Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
sequence in particular was over-expressed by osteoclasts from people with bone tumours.
The sequence matched a previously identified class of molecules: the cathepsins. With this
important lead, researchers from the pharmaceutical industry are trying to find a drug that
can bind and inactivate the cathepsin K, as an important target for treating osteoporosis
[13]. Microbiologists also use genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics for the comparative
phylogenic analysis. Until now (July, 2004), more than 140 bacterial genomes have been
sequenced, many of which are human pathogens. The sequencing of many more bacterial
genomes is in progress (http://www.tigr.org/). Comparison of small microbial genomes,
such as the genome of
Mycoplasma genitalium
having only 517 genes, with the human
pathogen
Haemophilus influenzae
containing 1.703 genes, revealed 233 conserved genes
reflecting the 'minimal genome' of at most 250 genes important enough to be conserved.
This approach is currently being developed further to allow simultaneous analysis of
genomes of other pathogens. It was believed that the identification of genes that are highly
conserved in these organisms would hopefully deliver a pool of possible targets with the
potential for the development of novel anti-infectives [14]. Moreover, the advances in high
throughput structural genomics allowed scientists to solve as many structures as possible
from a known pathogen genome and then to focus on those that may be useful drug targets
[15].
Perhaps it is not exaggerated to state that the genomic paradigm now predominant
in the pharmaceutical industry based on a set of complex informatics tools that allow easy
handling and mining of genomic information. One group of these tools are related to the
access of information, and perhaps the best example is the PubMed system of NCBI, the
National Centre of Biotechnology Information, which provides transparent access to
molecular as well as literature databases developed at the National Library of Medicine
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). This system was primarily conceived in order to promote
spreading of the new biological data within the human health domain, and is accompanied
by a number of auxiliary systems designed for practicing physicians, which ensures that the
new data will immediately reach the patients. Another publicly available system is
Ensemble (http://www.ensembl.org/) developed at the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, UK,
which allows researchers to navigate among virtually all-possible types of genomic
information. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry develops and uses a wealth of novel
informatics tools to handle their proprietary databases. Database management systems such
as SRS that allow easy navigation among many data types are typical components of both
public and proprietory systems.
Typical players of the pharmaceutical arena are integrating technologies in which a
laboratory technology such as microarrays is applied together with a set of specialised
computational tools. Transcript profiling technology has reached industry almost
immediately after the first scientific reports. Companies such as Incyte and Affymetrix
offered cDNA based microarrays and a large number of smaller companies and university
associated core facilities provide printed microarray services. Other companies specialised
in genome sequencing are offering fully annotated genomic sequences.
2. Agricultural Plants and Domestic Animals
DNA sequences of organisms that are important in food production have also been
accumulating rapidly. For example, Monsanto has recently produced the first 'working
draft' of the rice (
Oryza sativa
) genome sequence [16]. Rice is the world's most important
food crop. The International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines estimates that by
2020, four billion people will depend on it. That is one of the reasons why plant geneticists
want to sequence its genome - to find unknown genes and gene combinations for better rice
