Spaces of genomics : exploring the innovation journey of genomics in research on common disease

Genomics was introduced with big promises and expectations of its future contribution to our society. Medical genomics was introduced as that which would lay the foundation for a revolution in our management of common diseases. Genomics would lead the way towards a future of personalised medicine. Doctors would be able to offer diagnosis, advice and medicine tailored to the individual and individuals would be given a tool to take charge of their own health. Research on common disease like asthma, cancer, Alzheimer’s and mental diseases are characterised by a heterogeneous mix of disciplines. There is therefore a complex historically developed configuration of actors and disciplines in place for understanding and researching these conditions. Each research area has developed a dominant storyline that describes how the disease as well as their research should be understood. With the introduction of genomics, researchers of common disease are therefore presented with the challenge of how to evaluate the promises and expectations of genomics for their area of research. How does genomics fit into their storyline? The researchers, who take on the task of integrating the promises and expectations of genomics in their research area, become travellers on an innovation journey. As they evaluate the potential of genomics, they create spaces of genomics. Within these spaces, storylines on the contribution of genomics develop. In my PhD thesis I analyse the emergence of such spaces and their storylines in asthma and cardiovascular disease research. I show how the promises of individualized prevention, diagnosis and treatment are influenced by the specific storylines of these research fields.