Genomics

FierceBiotech, our free daily email newsletter, covers genomics and genomics research, along with other key biotech industry topics.

Genomics is the study of genes and their function. It typically involves high-speed sequencing of a large numbers of genes, which helps researchers to identify specific genes responsible for specific proteins with specific functions in an organism.

Genomics is stimulating the discovery of breakthrough medical treatments by revealing thousands of new biological targets for the development of drugs, and by giving scientists innovative ways to design new drugs, vaccines and DNA diagnostics. Genomics-based therapeutics include "traditional" small chemical drugs, protein drugs, and potentially gene therapy.

There are two main subfields in genomics: structural genomics and functional genomics.

Structural genomics researchers perform genome discovery, mapping, and sequencing, in order to better understand the character of certain genes. The field has yielded many discoveries in recent years, including complete DNA sequences for many organisms including crop plants, bacteria, the malaria parasite, and of course humans (the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003). The techniques of structural genomics can be applied to help farmers produce better crops, and to isolate specific molecules with unique biochemical properties.

While Structural Genomics focuses on the static analysis of genes and corresponding traits, Functional Genomics focuses on understanding the processes that underlie genes. Functional genomics has advanced our ability to discover genes that are involved in specific biological functions even when no visible or measurable manifestation is present for observation. A single tissue type may be composed of thousands of genes, each switching on and off depending on the stage of development and environmental influences. Functional genomics is crucial because its methods provide better understanding of the multiplicity of roles genes play in the intricate networks of biological systems.

Proteomics, a related and emerging field, is the study of proteins that are expressed in a cell. The field attempts to catalog and characterize proteins derived from genetic code, compare variations in their expression levels under different conditions, study their interactions, and identify their functional role. Proteomics is very much an emerging field as scientists will be learning about the some half a million proteins within our genes for years to come. Understanding of these proteins will enable scientist to make even more medical breakthroughs.

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