What if medicine had its own Air and Space Museum? A place where the story of biomedical progress—from penicillin to CRISPR—comes to life through immersive, interactive exhibits?
That’s what Mace Rothenberg, former Chief Medical Officer at Pfizer, is building. In a recent conversation with Castor CEO Derk Arts, they unpacked the idea of a museum that brings the hidden machinery of medicine into public view—not to glorify the industry, but to rebuild trust, spark curiosity, and shift how we think about science, drug development, and our role in it.
Most people have no idea how new therapies actually come to life, which is a dangerous gap in a world increasingly skeptical of science.
A Museum for the Unseen Architecture of Progress
A trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum sparked Rothenberg’s vision. Unlike medicine, aerospace has succeeded in embedding its milestones and narrative into public consciousness.
Despite decades in oncology and pharma, Rothenberg realized that stories of discovery, failure, and progress rarely reach the public. This museum aims to change that—not with dusty artifacts but with immersive storytelling—where you can ride alongside CAR T cells in VR and where ethical failures like Tuskegee are explored openly and thoughtfully.
Clinical Trials: From Hidden to Human
Arts brought a complementary lens: most people don’t know what clinical trials are, let alone how to join one. Only ~3% of eligible patients enroll. The problem isn’t access—it’s awareness and comprehension.
Castor tackles this through digital, patient-centered eConsent and real-time data return to participants. The museum could amplify that message: trials aren’t a last resort but a vital path to better care. And informed, empowered participants make trials better.
Rewriting the Narrative of Discovery
Take crizotinib. Developed with one target in mind (cMET), it later transformed care for a small subgroup of lung cancer patients whose cancer carried an entirely different alteration: translocation of the ALK gene. That pivot—driven by a combination of good timing, good collaboration, and good luck—illustrates just one of the many ways in which advances in medicine occur.
But those stories rarely make headlines. Instead, public perception fixates on pharma profits or risk. The museum offers a chance to demystify drug development and bring evidence-based medicine into plain view—warts and all.
Progress Beyond Cancer
The museum’s first exhibit will focus on cancer, the #1 medical concern on most people’s minds. But Rothenberg emphasized that this is just a starting point. Future exhibits would address a wide range of diseases, such as HIV, cardiovascular disease, and organ transplantation. Each would have a unique story of breakthrough, risk, and iteration.
The common thread is transformation. HIV went from a rapidly lethal disease in the early 1980s to a chronic, manageable condition in just 15 years. But the stories of the scientific discoveries that drove that remarkable progress are fading from public memory. This museum can restore that perspective and inspire the next generation to pick up the baton and address the greatest challenges facing medicine today.
Built for the 21st Century
This isn’t your grandfather’s medical museum. Exhibits will utilize:
- Adaptive learning based on visitor profile
- Mixed reality and VR experiences
- Interactive exhibits with holograms and kiosks
- A mobile-first approach before building a physical home
The goal is to make the experience enjoyable, engaging, and memorable for people of all ages and levels of technical knowledge.
Final Thoughts: The Future Needs Its Own Archive
This won’t just be a museum—it will be a place where the public can see how scientific discoveries lead to medical advances that change our lives. One that tells the truth sparks questions and reminds us that evidence-based medicine is built on research. Experiments and clinical trials may not always turn out the way we planned. Sometimes, failure forces researchers to think differently. And sometimes, out of those failures come our greatest successes.
If we want patients at the center of trials, their data returned, and science understood instead of feared, we need to build the story as intentionally as we make the technology.
We’re doing the latter at Castor. Let’s help build the former, too.
📍 To support or learn more about the Museum of Medicine and Biomedical Discovery, stay tuned. We’re always open to discussing eConsent, patient-first trials, and practical clinical tech.