Science and products...

I was watching Nader's speech at Google (thanks, Jas!), and although I've heard similar statements before, I was struck by the clarity of his sentence when talking about biotechnology:

"The technology is way ahead of the science, which should be the governing discipline."

This statement haunts me. It is so true, not only about biotechnology, but about many interfaces at which science converges with a marketable product.

Why are drugs on the marketplace, when we don't even know the extent to which these drugs affect biological pathways? We don't understand signaling processes that are affected by the drugs. We don't even understand the disease we are trying to treat.

This lack of scientific knowledge for marketed consumables has been on my mind for awhile. I commissioned articles for a project of mine that covered two aspects of drug discovery that, in my opinion, are truly pertinent. One is the gamut of current and emerging small molecules that may be used to treat a disease. The other is the biological mechanisms and basis for the same disease. It truly amazes me, and is an eye-opener, at the polarization of knowledge on human diseases. While there are drugs in discovery, development, and clinical stages, for these diseases, nearly every article on the biological mechanisms contains a statement indicating that the science is poorly understood or controversial. How could this be? How could we market drugs that we don't even understand how they affect our bodies?

Furthermore, why are we surprised when horrible, sometimes fatal, side-effects are revealed for these drugs? "Side-effects" is just another way of saying that the drug affects us in ways that we don't understand; the drug is affecting biological and biochemical pathways that we don't understand. Test trials on animals are insufficient; if the test trials result in "side effects," then more knowledge is needed!

Consumers beware, and be smart about what you put into your body. When there is a monetary amount or potential sum for a "discovery", then developing that product becomes a priority.

With that said, I very much support the development of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, because I do realize the positive impact on many lives. I just am apalled by the sheer number of people that are on medications. If you need it, which is to say that the benefits outweigh the risks, then take it; if there is an alternative treatment or therapy, then try this first. Try to take control, and know what you are doing to your body.