Here's another suggesting that long term, the Biotech sector will do well:
By Patricia Reaney
LEEDS, England (Reuter) - Scientists said Friday that they were on the verge
of new genetic discoveries which would have a tremendous impact on medical
science.
They told the British Association for the Advancement of Science annual
conference that the next 15 years would be just as exciting as the last.
``Over the next few years it is likely that genes involved in diabetes,
asthma and schizophrenia will be identified along with other genes that
produce increased risks of developing cancer,'' said Professor David Brook of
the University of Nottingham.
Dr Sohaila Rastan, who works with the pharmaceutical firm SmithKline Beecham
Plc, predicted even more achievements to come.
``In sooner than 15 years' (time) we will have, not just all genes, but the
whole sequence ... and we will be able to see how they work and interact,''
she told a news conference.
Advances in medical genetics have been rapid in the past decade. Scientists
have identified genes responsible for major inherited disorders and made
further progress in finding genes for complex conditions where inheritance
patterns are more difficult to pinpoint and where environmental factors are
involved.
Brook said new technologies, including DNA chips, would facilitate the
screening and diagnosis of diseases.
What scientists have learned through the cloning of Dolly the sheep could
lead to further advancements in medical biotechnology and in animal breeding.
Professor Grahame Bulfield, of the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh which cloned
Dolly, said the work on modifying cells in cultures through a variety of
manipulations -- adding genes, knocking them out and replacing them -- could
help in medical biotechnology.
``First, it is likely to be used in areas such as producing pharmaceuticals
from transgenic (genetically-modified) animals,'' he said.
``The second one is probably in areas like xenotransplantation (using animal
organs in humans) where not only could you add the human gene, you could
knock out the (animal organ) genes. The third one is in animal models of
human inheritance like the study of aging.''
The scientists predicted the advances in medical genetics would drive
technological developments as well.
``The next 15 years promise to be every bit as exciting as the past 15 years
with even more challenges for medical geneticists,'' said Brook.
REUTER
13:51 09-12-97 |
