Entrepreneurial Alliances And Genetic Engineering

[Pericles(MBA)]

I was following a discussion between Betsy and Argive99 in the Current Events forum and their points on the speed at which new ideas move thru a culture got me thinking....

I have in the past contacted a few bioscience companies about jobs. Although they expressed interest, they also warned that bioscience was not growing as quickly as many people thought. I thought that reply was strange, and then I saw it again in the media in the form of a quote about 'the bioscience bubble' being similar to the 'tech bubble' of the 90's. It seems that many people think that bioscience cannot grow very quickly because there is not enough interest in it.

But when you look at all the lost opportunities in the bioscience world, you have to wonder what kind of difference could be made if there were an alliance between committed companies. For example, any health problem has an answer in bioscience but if you browse thru the health section in a bookstore there are few books that address this. Also there is little work being done to market the current breakthrus in bioscience. On the contrary you often see things like food manufacturers putting labels on food assuring the public that they do not use genetic engineering (as if g.e. is somehow bad).

An alliance between companies could do things like boycott companies that badmouth genetics. It could also sponsor scholarship on the possibilities of bioscience (A scholarship for students would be a very good idea). How about industry awards for the best bioscience publications? I have to wonder how bioscience companies expect markets to form, if they do not start getting the public excited about bioscience. As I see it the amount of money that flows into bioscience is a pittance compared to what we could see.

For example, how many people spend large amounts of money on spurious products like Coral Calcium and other alternative medical cures? With better information that money would be spent on products that actually do improve health. There are huge markets out there for the entrepreneur with the right skills in spreading his ideas.

[argive99]

I think the reason that more money is not poured into bioscience with the resulting bigger market is the government created cloud that hangs over the industry's head. There are so many unresolved issues regarding government proscription on research, government refusal to provide patents and protect intellectual property, and criminalization of certain research that smart money is not willing to risk investment in that field. It truly is a tragedy. Industries can not flourish where there is no certainty or stability with respect to the future. The market is a future discounting mechanism. The reason so many of these bioscience companies are priced so low is that the government's inquisitional mindset is priced in. This is probably the reason most of these companies are not taking the steps you outlined. I am a professional speculator and I see daily the damage that FDA and other beaurocratic edicts have on bioscience and biotechnology stocks.

Its a crime.

[Pericles(MBA)]

I think the reason that more money is not poured into bioscience with the resulting bigger market is the government created cloud that hangs over the industry's head. There are so many unresolved issues regarding government proscription on research, government refusal to provide patents and protect intellectual property, and criminalization of certain research that smart money is not willing to risk investment in that field. It truly is a tragedy.

I agree, and it also supports my argument that the industry needs to unite to work against the negative barriers imparted by government. Genetics is so life-giving, I cannot believe it does not have its own lobbying movement. Perhaps that would be a good job for me to transition myself into.