Promising Genomics: Iceland and deCODE Genetics in a World of Speculation / Edition 1

Part detective story, part expose, and part travelogue, Promising Genomics investigates one of the signature biotech stories of our time and, in so doing, opens a window onto the high-speed, high-tech, high-finance world of genome science. In a luminous account, Mike Fortun investigates how deCODE Genetics, in Iceland, became one of the wealthiest companies of its kind, as well as one of the most controversial, with its plan to use the genes and medical records of the entire Icelandic population for scientific research. Delving into the poetry of W.H. Auden, the novels of Halldor Laxness, and the perils of Keiko the killer whale, Fortun maps the contemporary genomics landscape at a time when we must begin to ask questions about what "life" is made of in the age of DNA, databases, and derivatives trading.

About the Author:
Mike Fortun is Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute