The Gene Business

Book excerpt: The Gene Business, the first detailed, analytic study of the corporate agenda for biotechnology, takes a close look at the for-profit use of genetic engineering and molecular biology. Alarmed by the possible long-term effects of corporate-controlled university research, which has already led to the cloning of fast-growing trees in the Amazon and the replacement of basic Third World crops by "supercrops," Yoxen provides a readable account of how genetic engineering evolved from a pure science into a profitable business. He examines the structure of today's multinational gene business, the effects it has had to date, and its scientific, economic, social, and political implications.