Page 195 - HBR's 10 Must Reads 20180 - The Definitive Management Ideas of the Year from Harvard Business Review

THE EDISON OF MEDICINE

However, the linear paradigm was never universally true. From
the mid 19th century onward, great researchers have pushed the
frontiers of basic science precisely to solve pressing societal prob-
lems. The Princeton political scientist Donald E. Stokes coined a
term for the space in which they work: Pasteur’s quadrant, reflecting
Louis Pasteur’s pursuit of a fundamental understanding of microbi-
ology in order to combat disease and food spoilage. Other examples
include Bell Labs, whose scientists made basic discoveries while
improving and extending communications systems, and the U.S.
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA—one of the
most successful innovation organizations ever.
Langer Lab resides in Pasteur’s quadrant too. Although its
researchers devote the bulk of their efforts to applied science and
engineering that could solve critical problems, in the process they
often push the boundaries of basic science. For example, one of
Langer’s most important discoveries was a way to release large-
molecule drugs in the body via porous polymers at designated doses
and times over several years. This involved expanding an area of
physics and math known as percolation theory.
With some notable exceptions—Corning’s efforts in quantum
communications and materials for capturing carbon dioxide, IBM’s
in cognitive computing and smart cities, Alphabet’s in health care
and self-driving vehicles—firms today aren’t striving to connect
early-stage research with major real-world applications. “It’s very
rare, but I don’t think it needs to be,” says Gary P. Pisano, a professor
at Harvard Business School. “If you solve some of society’s big prob-
lems, you’ll actually make a lot of money.”
Susan Hockfield, a professor of neuroscience at the Koch Institute
and a former president of MIT, agrees. “There’s a lot of appropriate
concern and skepticism about the state of corporate R&D,” she says.
“For example, pharma corporate R&D invests significantly in very
early stage, exploratory research. Couldn’t they be doing better if
they partnered more effectively with nonindustry biologists and
engineers? And I just finished service on a commission to review the
national labs. I’m astonished by what a brilliant idea they are and by
the high quality of their research, but could they be turning more of
their discoveries into products for the marketplace?”
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