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    Designing a post-genomics knowledge ecosystem to translate pharmacogenomics into public health action


    Dove, Edward, Faraj, Samer A, Kolker, Eugene and Özdemir, Vural (2012) Designing a post-genomics knowledge ecosystem to translate pharmacogenomics into public health action. Genome Medicine, 4 (11). p. 91. ISSN 1756-994X

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    Abstract

    Translation of pharmacogenomics to public health action is at the epicenter of the life sciences agenda. Post-genomics knowledge is simultaneously co-produced at multiple scales and locales by scientists, crowd-sourcing and biological citizens. The latter are entrepreneurial citizens who are autonomous, self-governing and increasingly conceptualizing themselves in biological terms, ostensibly taking responsibility for their own health, and engaging in patient advocacy and health activism. By studying these heterogeneous 'scientific cultures', we can locate innovative parameters of collective action to move pharmacogenomics to practice (personalized therapeutics). To this end, we reconceptualize knowledge-based innovation as a complex ecosystem comprising 'actors' and 'narrators'. For robust knowledge translation, we require a nested post-genomics technology governance system composed of first-order narrators (for example, social scientists, philosophers, bioethicists) situated at arm's length from innovation actors (for example, pharmacogenomics scientists). Yet, second-order narrators (for example, an independent and possibly crowd-funded think-tank of citizen scholars, marginalized groups and knowledge end-users) are crucial to prevent first-order narrators from gaining excessive power that can be misused in the course of steering innovations. To operate such 'self-calibrating' and nested innovation ecosystems, we introduce the concept of 'wiki-governance' to enable mutual and iterative learning among innovation actors and first- and second-order narrators.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: Designing; post-genomics; knowledge; ecosystem; translate; pharmacogenomics; public health action;
    Academic Unit: Assisting Living & Learning,ALL institute
    Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
    Item ID: 19976
    Identification Number: 10.1186/gm392
    Depositing User: Edward Dove
    Date Deposited: 09 Jun 2025 15:26
    Journal or Publication Title: Genome Medicine
    Publisher: BioMed Central
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    URI: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/19976
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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