The medicines of the last fifty years did not appear by accident.
Behind every breakthrough drug is a story of scientists, risk, money, and stubborn belief. In Pursuit of Unicorns tells that story from the inside — from the first days of gene cloning and monoclonal antibodies to cell therapy, gene editing, and personalized medicine. It is part history, part memoir, and a deliberate effort to make sure the people who built this industry are not forgotten.
An insider's account of the science that now defines the 21st century
Written by a scientist who became a successful biotech executive, the book traces the technologies that built the industry — gene cloning, monoclonal antibodies, genomics, structural biology, cell therapy, gene editing, and personalized medicine — alongside the author's own story of ambition, setbacks, and discovery, and the often colorful people who made it happen.
546 pages Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Updated edition with a new chapter
ABOUT THE BOOK
WHAT LEADERS IN BIOTECH ARE SAYING
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A new bible for the history of the biotechnology industry, with important perspective on what it takes to build great companies and deliver disruptive innovation to patients.
John Maraganore
Founding CEO, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
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Tim Harris was born to write this book — a fascinating one-man oral history of the industry, told with authority, verve, and wit. Highly recommended.
Kevin Davies
Author of Editing Humanity & Cracking the Genome
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A fascinating journey from the beginnings of recombinant DNA to today's novel therapies. Few have lived this expedition as the author has.
Stelios Papadopoulos
Former Chairman of Biogen
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Fifty years at the center of biotechnology
Dr. Tim Harris has spent a half-century at the center of biotechnology — as a molecular biologist, an R&D leader at companies including Celltech, Glaxo, and Biogen, and the founder and CEO of biotech companies of his own. He has published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers and has watched the industry grow from a handful of pioneers into the science that now defines the 21st century.
Written by Someone Who Was There
Four threads running through the story
Inside the Book
The Technologies
From gene cloning and antibodies to genomics, gene editing, and cell therapy — the breakthroughs that built an industry.
The Business
What it really takes to build a company and bring a medicine all the way to patients.
The People
The personalities, partnerships, and rivalries that shaped the field — recorded so they are not forgotten.
The Ethics
The responsibilities that come with rapid progress, and the choices that progress demands.
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In Pursuit of Unicorns
A journey through 50 years of biotechnology, by Dr. Tim Harris. Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
Copyright © 2026 | Dr. Tim Harris. | Created by Atticus Publishing | All rights reserved.