TITLE: The Genomics Age

AUTHOR: Gina Smith

ISBN 0-8144-0843-5

The following review was contributed by: Roger E. Herman & CLICK TO VIEW Roger E. Herman's Reviews

We’ve all heard about DNA. It’s an issue, a science, a research endeavor, a discovery, a breakthrough that affects all of us. DNA is in the news, in some context, practically every day. Science is unquestionably a central part of our lives—today and in the future. But why did AMACOM, a publisher of business books, produce a book on genomics? This doesn’t sound like a business topic.

Going beyond our initial reaction, we quickly see that the recent discoveries—and their applications—are indeed vital to business development. DNA won’t tell you how to manage your people or your finances more effectively, but this book will deliver insights and simulate thinking that will influence thousands of businesses for years to come.

DNA research, with relatively recent discoveries, will drive the development of business endeavors that are the next wave of corporate birth. New companies will spring up to engage in more research in this emerging field, ushering in an era of business development built around DNA, genomics, biogenetics, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, education, and other aspects of our lives. Gaining a fundamental, yet comprehensive, understanding of genomics will give present and future corporate leaders at least an intellectual edge. Having read this book, I can better appreciate what I’m reading in the newspapers and magazines each day about this exploding field.

So who’s the author? It’s not some little-known scientist who will obfuscate the topic with complicated terminology. This book for Everyman was written by one of America’s best-known science and technology journalists. Gina Smith was the technology correspondent for ABC news and has amassed over a decade of experience in researching and writing on technology for the Los Angeles Times, Wired, Popular Science, and other print and broadcast news sources. Even though I am not a scientist, I found the book easy to read and understand. Sure, there are some parts that get a little complicated, but a careful reading will produce significant comprehension. And, if you get confused, there’s a 30-page glossary at the end of the book, before the eight-page index, to enlighten you.

Following a helpful introduction, Smith presents ten chapters to organize her material. She begins with an explanation of the basics of the DNA sciences, and then traces the evolution of genomic science from initial discoveries to future opportunities. Applications of DNA knowledge fill the next two chapters, before the book launches into an exploration of specific fields of opportunity. You’ll learn about biogerontology—the use of DNA research and manipulation to extend life. Combating cancer, cloning, stem cell research, and gene therapy are all explored. The closing chapter on DNA and Society examines some of the ethical issues that face us as we race into the future with new discoveries and applications.

Leaders will gain valuable knowledge that will help them understand this new field of research and development. A little corporate thinking—and it won’t be much of a stretch—will stimulate your thinking about business opportunities. The quotations that are interspersed in the chapters are a little bit of a distraction, but do break up the text to make the flow more readable. I offer a strong recommendation for this book, which will appeal to a wide audience.