Pharmacogenetics as alien science : Alzheimer's disease, core sets and expectations

摘要: This paper takes Harry Collins’ concept of the ’core set’ and combines it with emerging work in sociology sociotechnical expectations to explore continued citation review papers a research result that is widely rejected by experts. The question, putative pharmacogenetic link between carrying APOE4 allele reduced response anti-Alzheimer’s disease (AD) drug Tacrine, was first reported 1995. Since then has been cited, helping create about pharmacogenetics or ’personalized medicine’. To majority clinicians researchers specialized AD (the core set) this little value – both scientifically defunct ethically risky although some supporters continue suggest masked commercial interests. shows how as an example leads commentators outside set ignore its controversial qualities use resource for expectation-building, but process producing representation resembles ’alien science’ (an inaccurate picture outsider conveys scientific topic based on literature, rather than interviews scientists involved).