Gardner John, Higham Ruchi, Faulkner Alex, Webster Andrew
Science and Technology Studies Unit, Department of Sociology University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD United Kingdom.
Centre for Global Health Policy, University of Sussex, Falmer Brighton, BN1 9RH, United Kingdom.
Soc Sci Med. 2017 Feb;174:70-78. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.12.018. Epub 2016 Dec 13.
The field of regenerative medicine (RM) is championed as a potential source of curative treatments and economic wealth, and initiatives have been launched in several countries to facilitate innovation within the field. As a way of examining the social dimensions of innovation within regenerative medicine, this paper explores the sociotechnical representations of RM technologies in the UK, and the tensions, affordances and complexities these representations present for actors within the field. Specifically, the paper uses the Science and Technology Studies-inspired notions of 'technology identity' and 'development space' to examine how particular technologies are framed and positioned by actors, and how these positionings subsequently shape innovation pathways. Four developing RM technologies are used as case studies: bioengineered tracheas; autologous chondrocyte implantation; T-cell therapies; and a 'point-of-care' cell preparation device. Using these case studies we argue that there are particular identity aspects that have powerful performative effects and provide momentum to innovation projects, and we argue that there are particular stakeholders in the UK RM landscape who appear to have considerable power in shaping these technology identities and thus innovation pathways.
再生医学（RM）领域被誉为治疗方法和经济财富的潜在来源，一些国家已发起相关倡议以促进该领域的创新。作为审视再生医学领域创新社会维度的一种方式，本文探讨了英国RM技术的社会技术表征，以及这些表征给该领域参与者带来的紧张关系、机遇和复杂性。具体而言，本文运用受科学技术研究启发的“技术身份”和“发展空间”概念，来考察特定技术是如何被参与者构建框架和定位的，以及这些定位如何随后塑造创新路径。四种正在发展的RM技术被用作案例研究：生物工程气管；自体软骨细胞植入；T细胞疗法；以及一种“即时护理”细胞制备装置。通过这些案例研究，我们认为存在一些具有强大表演效果并为创新项目提供动力的特定身份方面，并且我们认为在英国RM领域存在一些特定利益相关者，他们在塑造这些技术身份从而塑造创新路径方面似乎拥有相当大的权力。
