FLICKR, _TAWCANMasoud Manjili’s recent opinion that translational research is “in crisis” is accurate, timely, and on target. Although all are in favor of innovation, few welcome change—“a radically new approach,” as Manjili has called for. But if the new approach promises a better outcome, especially for patients with solid cancers, it would be supported by the public and private sectors. However, such an approach would have to be based on a comprehensive analysis, the identification of substantive and sizable roadblocks to innovation, and a persuasive plan to overcome the obstructions.
In his 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn explained that in times of crisis, the most significant roadblock to innovation is inertia—the persistence of an establishmentarian opinion. This has been true throughout the history of science, and remains so today. Following Manjili’s lead, we limit our comments to cancer research and development (R&D).
Manjili pointed out preclinical and clinical problems that are well known among scientists, but those were simply tactics. The key question at hand remains unaddressed: What are the factors that drive scientists—who know better—to perform inadequate research that predictably lead to outcome dead-ends? Based on our experiences in academia and pharma, the primary reason for the failure of productivity stem from regulations, particularly those based on simplistic, one-size-fits-all disease ...
