We Need To Tell The True Stories Of Industrial Biotechnology Innovation

By Phil Kay, Learning Manager for JMP

Phil will be speaking at IBioIC23’s Member Showcase session on 15 March 2023, on the topic; Successful Innovation Starts and Ends With the Customer.

‘Innovation – unlike invention – does not happen by chance. The discovery of penicillin was famously serendipitous. But the massive impact of this first antibiotic treatment was the result of years of dedicated work focused on solving a critical unmet need.

Similarly, in the world of software development, innovation only happens when value is realised by the end user. Steve Jobs said it best: “start with the customer experience and work backwards for the technology.” Easy to say, but how do you make this a guiding part of your company DNA?

In this talk you will hear practical ideas for engaging and partnering with the science and engineering communities. And how to build a culture of curiosity that ensures a focus on solving the big challenges.’

Innovation – unlike invention – does not happen by chance. The discovery of Penicillin was famously serendipitous. But the massive impact of this first antibiotic treatment was the result of years of dedicated work.

If you walk left out of the main exit of Paddington train station, you will soon pass the small lab on the corner of St Mary’s Hospital where in 1928 Alexander Fleming found that a mould was contaminating some of his bacterial cultures. He noticed that this mould appeared to stop the growth of the dangerous bacteria, staphylococci. And just like that, the age of modern medicine was born. Or so the story goes.

I must have walked past that spot dozen of times without noticing the small plaque on the side of the hospital commemorating the discovery of Penicillin. It is much harder to miss the statue of Fleming outside of the main bullring in Madrid. In this monument, the Scottish physician is seen with a matador tipping his hat to him. When I first saw it for myself I wondered why the “inventor” of Penicillin was so revered, so far from his birthplace. It turns out that in the past the big killer of bullfighters was not the injuries sustained in their dangerous line of work, but rather the much slower death from infected wounds. Penicillin was a “miracle cure” for these infections.

It is right that we celebrate the development of Penicillin and antibiotics, which have saved millions of lives worldwide, and Fleming’s role in this. But the story that we tell is too simple. It is a big problem for scientific progress that most people only think of the lone genius and the lucky eureka moment, when they think of science.

The real story of how an interesting mould became a life-saving treatment was long and complicated. Dozens of people, from different countries, in private and public organisations, over many years, worked together to overcome the numerous challenges: isolating and identifying the active chemical ingredient; developing accurate assays to measure the strength of formulations; finding a productive mould strain; optimising the recipe for the growth medium; improving the extraction process; understanding stability; and proving the effectiveness and safety in the clinic. This was, and is, the real work that is required for scientific innovation and makes for a much more interesting story, in my opinion.

Innovation is one of the themes of the member showcase at the upcoming IBioIC annual conference. I will be speaking as part of a panel that will examine how to define and encourage innovation, as well as translating innovation to commercial success. My view is that we need to get better at sharing the true stories of scientific innovation and we are spoilt for choice with great examples from the Scottish and UK bioeconomy.  I hope you can join us and we get the chance to talk about innovation.