Large-Scale Biomedical Science Exploring Strategies for Future Research (2003) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2. Defining “Large-Scale Science” in Biomedical Research
2. Defining “Large-Scale Science” in Biomedical Research
Pages 17-28
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 17... ...
For instance, because of enormous advances in DNA sequencing technology, the time and cost of sequencing a mammalian genome are now considerably lower than was the case when the Human Genome Project (HOP) was launched; thus such projects are becoming le..
|
From page 18... ...
Short-term objectives ~ Requires long-range strategic planning Relatively shorter time frame ~ Often a longer time frame Lower total cost, higher unit cost ~ Higher total cost, lower unit cost Hypothesis driven, undefined deliverables Small peer review group approval sufficient Minimal management structure Minimal oversight by funders Problem-directed with well-defined deliverables and endpoints Acceptance by the field as a whole important Larger, more complex management structure More oversight by funders Single principal investigator ~ Multi-investigator and multi-institutional More dependent on scientists in training ~ More dependent on technical staff Generally funded by unsolicited, ~ Often funded through solicited cooperative investigator-initiated (Ret) grants agreements More discipline-oriented ~ Often interdisciplinary Takes advantage of infrastructure and technologies generated by large-scale projects May or may not involve bioinformatics Develops scientific research capacity, infrastructure, and technologies Data and outcome analysis highly dependent on bioinformatics FIGURE 2-1 The range of attributes that may characterize scientific research.
|
From page 19... ...
To achieve such agreement, large-scale projects must be mission or goal oriented, with clearly defined endpoints and deliverables that create infrastructure or scientific capacity to enhance future research endeavors. Such infrastructure may include products such as databases and new technologies that could be used as research tools by a significant portion of the scientific community and would provide a common platform for research.
|
From page 20... ...
In contrast, unconventional large-scale projects take advantage of economies of scale to produce relatively standardized data on entire classes or categories of biological questions. Thus, as noted earlier, they may reveal novel areas of research for follow-up by smaller science projects, and they also provide essential tools and databases for subsequent research.
|
From page 21... ...
For example, production of a partial rather than a comprehensive catalog of protein structures could still be quite useful to the scientific community. In contrast, the building of a large-scale facility, such as a superconducting super collider or the Fermi Laboratory is useful only if the facility were completed and then used successfully by members of the scientific community to generate data.
|
From page 22... ...
Polymorphisms can also serve as markers for locating genes that do directly contribute to disease when mutated. Other examples of genomics-related projects include generating databases of full-length cDNAs DNA sequences that are complementary to messenger RNAs, which actually code for proteins, and thus have intervening "intron" sequences removed.
|
From page 23... ...
The development of bioinformatics tools and resources could also potentially serve as a large-scale research project in itself, because the availability of standardized bioinformatics tools could lead to greater uniformity and use of data generated within smaller, more traditional science projects. There is a great need for a common language and platform for many applications.
|
From page 24... ...
Patient Databases and Specimen Banks Collections of archived patient information including clinical data, family history, and risk factors, as well as patient samples, such as tissue, blood, and urine can be very useful for studying the genetics, biology, etiology, and epidemiology of diseases, especially when they are linked. Such collections of information can also be used to examine the long-term effects of medical interventions.
|
From page 25... ...
Nonetheless, it can be said that the organizational requirements of large-scale science projects are likely to be quite different from those of the more traditional academic approach to biomedical science. For large-scale projects, the work may need to be coordinated among multiple public and private research institutions, or
|
From page 26... ...
Yet, even large-scale science projects undertaken in collaboration with industry or through industry consortia may experience organizational difficulties if they require groups to mesh dissimilar organizational schemes and cultures.
|
From page 27... ...
However, when many different research tools are needed to develop a clinically applicable product, aggressive enforcement of patents and pursuit of licensing revenues associated with those tools could potentially hamper the progress of research. As a result, there have been many debates about access to biological data and the merit and appropriate use of patenting and licensing of research tools in biomedicine (NIH, 1998; Helter and Eisenberg, 1998~.
|
From page 28... ...
See |
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.