BOOKS
Birth Pains of an Emerging Industry Reviewed by S. Allen Heininger
Probably never before has the emergence of a technology-based new industry been so exhaustively covered—while still in its gestation period. "Biotechnology: The UniversityIndustrial Complex" chronicles the 1970 to 1984 period, tracing and retelling once again the various crises in the process of moving biotechnology from academic lab to commercial reality—as interpreted by a university observer. It is interesting, from a current perspective, to reflect on this transition, especially how several critical issues arose and how they were sequentially resolved, and to speculate about what problems lie yet ahead before this fledgling industry can be truly said to have grown to adulthood. Martin Kenney, who teaches agricultural economics and rural sociology at Ohio State University, has written an excellent and very readable review of the basic facts and comprehensively referenced his sources—which, regrettably but perhaps necessarily, involve a high percentage of media reports. By covering the industry's development section by section, Kenney's book suffers slightly from redundancies between chapters but, overall, he is to be commended for the thoroughness with which he has tackled this complex subject. But readers will be disappointed if they seek a sensational exposé. Kenney's book presents no new crises or issues demanding attention. In fact, it is interesting to note how several fears that emerged over the past decade were satisfactorily resolved and now have faded away. The Asilomar Conference in 1975, for example, which led to the formation of the National Institutes of Health's Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, was probably the high-water mark of concerns about accidental release of genetically altered organisms.
stops to analyze the level of commitments, in absolute dollars and techAlthough it already has nical head count, between the U.S. Japanese biotechnology efforts, overcome several hurdles, and this concern, too, may be substanbiotechnology still faces tially overstated. Patents, as well, have loomed as a development costs that far critical issue, and Kenney properly devotes a separate appendix to the outstrip its revenues still-pending question of protection of intellectual property. Here, too, time will undoubtedly provide "Biotechnology: The University- pragmatic answers to thorny probIndustrial Complex" by Martin lems; the cross-licensing between Kenney, Yale University Press, 92A Hoffmann-La Roche and ScheringYale Station, New Haven, Conn. Plough of certain interferons may provide a clue as to how uncertain06520, 1986, 306 pages, $23.95 ties can be reduced and products S. Allen Heininger is vice president for moved ahead to the marketplace resource planning at Monsanto, which is while companies await the outcome described in "Biotechnology: The Uni- of the lawsuits and interference proversity-Industrial Complex" as "the ceedings that seem inevitable. Finally, a present issue that, recompany that has made the largest investments in biotechnology." Since join- markably, seems to have escaped ing Monsanto after earning a D.Sc. in Kenney's attention, is that of sociorganic chemistry at Carnegie Institute etal acceptance of the products of of Technology in 1952, Heininger has biotechnology. His book is totally served in several research, technical silent about social activist and gemanagement, and commercial develop- netic engineering critic Jeremy Rifkin yet, in its Aug. 13, 1984, issue ment posts devoted entirely to biotechnology, C&EN saw fit to mention Rifkin by name some 72 times. Odd that the The Parajo Dunes Biotechnology present book ignores this scourge of Conference of 1982 now appears to the biotechnology revolution comhave taken place at the peak of the pletely. Yet, in fairness, perhaps crisis over the role to be played by Kenney is ahead of us all, and Rifindividual professors and universi- kin, too, will pass and be forgotten ties in the burgeoning startup of with the rest. Unfortunately, "Biotechnology: biotechnology companies. Seen in retrospect, the wisdom of the con- The University-Industrial Comference participants in understand- plex" gives little evidence of truly ing that this is a problem for each understanding just how early in the institution to resolve as appropriate creation of a "biotechnology industo its own structure and culture try" we really are. What is actually seems obvious. under way is a massive entrepreThe shortages of trained man- neurial race between a host of compower and the frenetic recruiting of petitors—including many of those the early 1980s now have fallen be- "risk adverse" multinational corpofore the inexorable mechanism of rations that so concern Kenney. The supply and demand—as was inev- current revenue streams from products made via biotechnology and itable. The specter of competition from sold in the free market are infinitesJapan has been raised—and here the imal compared with the investment jury is still out. However, if one being made. March 9, 1987 C&EN
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Books When Kenney states that "Bio technology, a science that is capable of being commercialized, has been totally dependent on university re search/' he seems to ignore the real ity that research is cheap compared with the cost of development. Al though the science of biotechnolo gy was, indeed, a result of basic re search at universities, the industrial research to achieve any value to so ciety from biotechnology will dwarf that original investment. Universi ties don't turn over to industry fully developed commodities, as the book occasionally implies, and the high level of development expenses over income will surely trouble all par ticipants—both multinational and startup corporations—for the next five to 10 years. Regrettably, Kenney's treatment of the agricultural applications of biotechnology fails to live up to ex pectations. While stating in his in troduction that "biotechnology is likely to have its greatest impact on agriculture," his chapter on agricul ture and biotechnology reverts into a defense of the land-grant universi ties' mission of providing applied research for the farmer. Instead of supporting the traditional universi ty role as a provider of basic re search knowledge through federal
funding, Kenney asserts that corpo rations are at fault for not demand ing the training of more plant mo lecular biologists. Agricultural applications of bio technology are, indeed, vast. Yet they will lag by a decade or more the commercialization of biotechnolo gy for pharmaceuticals. The years of funding by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, which provided much ba sic knowledge of the complex chem istry of the human body, simply have been absent in the plant sci ences. The pace of commercial ex ploitation of biotechnology in agri culture, therefore, may now be driv en more by basic science either sponsored or performed by industry than by that emerging from the uni versities. One could only wish that Kenney had been able to join the clarion call of the Winrock Report, which stemmed from a 1982 White House conference aimed at rejuvenating agricultural education and research, and support the need for substan tially greater funding of basic re search in plant science, regardless of whether it is done in the land-grant universities, elsewhere in the aca demic world, or within industry it self. D
Paperbacks
nancial Operations, American Chemical Society, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washing ton, D.C. 20036. 1986. $40.
