Genomic research has rapidly expanded its scope and ambition over the past decade, promoted by both public and private sectors as having the potential to revolutionize clinical medicine. This promissory bioeconomy of genomic research and technology is generated by, and in turn generates, the hopes and expectations shared by investors, researchers and clinicians, patients, and the general public alike. Examinations of such bioeconomies have often focused on the public discourse, media representations, and capital investments that fuel these “regimes of hope,” but also crucial are the more intimate contexts of small-scale medical research, and the private hopes, dreams, and disappointments of those involved. Here we examine one local site of production in a university-based clinical research project that sought to identify novel cancer predisposition genes through whole genome sequencing in individuals at high risk for cancer. In-depth interviews with 24 adults who donated samples to the study revealed an ability to shift flexibly between positioning themselves as research participants on the one hand, and as patients or as family members of patients, on the other. Similarly, interviews with members of the research team highlighted the dual nature of their positions as researchers and as clinicians. For both parties, this dual positioning shaped their investment in the project and valuing of its possible outcomes. In their narratives, all parties shifted between these different relational positions as they managed hopes and expectations for the research project. We suggest that this flexibility facilitated study implementation and participation in the face of potential and probable disappointment on one or more fronts, and acted as a key element in the resilience of this local promissory bioeconomy. We conclude that these multiple dimensions of relationality and positionality are inherent and essential in the creation of any complex economy, “bio” or otherwise.
Algal biofuel is an emerging energy source that has the potential to improve upon the environmental benefits realized by conventional biofuels and contribute to the biofuels mandate set by the Renewable Fuel Standard. While there has been much research into producing fuel from algae, a commercial operation has not yet been built. This paper examines theoretical models of innovation and two case studies of innovation in energy technologies in the United States, first generation biodiesel and solar photovoltaics (PV), using a technological innovation system (TIS) framework to provide relevant lessons and inform the path forward for commercializing algal biofuel. The case study analysis identified five event types as being the most influential to the innovation process: changing expectations, technology development, demonstration projects, policy targets, and government subsidies. There have been some demonstration projects for algal biofuel, and it does fall under the mandates laid out by the Renewable Fuel Standard (a policy target) but currently does not receive production subsidies. If societal expectations and national priorities regarding fuel and energy sources are aligned with the potential benefits of algal biofuels, providing subsidies for algal biofuel production could significantly contribute to advancing its commercialization process. The main finding from the case study analysis is that government interventions had a high level of influence in the innovation processes of first generation biodiesel and solar PV and will likely also be key factors in the commercialization of algal biofuel. The feasibility of these interventions is an area for future study.
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