This is one of those times when it’s great to be a scientist! To see your ‘Eureka moment’ published is a wonderful feeling. This would not have been possible without the Ozgene team and Prof. Peter Mombaerts and his team at the Max Planck Research Unit for Neurogenetics. Thank you.

Arthur Schopenhauer’s quote “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” often rings true in science. Unsurprisingly, the first person to bring me down from my high and point to ‘self-evident’ was Dr. Colin Stewart, a long-term friend and senior author from the first C57BL/6 knockout publication in 1993. Colin is also the first goGermline license holder.

Things may not always play out according to Schopenhauer, and you can take the “violently opposed” part with a pinch of salt. What’s interesting about the process of learning or R&D is that the acceptance of a fact as ‘self-evident’ comes about when one recognises its simplicity. That’s what is usually so extraordinary and part of Maslow’s self-actualisation.

I am not suggesting goGermline is comparable to some of the ground breaking ideas and inventions recognised in history. However, like several of them, goGermline seemed too simple to most when it was first proposed. I bet that many of the ‘truths’ that we know and live by now first occurred as epiphanies in the shower or likewise. Curiosity always plays a key role.

goGermline was a light-bulb-moment, challenged a long-accepted method, and was followed up with strong intention and a clear vision. When it was presented people said “Why would you do it that way?” Now it seems obvious. It’s a simple solution to germline transmission that improves animal welfare by replacing, reducing and refining the number of animals needed to generate a mouse model.

My vision is to continue to advance humanity, by inspiring curiosity. This means challenging the status quo and showing that there are plenty of things to discover even if one has done something for a long time. We live in an exciting period in the evolution of learning, and we will continue to grow as long as we continue to set stretch goals and go beyond the currently accepted truth.

– Frank, CEO –