The Promise of Genomics

During the next three years, an estimated $38 billion in brand-name pharmaceuticals will come off patent, leaving a financial void that many pharma companies hope to fill with functional genomics.

This relatively new field of genome-wide analysis, which seeks to determine gene function, includes microarray technology, non-array gene expression, transgenic animals, and downregulation reagents. A report from Front Line says functional genomics will be a $524 million industry by 2007, with Applied Biosystems and Gene Logic as probable front-runners.

The current market leader, Affymetrix, represents 25 percent of the industry with its oligonucleotide array technology. Yet, Front Line estimates that by 2007 microarray manufacturers will move to the back of the pack as more gene profiles are documented, leaving companies with good drug target validation accuracy in the front.

As functional genomics grows, one likely dilemma is the compatibility of data between software platforms. Widespread adoption of functional genomic technology may have to wait until analysis techniques and data archiving systems are standardized.