Recent activity?
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Patrick McLaren
Jul 27, 2010, 7:31:43 PM7/27/10
to Pink Army Cooperative
Just wondering what the current status of this project is?
I'd be really interested in joining as a member but have a few
questions first.
The homepage prompts me to buy a share in the company (which I am more
than happy to do) though there is no recent news or any contact info.
There is mention of a mailing list however, which after a few days of
watching, seems dead. This google group seems to have declining
activity too...
I read that we're currently waiting for 2500 members, is this a
reasonable goal considering the current activity? How close are we to
reaching this goal? Can you see this project getting to the stage of
being "ready to start on our first patient" in weeks/months?
There did seem to be quite a bit of initial media coverage (I came
here from the H+ Magazine interview). I think that considerably more
members will join once we're on the way and there is some activity. If
money is an issue then may I suggest using Kickstarter for a larger
exposure?
In my opinion, this could be one of the most interesting companies to
come out of the DIYbio movement, although at this point there doesn't
seem to be much "movement" left.
I'd be really interested in joining as a member but have a few
questions first.
The homepage prompts me to buy a share in the company (which I am more
than happy to do) though there is no recent news or any contact info.
There is mention of a mailing list however, which after a few days of
watching, seems dead. This google group seems to have declining
activity too...
I read that we're currently waiting for 2500 members, is this a
reasonable goal considering the current activity? How close are we to
reaching this goal? Can you see this project getting to the stage of
being "ready to start on our first patient" in weeks/months?
There did seem to be quite a bit of initial media coverage (I came
here from the H+ Magazine interview). I think that considerably more
members will join once we're on the way and there is some activity. If
money is an issue then may I suggest using Kickstarter for a larger
exposure?
In my opinion, this could be one of the most interesting companies to
come out of the DIYbio movement, although at this point there doesn't
seem to be much "movement" left.
Andrew Hessel
Jul 28, 2010, 4:31:59 PM7/28/10
to pink-army-...@googlegroups.com
Hi Patrick,
Thanks for your questions.
You're absolutely correct that the PA lists are quiet but the project is definitely ongoing. It's unique in the cancer space and the lessons we are learning are incredibly valuable. Many of these revolve around the dynamics of running a volunteer social enterprise in the biotech space, in particular communications. The science behind PA is synthetic biology, which is moving ahead a rapid pace. Each day sees increased capability and lower cost. The challenge is in marketing and messaging to bring in sufficient membership to start doing work. I'm impatient but take heart that it's okay to grow organically. Cancer is not going away, the current drug development paradigm is not going to produce affordable cancer treatments any time soon, and PA has effectively a zero burn rate. It's just a matter of putting the right pieces together.
Personally, I think PA every day. Several times a month, I speak about PA to various groups. I am also involved in growing the synthetic biology community and DIYbio community. Last week, I was in DC for DIYbio meetings. This week, I am giving talks at Singularity University, IDEO and at the Open Science Summit. This promotion is done on a volunteer basis and is building a foundation for the project in various forms of media.
I've learned that it takes a while to build this base to a point where people a) understand what PA is about (it's complicated, touching on biology, advanced genetics, open source, and business dynamics); and b) are prepared to invest (not donate) $20 and whatever skills or other resources they choose (eg. web development work). There are many more things that we should be doing to be sure, but until people either step up and volunteer or we have enough capital raised to contract the work, the project moves slowly. Since the launch in August 2009, we've grown in fits and starts, but we have grown and will continue to grow.
We're beginning to make adjustments in preparation for the next push. There's a new team forming around web development and communications, this time better incorporation social media. This is crucial to the success of the project but I've had to be patient for it to organize, partly because all positions volunteer and partly because my own time is fully committed. We need other skills to grow and realize the potential of this project, which as you say, could be great. I hope that you choose to join and, ideally, help us grow, if only by telling a few friends. Kickstarter is a great suggestion, one that we're definitely open to.
Andrew Hessel
Founder, Pink Army Cooperative
Bioinformatics/Biotechnology Co-Chair, Singularity University
780.868.3169
Thanks for your questions.
You're absolutely correct that the PA lists are quiet but the project is definitely ongoing. It's unique in the cancer space and the lessons we are learning are incredibly valuable. Many of these revolve around the dynamics of running a volunteer social enterprise in the biotech space, in particular communications. The science behind PA is synthetic biology, which is moving ahead a rapid pace. Each day sees increased capability and lower cost. The challenge is in marketing and messaging to bring in sufficient membership to start doing work. I'm impatient but take heart that it's okay to grow organically. Cancer is not going away, the current drug development paradigm is not going to produce affordable cancer treatments any time soon, and PA has effectively a zero burn rate. It's just a matter of putting the right pieces together.
Personally, I think PA every day. Several times a month, I speak about PA to various groups. I am also involved in growing the synthetic biology community and DIYbio community. Last week, I was in DC for DIYbio meetings. This week, I am giving talks at Singularity University, IDEO and at the Open Science Summit. This promotion is done on a volunteer basis and is building a foundation for the project in various forms of media.
I've learned that it takes a while to build this base to a point where people a) understand what PA is about (it's complicated, touching on biology, advanced genetics, open source, and business dynamics); and b) are prepared to invest (not donate) $20 and whatever skills or other resources they choose (eg. web development work). There are many more things that we should be doing to be sure, but until people either step up and volunteer or we have enough capital raised to contract the work, the project moves slowly. Since the launch in August 2009, we've grown in fits and starts, but we have grown and will continue to grow.
We're beginning to make adjustments in preparation for the next push. There's a new team forming around web development and communications, this time better incorporation social media. This is crucial to the success of the project but I've had to be patient for it to organize, partly because all positions volunteer and partly because my own time is fully committed. We need other skills to grow and realize the potential of this project, which as you say, could be great. I hope that you choose to join and, ideally, help us grow, if only by telling a few friends. Kickstarter is a great suggestion, one that we're definitely open to.
Andrew Hessel
Founder, Pink Army Cooperative
Bioinformatics/Biotechnology Co-Chair, Singularity University
780.868.3169
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