The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development
In this paper I examine how the promissory value of genetics is constituted through processes of scale and scaling, focussing on the relationship between “rare” and “common” forms of disease. I highlight the bodies and spaces involved in the production of post-genomic knowledge and technologies of A...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2020-01-01
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Series: | New Genetics and Society |
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2019.1637718 |
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author | Richard Milne |
author_facet | Richard Milne |
author_sort | Richard Milne |
collection | DOAJ |
description | In this paper I examine how the promissory value of genetics is constituted through processes of scale and scaling, focussing on the relationship between “rare” and “common” forms of disease. I highlight the bodies and spaces involved in the production of post-genomic knowledge and technologies of Alzheimer's disease and the development of new disease-modifying drugs. I focus on the example of the development of a monoclonal antibody therapy for Alzheimer's disease. I argue that the process of therapeutic innovation, from genetic studies and animal models to phase III clinical trials, reflects the persistent importance of a genetic imaginary and a mutually constitutive relationship between the rare and the common in in shaping visions of Alzheimer's disease medicine. Approaching this relationship as a question of scale, I suggest the importance of attending to how and where genomic knowledge is “scaled” or proves resistant to scaling. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:42:11Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-4915cb6d3da54e8d892e0d2d04ec79f4 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1463-6778 1469-9915 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:42:11Z |
publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
record_format | Article |
series | New Genetics and Society |
spelling | doaj.art-4915cb6d3da54e8d892e0d2d04ec79f42023-09-19T15:22:17ZengTaylor & Francis GroupNew Genetics and Society1463-67781469-99152020-01-0139110112610.1080/14636778.2019.16377181637718The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug developmentRichard Milne0Wellcome Genome Campus – Society and Ethics Research GroupIn this paper I examine how the promissory value of genetics is constituted through processes of scale and scaling, focussing on the relationship between “rare” and “common” forms of disease. I highlight the bodies and spaces involved in the production of post-genomic knowledge and technologies of Alzheimer's disease and the development of new disease-modifying drugs. I focus on the example of the development of a monoclonal antibody therapy for Alzheimer's disease. I argue that the process of therapeutic innovation, from genetic studies and animal models to phase III clinical trials, reflects the persistent importance of a genetic imaginary and a mutually constitutive relationship between the rare and the common in in shaping visions of Alzheimer's disease medicine. Approaching this relationship as a question of scale, I suggest the importance of attending to how and where genomic knowledge is “scaled” or proves resistant to scaling.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2019.1637718alzheimer’s diseasegeneticsdrugsscalemodels |
spellingShingle | Richard Milne The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development New Genetics and Society alzheimer’s disease genetics drugs scale models |
title | The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development |
title_full | The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development |
title_fullStr | The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development |
title_full_unstemmed | The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development |
title_short | The rare and the common: scale and the genetic imaginary in Alzheimer's disease drug development |
title_sort | rare and the common scale and the genetic imaginary in alzheimer s disease drug development |
topic | alzheimer’s disease genetics drugs scale models |
url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14636778.2019.1637718 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT richardmilne therareandthecommonscaleandthegeneticimaginaryinalzheimersdiseasedrugdevelopment AT richardmilne rareandthecommonscaleandthegeneticimaginaryinalzheimersdiseasedrugdevelopment |