GameModelsoftheDefection DilemmainBiopharmaceutical Discovery Research
D. MarcKilgour · 2007
Recent trendsinbiopharmaceutical discovery research towardthesystems biology paradigm havecreated a needforinterdisciplinary teamswitha widerangeofskills. Success, especially economic success, will dependontheability ofteammemberstolearnfromeachother. Themechanisms usedforknowledge transfer andthemotives ofteammembers duringknowledge production arecrucial tothissharing of knowledge. Moreover,thetimingof appropriation may determine whether downstream developments canbepursued. Inthis article weusegamemodelstorepresent andanalyze interactions betweenpartners incollaborative alliances. Our contention isthata researcher's freedomto operate downstream isdetermined bycooperate-versus-defect decisions upstream, asdiscovery knowledge isbeingproducedand subsequently disseminated. Thesedecisions therefore determine whetherresearchers can equitably pursuedownstream opportunities formedical application development.