Chance Encounters.

While attending the Genome 2001 Tri-Conference in San Francisco this March, I searched for a method to differentiate the truly innovative companies from those that are merely interesting. At such large conferences, I am often bombarded by so many new people, clever ideas, and novel approaches that I end up hearing much, but learning little.

And yet three encounters in San Francisco resonated with me in a way that has changed my thinking and expanded my understanding. These brief and all too rare incidences are why I fly thousands of miles to attend such gatherings. Perhaps, not surprisingly, only one of these revelations occurred during a formal conference presentation. The other two were the result of chance encounters with strangers that could not possibly be planned in advance.

As I reflect on these three optimal personal learning experiences, the only common thread is the interdisciplinary thoughts expressed by a passionately involved individual whose approach to the problem is completely different from my own. These large conferences offer the inquisitive physician entrepreneur the opportunity to hear how venture capitalists, population geneticists, business development experts, biotech CEOs, and big pharma scientists view the potential of the sequencing of the human genome to change medicine.

The power of the interdisciplinary approach

I met Steve Williams, MD, President of ParaGene Corporation, when he placed a flyer for his polymerase chain reaction summer workshop on the chair next to mine in the almost empty lecture hall during a morning refreshment break. We started chatting and this Gates Foundation Professor of Biological Sciences at Smith College spoke with real passion about parasite genomics for human health.

"The field of molecular parasitology has been created over the past 15 years by applying gene cloning, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and immunology to elucidate the interactions between parasites and their human hosts," explained Williams.

At first I was less than captivated by the topic; the last time I thought about parasites for more than a minute was when I crammed for the Pathology Boards by memorizing various parasitic morphologic features as revealed by light microscopy. In answer to my less than astute "So what?" question, Williams explained how the extraordinary biodiversity of nematode parasites could reveal novel proteins that could be exploited as drug and vaccine candidates, drug targets, and diagnostic tools for common chronic human diseases.

Where I only saw the obvious use of parasite genomics to develop anti-parasite drugs and vaccines, Williams saw an untapped source of targets for common diseases like heart disease and cancer. When I remembered that the entire $350 billion biopharmaceutical industry is based on drugs directed against less than 500 unique targets, the power of this parasite expert's interdisciplinary approach became obvious even to a neophyte like me.

Applying solutions from seemingly unrelated industries

During another break in the conference, a second chance discussion with a woman sitting next to me revealed how applying solutions from seemingly unrelated industries can facilitate new ways of approaching thorny problems. The early stage patenting of genes has led to a concern that the development of new products may be hampered and that free academic research communication exchange is being replaced by secrecy.

My new friend turned out to be a Washington, DC patent lawyer full of ideas about how to solve the gene patent problem. Drawing on examples from the entertainment industry, she explained to me how collective copyright enforcement of music compositions and industry-wide patent pools for motion pictures might provide a way to address the issue of access to vital patented biotechnology products.

Combining various approaches

During a formal presentation on emerging genomic companies, a light bulb went on in my head when the CEO of Beyond Genomics described his view that two different trends are merging: the analog world of DNA sequencing with the digital world of the Internet and broad-band telecommunications. This new company envisions developing parallel measurements of protein, gene, and metabolite levels to reveal the networks of interactions that serial biology simply cannot detect. After the presentation, Dr. Ober said, "We integrate a multidisciplinary approach to genomics, proteomics, metabolite research, and Information Technology to develop new drug targets in a faster, more accurate way than the traditional pharmaceutical approach." His thinking has set off a whole cascade of ideas and thoughts about the power of combining various approaches to the problem of improving human health.

Conclusion

Encounters like these are what make life worth living for me. The combination of connecting with another human being who draws on unique experiences and patterns of thought unknown to me and having my usual way of thinking challenged and sometimes shattered is among life's most powerful experiences. Being able to see the world in a new way, for me, is tied to the essence of entrepreneurship and the essence of joyful living.

Kent Bottles, MD, is Chief Knowledge Officer of Genomics Collaborative, Inc., in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

* Chance Encounters

* Learning Experiences

* Differentiating Truly Innovative Companies

* Thinking in an Interdisciplinary Way

* Changing Your Thinking

* Being Able to See the World in a New Way

How can physician executives change their thinking and expand their understanding? Chance encounters offer a way to draw on others' unique experiences and patterns of thought unknown to us and have our usual way of thinking challenged and sometimes shattered-- one of life's most powerful experiences. After reflecting on three optimal personal learning experiences from a recent conference, the author determines that the only common thread is the interdisciplinary thoughts expressed by a passionately involved individual whose approach to the problem is completely different from his own. These conferences offer the inquisitive physician entrepreneur the opportunity to hear how venture capitalists, population geneticists, business development experts. biotech CEOs, and big pharma scientists view the potential of the sequencing of the human genome to change medicine. Being able to see the world in a new way, the author concludes, is tied to the essence of entrepreneurship and the essence of joyful living.

Tips for Thinking in an Interdisciplinary Way

* Go to conferences outside of your field. Globalization and the Internet are megatrends affecting all of us. Go to a banking or retail or financial service conference to see how smart people in another field are coping. Apply their insights to health care.

* Learn how to listen. As my friends say, I am a better transmitter than receiver. You learn more while not talking.

* Listen to everyone you come in contact with. I am now trying to connect with everyone I sit next to on the airplane and Amtrak.

* Read a work of fiction for a change of pace. I just finished A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (New York: Vintage Books, 2000).

* Recognize that not everyone thinks alike and that is okay.

Resources for an Interdisciplinary Approach

M. Mitchell Waldrop. Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos. New York: A Touchstone Book, 1992.

The whole field of complexity or chaos theory came about because of an interdisciplinary approach of physics, mathematics, biology, and even weather studies. This book is a gem that made me think in new ways.

Ken Wilber. Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. Boston: Shambhala, 2000.

This is the 851-page masterpiece of a cutting edge philosopher who attempts to do for living what string theory does for physics: tie everything together.

Ken Wilber. A Theory of Everything. Boston: Shambhala. 2000.

This 189-page summary statement can be considered to be the study guide to Wilber's classic. This book is a good place to start if one has never been exposed to his far ranging intellect.

Malcolm Gladwell. The Tipping Point: How Little Things can Make a Big Difference. Boston: Little, Brown, 2000.

A great book by my favorite New Yorker Magazine regular. You will never think about butterflies in the same way again after reading this book.

Roger Walsh, MD, PhD. Essential Spirituality: The Seven Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1999.

A gentle and insightful book that attempts, and largely succeeds, in tying all of the world's great religions into a meaningful whole.