Abstract
Between 2009 and 2011, TV, national newspapers, magazines, and a children’s book presented images of the “Nanopil”. A device designed to function as a miniaturized lab within the human body, the Nanopil is expected to test the presence of biomarkers for colorectal cancer and transmit the result to an outside receiver. As the first of three chapters using the “Nanopil” as an example, this one discusses how to analyze expectations about a future artifact. Providing tangible examples from this case study based on in-depth interviews with Nanopil developers and observation within their laboratory, the chapter explores alternative designs, components and conditions of its functioning. The conclusions highlight how such analysis contributes to ruling out implausible scenarios and adds significant detail to the initial public expectations.
Caress the details, the divine details. (Nabokov V, Lectures on Literature, 1980)
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Notes
- 1.
The Spinoza Prize “is an honorary award for what the winners have achieved in their scientific career”. It is awarded by the by the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) and it includes an award of 2.5 million euro to spend on research http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOA_4XLBF5_Eng?Opendocument&su=no
- 2.
Since expectations on the “Nanopil” have mainly circulated in a Dutch context, I will keep the Dutch form “Nanopil” rather than the English “Nanopill”. Some English reviews of the project circulate on the web, but they are mainly quotations of press releases from the University of Twente.
- 3.
“Een pil met een lab erin” by Martine Letterie was published by Uitgeverij Zwijsen in 2009 (Letterie 2009).
- 4.
See for example http://www.sciencecafezeist.nl/index.php/terugblik/3-lezing/15-nanomedicijnen-revolutie-berg.html; Nanotopia: http://www.lux-nijmegen.nl/debat/nieuws/2010/06/10/goed-idee-niet-de-nanopil-gaat-er-komen-dat-zeker and Science Café Enschede: http://www.utwente.nl/tnw/nieuws/archief/2009/2009_02_12/science_cafe_nanotechnologie/
- 5.
The choice of the Nanopil as a case-study was partially motivated by logistical reasons. First, the research on this device was conducted at the University of Twente and it was initiated at about the same time that I started the research that led to this book in 2008. This allowed me to follow the emergence of a technology concept from the beginning and in discussion with the actors who initiated it. Moreover, the NP received significant public exposure from a very early stage of the project. This public exposure of the technology, and its presentation in terms of its impact on people’s lives and medical practice, makes it an ideal candidate for early ethical reflection. Most interestingly, while I was investigating the possibility of working on this case, I observed that this public interest and optimism was counterbalanced by a more cautious attitude on the part of engineers working at the lab-bench with regard to the medical application of their research on NP. This clash between the expectations of insiders and outsiders makes the Nanopil an interesting example of an emerging technology that triggers the imagination of the public and yet requires critical assessment.
- 6.
- 7.
This video (http://vimeo.com/11547349) was realized by a small Dutch company with expertise in science visualization.
- 8.
The description of my research design demonstrates that the collaboration, availability and patience of researchers at the BIOS group were crucial for my study. I wish to thank them for sharing their knowledge, reflections and time with me.
- 9.
For an analysis of the input of other social players see Chap. 4.
- 10.
As one of my respondents pointed out in one of our conversation the distinction into functional component is typical of the “engineering mindset”. My analysis of the functional components of the Nanopil was indeed influenced by engineering researchers’ way of constructing their project as an assemblage of functional components. In this sense functional component could be considered as “actors’ category” as I am not assuming that such components have an ontological or material existence but that this is the way the developers of the NP, think about it and construct it as an object of study (see also Boon and Knuttila (2009) on engineers models). It remains to be seen how researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds would approach the NP project. Although some differences will emerge in the next chapter regarding the concerns and visions of non-engineering experts concerning the value of the NP and its use, the issue of the difference among “epistemic cultures” (Knorr-Cetina 1999) in shaping emerging technologies has not been the focus of this analysis and would deserve further attention.
- 11.
“Device for detecting a medical condition or disease” by Pinedo H. M. et al. United States patent application, February 24, 2011, US Patent and Trademark Office, http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=20110046458.PGNR
- 12.
It is interesting to note that, in the context of the research proposal, an additional reason is put forward to support the application of the pill for the detection of colorectal cancer. This second reason concerns the high benefits deriving from the early detection of this type of cancer, since it is a relatively slow-growing cancer and the surgical intervention for the removal is relatively easy. Therefore, claims about the technical feasibility of the pill are intertwined with claims about its social desirability. I will come back to this point in the next chapter.
- 13.
In the philosophy of science, these abstractions are conceptualized by the notion of ceteris paribus clauses: “the study of some group of tendencies is isolated by the assumption that other things being equal” (Alfred Marshall) “the more the issue is narrowed and the more it can be handled: but also the less closely it corresponds to real life”.
- 14.
“Technoscience” is a concept used within actor-network theory (see Latour 1987) to blur the difference between scientists and engineers. According to this theory, science and technology involve the same process of creating larger and stronger networks of human and non-human actors.
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Appendix
Appendix
Stills from the promotional video used in Berg 2009: 39
Reproduction of the different chambers in the “in situ lab-on-a-chip signaling device” from the patenting application, available at http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/search/en/WO2009104967
Model of the Nanopil drawn by a researcher at the BIOS group during an interview
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Lucivero, F. (2016). The Mechanism in the Pill: From Abstract Images to Detailed Descriptions. In: Ethical Assessments of Emerging Technologies. The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23282-9_3
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