Genomics Industry - Large-scale Sequencing Companies, Gene Mining Companies, Functional Genomics Companies, Population-based Genomics Companies
Fundamental to the myriad of genomic research efforts in operation around the world is the mapping and sequencing of whole genomes. The entire genomes of more than seventy organisms had been completed by early 2002, including the working drafts of the human genome, first published in 2001. The successful completion of the sequencing of these genomes was made possible in part by companies developing and utilizing new technologies and processes to increase the speed and accuracy of mapping and sequencing. This effort has also spawned entire new fields that aim, in various ways, to capitalize on genomics and identify disease-causing genes and new therapeutic strategies.
The advent of the global Human Genome Project in 1989 provided significant, additional incentive for the development of a variety of new genomics-based companies. These companies can be loosely divided into seven major types: large-scale sequencing companies, gene mining companies, functional genomics companies, population-based genomics companies, bioinformatics companies, established pharmaceutical companies, and new biopharmaceutical companies. These are general distinctions and are not absolute, since many companies are blending and using a variety of these technologies with overlapping applications.
Additional Topics
Early stages of the human genome project involved the physical mapping and subsequent sequencing of genes and intervening segments. A number of companies were founded specifically to identify genes, sequence them, and determine their function as a means to lead to new diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. These companies include Incyte, Human Genome Sciences, and Celera Genomics. This group of companie…
Now that the sequence data is available and placed in the public domain, companies have been created to "mine" the data, that is, to analyze the genomic sequences to identify genes, their function, and their relationships to health and disease processes. Companies pioneering in this area included Sequana and Millennium Pharmaceuticals (although Sequana did not survive
as an independ…
The challenge of the postgenomics era has been to identify those genes that are of clinical value for drug development. Inherent to that is a basic understanding of the function of all genes. Using industrialized biology approaches, these companies develop technologies for their own use or for sale to other companies. These new technologies are designed to pinpoint specific genes associated with d…
In order to determine which genes are relevant and underlie complex human diseases such as diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer's disease, or hypertension, companies have been created to collect patient materials. These firms collect relevant clinical information and DNA on people suffering from defined disease as well as people who have no known disorders. They then look at DNA sequence variations…
In order to extract the maximum amount of information from genomic sequence data, a new discipline has emerged, called bioinformatics. Bioinformaticians are involved in the capture and interpretation of biological data. The need for bioinformatics support throughout the genomics industry is significant and, as a result, a number of companies have been started that provide these services. Companies…
The pharmaceutical industry has been working to integrate genetic and genomic information into the drug discovery process. Essentially all of the major pharmaceutical companies have such programs, including GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Novartis. From the beginning of compound synthesis through the identification of drug targets, genomics is changing the traditional drug development process. Underst…
As a result of molecular biology and genomics, a number of new companies have been formed that focus on creating drugs from specific genes. As genes are identified and the function of the protein is learned, these companies manufacture the proteins made by specific genes for use in the treatment of human disease. This includes a variety of drugs made through recombinant DNA technology, such as ins…
Technological advances clearly drive innovation in the pharmaceutical and health-care industries. Advances in the speed and accuracy of DNA sequencing and the growing understanding of the genome have created hundreds of companies, with billions of dollars in assets, that are using this information to contribute to the creation of new diagnostic and therapeutic agents. This has been accomplished ev…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments Add a comment…
The following comments are not guaranteed to be that of a trained medical professional. Please consult your physician for advice.