|
Biotechnology Industry Profile
|
Cracking the genetic code that defines the human organism promised to revolutionize the biotechnology industry -- but did it? A few years after Celera Genomics and the multinational, publicly funded Human Genome Project announced they'd completed their genomic maps, researchers have gained a deeper understanding of the root causes of some diseases -- and opened many a can of worms.
The biggest can of worm is proteomics, the study of proteins. Genes merely contain the recipe for proteins, which interact to do the real work. Figuring out which genes encode which proteins and how the various proteins relate is the next big step in biotech. That step is pretty big: The approximately 30,000 genes in the human genome can encode anywhere from one to as many as a dozen proteins, some of which can be linked to diseases. The task of mapping the sequences of amino acids that make up all these proteins is daunting, but some firms are crazy enough to try. Large Scale Biology, Compugen, and Syrrx are among the companies heading up the proteomics charge.
A new therapy that has emerged from the biotech boom is the use of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), proteins that attack disease invaders known as antigens. Initially MAbs were produced by inserting specific antigens into mice, which would then produce antibodies; those antibodies would be harvested and fused with endlessly replicating cells the human body won't reject and then given to patients. Chimeric (half-mouse half-human), marketed MAbs include Centocor's clot-buster ReoPro and Genentech's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment Rituxan, which brought in about $1.5 billion or almost 55% of its 2003 sales. Genentech is a leader in MAb research, and
| |
|
Key People
| | • |
Ernesto Bertarelli -- CEO, Serono -- turned his family's drug firm into Europe's best capitalized biotech company.
| | • |
G. Steven Burrill -- CEO, Burrill & Co. -- heads life sciences-focused investment bank and research firm Burrill & Co., which has backed such biotechs as Orchid BioSciences, DoubleTwist, and Targacept.
| | • |
William Haseltine -- former chairman and CEO, Human Genome Sciences -- led the firm's transformation from a leading firm in product-oriented genetic identification research into a leading drug development firm, kicking off a trend among biotechnology's top research-for-profit companies. His departure in late 2004 was part of a trend of scientists handing over the reigns of their companies to more experienced business-focused leadership.
| | • |
George Rathmann -- Chairman, Nuvelo -- engineered Amgen, the world's largest biotech firm.
| | • |
J. Craig Venter - former president, Celera Genomics Group -- was at the forefront of the genome-mapping effort but is among the many scientists booted from the executive suite as biotechs transition from money-losing R&D-focused startups to profit-oriented viable businesses.
|
|
|
