Experimental Heart: A Novel.

"Engrossing","authentic", "compelling"...just some reactions to the debut novel by UCL cell biologist and well-known blogger Jennifer Rohn. A thriller centered on commercial drug development, the book will be enjoyed by anyone who knows the intense, intimate world of biomedical research. At last, a novel about scientists with characters that are recognizably real!

Andy O'Hara, a post-doctoral researcher in a London cancer research institute, agrees to help an attractive colleague, Gina, who is collaborating with a pharmaceutical company. She is working on a virus-based vaccine but has discovered the company is planning a clinical trial of the vaccine in Africa without preliminary animal tests. Andy gets a tip-off that Gina's corporate collaborator has a shady past, but also discovers a scientific reason why the vaccine may be doomed to failure. Andy and his friend Christine have helped Gina set up an illicit mouse experiment in their own animal facility, a move that could end all their careers if discovered.