During a six-year stint as head of cancer research at Merck, genetics entrepreneur Stephen Friend tried to inject a new kind of biology, synthesized from supercomputers and reams of biological data, into a staid drug maker as it struggled to follow up breakthroughs in treating heart disease, osteoporosis and infection. Then, in February, Merck announced Friend was leaving to conduct an “ambitious and promising” new project.
The Disease Machine
October 8, 2009