Erosion of the principal investigator role in a climate of industry dominance

The academic investigator who was central to the development of anticancer therapeutics during the first several decades of that ushered in oncotherapeutics must now contend with working side-by-side with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries who are dominating the scene. However, the relationships between industry and academic investigator are often strained, largely because of their incongruent and competing interests. Although the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are now developing some of the most exciting therapeutics to come along in many years, the academic investigator is facing a loss of autonomy and creativity, which may have been responsible for the successful development of many anticancer agents that would have not been developed in the present environment. This commentary discusses the impact of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries on the academic investigator, new challenges, and potential threats to optimal therapeutic development.