Turning Science Fiction into "Science Fact:" Selling the Promise of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

• In Event: 543 - Regular Session. Symbolic Interaction

Abstract

Recent biotechnological advancements in medicine have allowed medical researchers to begin engineering laboratory-grown organs that can be transplanted into patients with little to no risk of the complications from rejection associated with donated human organs. But other researchers and practitioners, funders, regulators, and patients must be convinced of the safety and promise of such medical innovations if they are to be further developed and widely implemented—a process that hinges on the symbolic meanings other social actors attach to these technologies and the emotional responses they spark. Here, I examine how "promise" is constructed and communicated by medical researchers practicing in what is being touted as the “exciting new field” of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine by analyzing publicly available promotional materials and medical lectures. My analysis shows that researchers: (1) adopt accessible metaphors; (2) deploy compelling visual imagery; and (3) profile poignant personal stories in an effort to generate strong emotional responses and minimize fear and uncertainty around these developing technologies. Weaving together insights from the sociology of emotion and the literature on science, technology and society, I suggest that a symbolic interactionist perspective sheds important light on how novel medical technologies are packaged and engaged in ways that may influence their path through the biomedical pipeline.

Author

• Amanda Marie Gengler, Wake Forest University