Making the cut : the rate and direction of CRISPR innovation

This dissertation explores, in real time, key institutional factors contributing to the diffusion and impact of a breakthrough technology from its very first days. The studies combine rigorous quantitative empirical methods with a deep understanding of the institutions of a novel setting that allows for a nuanced picture of the actors, institutions, technologies, and rules necessary to make recommendations on policies and strategies for the diffusion of emerging innovations. The first chapter examines whether the introduction of a breakthrough technology, the CRISPR DNA-editing system, affects the trajectory of a scientific field through project selection and new entry. Using proprietary data from the primary distributor of CRISPR to academic scientists, Addgene, the study shows that the relative proportion of scientists focusing on editing mammalian cells after the introduction of CRISPR increased over their counterparts working in bacteria and other eukaryotes.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Sloan School of Management

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Zyontz, Samantha.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Scott Stern.

• Sloan School of Management.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123571

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/123571