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Billion Dollar Molecule: One Company’s Quest for the Perfect Drug
Barry Werth
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994
This book chronicles early efforts at rational drug design based on structural characterization of the drug target. An interesting subtext is the interaction between academic and pharmaceutical industry research.
ISBN-13: 978-0671510572
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The Double Helix – A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
James D. Watson
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1968
The fascinating story of the competition to identify the structure of DNA for which Watson, Crick, and Wilkins were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1962. A compelling account that should be required reading for all biomedical scientists.
Todd Wehr Library Call #: QU 58.5 W339d 1968 / ISBN-13: 978-0743216302
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Experimental Heart
Jennifer L. Rohn
Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Press, 2009
Another novel that uses the research laboratory as the setting and a postdoctoral fellow as the primary character. Although a little too much like a romance novel, it might be worth reading for the take-home message about relationships “because in the end, nothing else matters – not science, not success, not any of the modern obsessions that blind us to essentials.”
ISBN-13: 978-0879698768
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The Honest Look
Jennifer L. Rohn
Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Press, 2010
The second lab-based novel by this author is set in the research laboratory of a small biotechnology startup. The plot is engaging and realistic - pitting potential profit against scientific integrity in the corporate world. The story has the added benefit of offering some insights into the drug discovery process in a biotech startup.
ISBN-13: 978-1936113118
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
New York, NY: Crown Books, 2010
This is the story of the HeLa cell line and the family of Henrietta Lacks who contributed the eponymous cell line, The book is widely acclaimed, having won the Wellcome Trust Book Prize and Heartland Prize as well as being a top pick of the year from the New York Times and Publishers Weekly.
ISBN-13: 978-1400052172
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Intuition
Allegra Goodman
New York: Dial Press, 2006
A New York Times bestselling novel that provides a sometimes too realistic portrayal of medical research and issues surrounding research integrity. It is also notable for having a postdoctoral fellow as the primary character.
ISBN-13: 978-0385336123
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