Shifting paradigms? Reflections on regenerative medicine, embryonic stem cells and pharmaceuticals

Bibliographic Data

ID2265996
AuthorsSteven P Wainwright (King's College London), Mike Michael (0000-0001-9272-2294, Goldsmiths University of London), Clare Williams (0000-0001-6315-5534, King's College London)
Year2008
Volume30
Issue6
Pages959-974
Publication date2008-09-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9566.2008.01118.x
PMID18761514
OpenAlexW2073182149
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited45

Will human embryonic stem (hES) cells lead to a revolutionary new regenerative medicine? We begin to answer this question by drawing on interviews with scientists and clinicians from leading labs and clinics in the UK and the USA, exploring their views on the bench-bedside interface in the fields of hES cells, neuroscience and diabetes. We employ Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus and capital in order to understand stem cell science and cell transplantation. We also build on research on the sociology of expectations, and explore expectations of pharmaceutical approaches in hES research through our concept of 'expectational capital'. In the process we discuss emerging expectations within stem cell research, most especially the 'disease in a dish' approach, where hES cells will be used as tools for unravelling the mechanisms of disease to enable the development of new drugs. We argue that experts' persuasive promises advance their interests in the uncertain stem cell field, and explore how this performative strategy might stabilise the emerging 'disease in a dish' model of translational research

Biology · Embryonic stem cell · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Habitus · Pathology · Regenerative medicine · Social science · Sociology · Stem cell · Translational medicine · Biomedical Ethics and Regulation · Cell Biology · Engineering · Medicine · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Neuroscience · Philosophy · Pluripotent Stem Cells Research

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