Despite the importance of human diploid cell cultures to the history of science, they might seem to be the least promising of subjects for the casual reader. But Dr. Wadman, a physician who works as a reporter for Science magazine, puts them at the center of a riveting tale of scientific infighting, clashing personalities, sketchy ethics, and the transformation of cell biology from a sleepy scientific backwater to a high-stakes arena where vast fortunes are made.
It is an extraordinary story and Wadman is to be congratulated, not just for uncovering it but for relaying it in such a pacy, stimulating manner. This is a first-class piece of science writing that does considerable justice to Hayflick, a character who achieved great things but let his pigheadedness lead him into trouble.
The Vaccine Race is an important read—for scientists, politicians, physicians, parents and everyone interested in how the world of medical research works ... Her love of science and the intrigue involved in the politics of medical research make The Vaccine Race a very compelling read ...Wadman’s feelings about Hayflick are ambiguous, and that plays out in the book. She admires Hayflick the scientist and his 'thoroughness, patience, determination, and an outsized tolerance for the seemingly mundane repetitive work.' However, her mistrust of his commercialization of the WI-38 cells is apparent. Consequently, Hayflick’s fall—the investigation by the NIH and his subsequent resignation from Stanford—aren’t as compelling as they would be if Waldman could make the reader identify with him more as a sympathetic character ... That is why it is so important to read this book, to see how science works and how politics can and does interfere with what science does best and what is best for us.
Wadman’s research is extensive, and her book is packed with anecdotes and details of the science, the times, and the people. But many readers may find descriptions of Hayflick’s work overly detailed or wonder whether the backstories of incidental characters add much. And some may wish, especially in the first part of the book, that Wadman pruned and pared more aggressively. The race promised in the title does materialize, but it’s a bit of a slow build. Still, The Vaccine Race recalls a breakthrough that has faded in our collective memory, owing to its success in all but eliminating a major cause of birth defects across a wide swath of the world.
It is a story of human tragedy and greatness, of curiosity and ambition, of turf battles and ethical lapses, and of what we would call today 'fake news' and 'alternative facts' about the use of cells from an aborted fetus ... Developing a rubella vaccine is at the center of The Vaccine Race, but the story is much more complex. It involves not only the National Institutes of Health but also institutes and pharmaceutical firms around the world ... Today, at 88, Hayflick is a much-honored elder statesman. But his reputation will always be marked by his perhaps intemperate, perhaps necessary choice to take his cell line on a cross-country trip. Which is it? Wadman seems to lean to the latter, but a reader could easily judge it to be the former and still appreciate the drama of The Vaccine Race.
