Biological Resource Centers: Knowledge Hubs for the Life Sciences

by Scott Stern

Overview

Biological resource centers (BRCs) collect, certify, and distribute organisms for use in research and in the development of commercial products in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and biotechnology industries. They maintain a large and varied collection, including cell lines, micro-organisms, recombinant DNA material, biological media and reagents, and the information technology tools that allow researchers to access biological materials. BRCs have established themselves as a crucial element in the life science innovation infrastructure, from their early impact on virology, to their crucial role in addressing cross-culture contamination in the 1970s, to their current leadership in promoting a global biodiversity network. Today they confront new challenges, resulting from shifts in the nature of biological research, the interaction between public and private researchers, and the increasing focus on biosecurity. This book provides a systematic economic assessment of the impact of biological resource centers through their role in facilitating cumulative knowledge in the life sciences and building on their roles as knowledge hubs—institutions that facilitate the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge among members of a research community. The knowledge hubs framework offers insight into how to develop and evaluate policy proposals that impinge on the control and access of biological materials. Stern argues that science and innovation policy must be premised on a clear understanding of the role that knowledge hubs play and the policy mechanisms that encourage their sustained growth and effectiveness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815797548
Publisher:	Brookings Institution Press
Publication date:	11/30/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	128
File size:	581 KB

About the Author

Scott Stern is associate professor of management and strategy and the academic director of the Biotechnology Center at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. He is also a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Table of Contents

Biological resource centers (BRCs) are the world’s "living libraries." BRCs offer independent and shared access to authenticated biological materials for research applications in the life sciences in government, industry, and academia. They maintain large and varied collections-including cell lines, microorganisms, recombinant DNA material, and biological media and reagents-and information technology tools that allow researchers to access biological materials.

BRCs have established themselves as a crucial element in the life science innovation infrastructure, but today the confront new challenges resulting from shifts in the nature of biological research, the interaction between public and private researchers and the increasing focus on biosecurity.

Here, Scott Stern provides a systematic economic assessment of the impact of biological resource centers through their role in facilitating cumulative knowledge in the life sciences and their role as knowledge hubs-institutions that facilitate the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge among members of a research community.

The knowledge hubs framework offers insight into how to develop and evaluate policy proposals that impinge on control of an access to biological materials. Stern argues that science and innovation policy must be premised on a clear understanding of the role that knowledge hubs play on policy mechanisms that encourage their sustained growth and effectiveness.