FRom Yahoo idb site..
ID BIOMEDICAL
THE GENOMICS REVOLUTION:
The mapping of the human genome, as well as those of other: species,
plants, and microbes, is resulting in what many believe is one of the most
substantial business opportunities in history. In fact, many, even now, are
already dubbing this coming century, 'The Biotech Century'. The main
reason? With our increasing knowledge, we will gain increasing proportional
'control' over the basis of life itself (ie. DNA). One of the most exciting
near-term opportunities in this new era, is that of gene-detection, via DNA
probes. Why? Because, given the huge on-slaught of genetic information
now, and to come-- from human, to animal, to microbe-- how many genes
do you think will need to be detected?
DNA PROBE MARKET:
The DNA probe market is forecast to be one of the fastest growing sectors in
the rapidly rising field of genomics. Its' revenue potential is immediate, and
not significantly constrained by lengthy FDA approval processes, as are
drugs. In essense it seeks to identify a specific biological target at its' DNA
base. In dollar terms, the DNA probe market is expected to reach US$1.4
billion in the US alone, by 2003, according to Frost & Sullivan, a leading US
market research firm. Assuming a 20% annual growth rate per year, the US
market could reach over US$5 billion by 2010; and perhaps, US$10 billion
globally. Potential applications include:
1) Infectious disease, environmental, and food testing, as well as blood
screening. Bacterial, and even viral testing, could also be used to sub type
strains, such as for the testing of antibiotic resistance, to improve patient
treatment, and outcome.
2) Genetic disease testing for diagnosis, and disease prevention. There are an
estimated 4000 different genetic diseases, according to Frost & Sullivan.
Identification of those susceptible to a genetic disease, before the disease
state, is viewed as one of the fundamental elements of the new medicine, and
is called predictive medicine. This is expected to allow for improved
monitoring, lifestyle counselling, and/or drug therapy, in advance of the
disease state, and is recognized as perhaps the most important shift ahead for
medicine, as we move from a model based upon treating disease, to
preventing, or delaying it from ever happening. An example would be cancer
testing to determine susceptibility, combined with better monitoring, lifestyle
counciling, and preventitive treatment.
3) Matching the appropriate drug with an individual's genetic make-up so as
to minimize side-effects, and maximize therapeutic benefit. This newly
emerging field is called pharmacogenomics, and has been dubbed the
coming age of 'personalized' medicine. By matching a drug treatment, to the
individual's genetic make-up, medicine is expected to be able to more
quickly match, and better treat patients, with the most appropriate drug.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, adverse drug
reactions represent a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality in the
U.S., resulting in over 1.5 million hospitalizations and 100,000 deaths per
year. The costs associated with the trial and error use of drugs, as doctors try
to discover the most appropriate treatment for a patient, should also be
significantly reduced. In the short-term, genetic information, is expected to
help optimize clinical trials by stratifying populations for purposes of
creating targeted drugs. To give you an idea of the size of this potential
market, please read the following(SNP's are small genetic alterations in our
DNA that determine things like disease predisposition, and a patients drug
response.)
SIR HOLLER |
