandler [...]

The detonation of atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 announced to the world the arrival of the 'atomic age'. Twelve years later, a [...]

Byline: Alison Kraft, Harry Rothman This paper tracks the development of genomics between 1990 and 2005 principally within the US context and reviews that development with specific respect to early expectations of genomics-based pharmaceutical innovation, the initial claims made for it, and the realities of its current position. Emphasis is placed on relations between the genomics sector and its larger pharmaceutical and biotechnology counterparts, and to the financial markets on which drug innovation ultimately rests. The analysis combines historical and sociological approaches to the study of innovation, and situates genomics within the wider context of the commercialisation of the life sciences. In particular, we highlight and reflect critically on the disparity between the expectations and 'hype' surrounding genomics, and assess its impact, to date, on pharmaceutical innovation.

This introductory essay elucidates the purpose and major themes of the special issue. The contributors to the issue provide an in-depth look at the Pugwash Conferences for Science and World Affairs (usually referred to as just Pugwash) to explore important themes in Cold War history. Among other topics covered in the issue are the impact of Pugwash in many countries, the nature of its organization, and the distinctive way in which it worked, as well as its importance for the relationship between scientists and the Cold War states and its role as a political actor and as a transnational actor. All of these issues and more make Pugwash a compelling subject for scholars of the Cold War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 15 years, stem cell biology has moved to the forefront of contemporary biomedicine. The recent rise to prominence of this distinctive category of cells rests on hopes of harnessing their unique proliferative powers to create novel cell therapies for a range of devastating and presently incurable diseases. This vision, articulated in the new and still emerging therapeutic paradigm of regenerative medicine has, since the mid-1990s, served as an animating force for stem cell research. Often forgotten in current discussions of stem cell innovation is an earlier chapter in stem cell-based therapy, that of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Used as an adjunct to radio- and/or chemotherapy for cancer, the clinical pedigree of BMT stretches back to the late 1950s. Its therapeutic utility rests on the regenerative powers of the blood stem cell understood to be resident in the bone marrow. Common to BMT and current formulations of stem cells as regenerative therapies is an understanding of stem cells as a biological force for good. However, this may not be the whole story: stem cells may have a 'dark side' - one in which they may have a role in the pathogenesis of some forms of cancer. Today, this unsettling possibility finds form in the concept of the cancer stem cell (CSC). This posits a pathological counterpart to the 'normal' stem cell: in this model, the leukaemia-causing lesion is resident within an aberrant stem cell - the cancer stem cell - which gives rise to malignant tissue that is a 'caricature' of its normal counterpart. Here, in the movement from the normal to the pathological, the cardinal properties of the stem cell become a deadly force: the twin powers of self-renewal and proliferation serving to initiate, drive and sustain tumour growth. Seemingly, the more that is known about stem cells the less certain we are about their capabilities and their potential(s). In an era entranced by the idea of cellular therapies, the shadow cast by the cancer stem cell serves as a signal for caution in the future clinical use of stem cells. Focusing on the leukaemias, this article considers how the histories of BMT and the CSC each contain lessons for the future and emphasizes how our understanding of contemporary science is enriched by an appreciation of its past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary science and technology policy is concerned with improving the diffusion of knowledge from basic science into the clinic. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the emerging field of Regenerative Medicine. In this paper we critically explore the changing relationships between the bench and the bedside through the development of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In the history of HSCs over a 50-year period, the relationship between basic science and clinical research communities has been based on a two-way flow of knowledge; clinical innovation has played a key role in the translation process. Concepts from the sociology of expectations illuminate the 'communities of promise' which are formed around such emerging technologies. From this case study, we challenge assumptions underpinning many contemporary policy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the banking of cord blood stem cells by new parents, a growing phenomenon that raises a number of questions for scholars interested in the role of expectations in innovation. In particular, we focus on the relationships between imagination and materiality, the way in which today's expectations of a future stem cell revolution have become embodied (materialised) in an ever-growing number of deposited cord blood samples. In addition, the case raises interesting questions about agency and authorship in the construction of the stem cell dream and the production of new ‘blood ties’—new future-oriented parental duties and responsibilities. Here, parents are encouraged to think themselves into a future in which their newborns are ‘at risk’, but also a future populated by an innovative range of regenerative medical treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the development of clinical uses for the artificial radioisotope between 1945 and 1965. As part of the broader nuclear enterprise, the radioisotope programme enjoyed powerful political and financial support from the British government. In 1945, medical uses for artificial radioactivity remained highly experimental, yet in less than two decades its application in imaging technologies formed a mainstay of diagnostic medicine. This study examines the range of technical, political, economic, institutional and professional factors that shaped the journey from medical periphery to medical practice. The role of medical physicists is emphasised and examined within the wider framework of radiation medicine, the nuclear industry and the Medical Research Council. The radioisotope came to form the basis of a vast new industry and became an important context for the post-war expansion of clinical research in Britain. It also spurred the development of a diverse set of medical technologies that were to profoundly shape the contours of contemporary medicine. More broadly, the study casts light on the evolving dynamics between the physical sciences, technology and medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomics companies are changing their business models and some have moved beyond drug discovery into drug development. The authors' analysis of genomics companies' business models yields further insights into the widening role of genomics firms within drug innovation and on the evolving dynamics between the genomics sector and the wider pharmaceutical industry. Business models within the sector have included that of the FIPCO (Fully Integrated Pharmaceutical Company), technology and information platforms, and, more recently, a new ‘dual' business model that combines established platform capabilities with drug development. The study identifies a cohort of 22 leading genomics companies and takes as its focus those companies following the dual and platform business strategies. The paper describes how, over the past five years, leading genomics companies have, typically, refocused their interests downstream within drug innovation, a move that brings new commercial opportunities but also threats. New and evolving business models are enabling these companies to leverage their commercial positions and capture value in the later stages of drug development. These shifts are characterised and the possibility that this ‘downstream' trend could exert a major effect on the future relations between genomics companies and pharma/large biotechnology firms, and on drug innovation, is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1904, Liverpool veterinary school became the first UK veterinary school to be incorporated into a university. This weekend, it marks its centenary with a symposium celebrating veterinary science and its contribution to animal and human health and welfare. Here, Alison Kraft traces the history of the school and argues that its foundation was a turning point for veterinary education in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]