Science today is a tightly managed enterprise and no longer a sanctuary
of free and creative minds. Today is not enough to find an answer to a
question or to discover something, the acquired knowledge has to be
applied it must be exploited. Science today is the production of
knowledge in combination with the development of technology and finding
new ways in which these can be applied. Everything is carefully
orchestrated. Good science means to define the question, to determine
by what means and methods the question will be answered, to plan the
necessary work in a logical en efficient manner, and to time the
introduction to the market, or a press-release, with care. Academic
institutions resemble industry, with their own Research and Development
Departments. This is mainly the result of extensive collaboration
between Universities and Industry. The Human Genome Project is an
example of such an extensive, worldwide, tightly managed collaboration.
Genes are big business, and from onset the Human Genome Project (HGP)
fostered strong ties with the biotechnology industries. The involvement
of the private sector was intensified by the HGP in order to help
develop instruments and computers for data analysis. On the other hand
without involvement of the industrial sector, the objective that was
used to ‘sell’ the project, to develop new medicine and diagnostic
tests, could not be realized. One of the goals for the first five years
was therefore a quick transfer of knowledge and technology. The main
objective however remained to decipher the “Book of Life” before 2005,
within fifteen years.
While the Human Genome Project in every aspect resembles an industrial
enterprise, the project sells itself as a not for profit scientific
undertaking that depends on public financing. In addition, the
scientist must be willing to subject his findings to peer-review and
the work must be original. The focus of genetic research had to change
from searching for the origin of diseases to a hunt for the knowledge
of life. Furthermore different research methods had to be employed, the
freedom of choosing a field of research was replaced by a
pre-determined protocol for decoding a piece of DNA. Science that was
being conducted within a network of independent laboratories by a small
team of investigators who worked on research topics, objected to the
scale of the HGP, because a significant part of the human genome
consists of sequences that are not “expressed.” By decoding the entire
genome the HGP would interfere with potential sources of income. They
also accused the HGP of exploiting public sentiments in order to obtain
funds. In what manner will the newly acquired knowledge of the human
genome be applied? History has shown that many promising areas of
research have proven to be of limited practical use, while an
accidental discovery, such as Penicillin, was able to save many lives.
Teams that also include the ‘translational’ aspect in their genetic
investigations may have a greater impact on the treatment of inherited
diseases. Understanding a molecular mechanism does not necessarily mean
that the medical condition is also understood. There are several levels
for investigating a medical condition. Besides the molecular level,
there is the cellular level, the organ level, the level of an organism
and also the level of society. Now that the human genome has been
mapped, mechanistic studies are necessary, because on higher levels,
such as the level of proteins, membranes, signaling pathways and
intracellular communication the “expression” can be placed in its
proper perspective. All these levels contribute to explaining the
condition.
Scientists have already illustrated to be able to develop a complete
human being though artificial reproductive technology. They also have
shown that ‘cloning’ is possible. Will man be one day capable of
discerning all the mysteries of the material organization of a living
cell? Scientist say that higher and more profound than the creation of
solar systems is that of the substance called protoplasm. Yet only last
week scientists of the University of California reported the discovery
of water on one of Jupiter’s moons. If one day man discovers the law of
the creation of living things, just as he discovered the laws of many
other entities, if he achieves all the conditions and assembles all the
material constituents for synthesis of a living organism, will that
synthetic being be alive? It will definitely be alive. It is absurd
that the conditions for the existence of an emanation should be fully
met and that emanation not be realized. If one day man is graced with
such a success, this will be a major work of scientific discovery, but
it will be no more an intervention in the creation of life than that of
the father and mother in creating life through copulation or that of
the farmer in creating the life of the grain through planting. Man is
only capable of bringing about the conditions for some material
substance to receive life. The Noble Qur’an makes the point that Allah
(SWT) is the sole Author of Life, man is just the agent of motion not
the source of being.