Ammonia Plant Safety and Related Fa cilities. 242 pages. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 345 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1986. AIChE members $20. Others $40. Annual Bulletin of Trade in Chemical Products. Economic Commission for Eu rope, xxx + 285 pages. United Nations, Sales Section, New York, 10017. 1986. $30. Automated Nondestructive Testing. Warren J. McGonnagle, editor, xii + 283 pages. Gordon & Breach Science Pub lishers, Inc., P.O. Box 786, Cooper Sta tion, New York, N.Y. 10276. 1986. $74. Basic Methods in Molecular Biology. Leonard G. Davis, Mark D. Dibner, James F. Battey. xi + 388 pages. Elsevier Science Publishing Co., 52 Vanderbilt Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1986. $35. Chemcyclopedia 87. Vol. 5. Joseph H. Kuney, editor. 330 pages. Director of Fi32
March 9, 1987 C&EN
Chemical and Biological Warfare De velopments: 1985. J. P. Perry Robinson, ν + 110 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1986. $24.95. Chemical Engineering Faculties 19861987. Vol. 35. Keith P. Johnston, editor, ix + 256 pages. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 345 East 47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1986. $20 mem bers, $40 others. The Chemical Industry and the Pro jected Chemical Weapons Convention. Proceedings of a SIPRI/Pugwash Con ference. Vol. 1. xix + 147 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1986. $24.95. Cogeneration and Small Power Pro duction Manual. Scott A. Spiewak. 653 pages. The Fairmont Press, 700 Indian Trail, Lilburn, Ga. 30247. 1986. $85.
Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans. Vol. 37. Tobacco Habits Other than Smoking; BetelQuid and Areca-Nut Chewing; and Some Related Nitrosamines. IARC Monograph. 291 pages. World Health Organization Publications Center USA, 49 Sheridan Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12210. 1986. $25. Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans. Vol. 38. Tobacco Smoking. IARC Monograph. 421 pages. World Health Organization Publica tions Center USA, 49 Sheridan Ave., Al bany, N.Y. 12210. 1986. $25. "High-Tech" Materials: Challenges and Opportunities for Chemical Engi neers. Sheldon E. Isakoff. 27 pages. American Institute of Chemical Engi neers, 345—47th St., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1986. $10 AIChE members; $18 nonmembers. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans. Vol. 39: Some Chemicals Used in Plastics and Elastomers. 403 pages. World Health Organization Pub lications Center USA, 49 Sheridan Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12210. 1986. $30. Industrial Robot Handbook. Richard K. Miller. 686 pages. Fairmont Press Inc., 700 Indian Trail, Lilburn, Ga. 30247. 1986. $42. Initiation and Growth of Explosion in Liquids and Solids. F. P. Bowden, A. D. Yoffe. xii + 104 pages. Cambridge Uni versity Press, 32 East 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10022. 1985. $14.95. Ionic Organic Mechanisms. Charles Went, ix + 276 pages. Macmillan Pub lishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022. 1986. $7.95. Measurement of High Temperatures in Furnaces and Processes. David P. DeWitt, Lyle F. Albright, editors. 100 pages. American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 345 East 47 St., New York, N.Y. 10017. 1986. $15 AIChE members; $30 nonmembers. The Periodic Table of the Elements. 2nd Edition. R. J. Puddephatt, P. K. Monaghan. χ + 100 pages. Oxford Uni versity Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1986. $10.95. Perturbations in the Spectra of Di atomic Molecules. Hélène LefebvreBrion. Robert W. Field, viii + 420 pages. Academic Press, 111 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10003. 1986. $80.
