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, and 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 scandalous, 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.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Ch 1. LavaXLand Ch 2. FriendXAdvance Man Ch 3. FastXFast Ch 4. CounterfeitXMoney Ch 5. KariXdeCODE Ch 6. DogXWhale Ch 7. HistoryXFable Ch 8. KeikoXK.Co. Ch 9. TrustXGullibility Ch X. PromisesXPromises Ch 10. DistanceXComplicity Ch 11. NonXGovernmental Organization Ch 12. IcelandXWorld Ch 13. PublicXPrivate Ch 14. Open FutureXSafe Harbor Ch 15. ManiaXFundamentals Ch 16. PromiseXDisclosure Ch 17. Yahoo!XFinance Ch 18. SameXDi*erence Ch 19. PresumedXConsent Ch 20. GenomicsXSlot Machines Ch 21. EthicsXExpediency Ch 22. EverythingXNothing Forward Looking Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author

Mike Fortun is Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Techology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.