Making genomic medicine. (360G-Wellcome-100597_Z_12_Z)

Genomic medicine emerged around the turn of the twenty-first century as a site of particularly intense activity in biomedical research and policy-making, prompted in large part by the expectation that developments in genomic science and technology would effect an epochal transformation in health care. My goal is to locate these developments in historical perspective, by producing a comprehensive account of the socio-technical process that resulted in the current ferment of activity around genom ic medicine. Research to date indicates that the story is an exceptionally interesting and important one, dating back at least to the 1970s, and involving not just dramatic developments in medical science and technology, but also shifts in the orientation of public health policy, changes in the organisation and funding of clinical science and medicine, the emergence of new pharmaceutical business models, changes in the regulatory environment for biomedicine, and the growing influence of pat ient groups. My research into these processes will pursue three inter-connected strands of historical analysis: 1: Making genomic risk 2: Genomicising drug discovery and development 3: The rise of rare diseases My findings will be of more than just academic interest. By analysing the scientific and social factors that led to the emergence of genomic medicine, I aim to help to frame and inform current debates about the future of biomedicine.