Opinion
Is 'big biology' a commercial enterprise?
Inpharmatica Ltd, 60 Charlotte Street, London W1T 2NU, UK
Genome Biology 2002, 3:comment2004-comment2004.4 doi:10.1186/gb-2002-3-4-comment2004
Published: 26 March 2002Abstract
Big projects in biology - such as the human genome project and a number of related and ensuing enterprises - require big funding. A new tradition is growing in which some types of basic research take place within commercial organizations. This article reviews some of the reasons for this and some of the key players, in the USA, Europe and Japan, and highlights some issues to be considered when deciding whether particular research belongs in a company rather than an academic setting.
