New Functional Proteomics Market Holds Potential for Huge Growth in Coming Years

June 2001, Redwood City, CA — Technical innovations that can dramatically reduce the time required to develop new therapeutics are driving the emergence of a new research field called functional proteomics, and companies engaging in this research could see huge growth in coming years, according to a new report from BioInsights of Redwood City, California. The functional proteomics market involves a group of emerging companies that are attempting to bypass traditional, time-consuming research techniques that rely on serendipity, while also avoiding the deluge of data from the first generation of high-throughput technologies.  These companies are attempting to accelerate the slow transitions from discovery to validation to screening by using the same platforms for target identification all the way through lead compound generation. If successful, their sales could increase from an aggregate estimated value of $40 million in 2000 to more than $550 million in 2006, according to biotech strategist BioInsights.

The key reason for projecting compound annual growth of 55% over the next five years is the level of technical innovation within functional proteomics companies. New protein-protein interaction platforms can be used to quickly map out protein pathways, as well as to screen for compounds that inhibit those interactions. New fractionation methods can be used to identify and analyze assemblies of proteins that participate in pathways, as well as provide functional screens to identify potential therapeutics. New expression technologies allow the cells themselves to do the work of identifying and validating key molecular mechanisms underlying specific disease phenotypes, as well as provide cell-based screens for potential small molecule inhibitors. This broad range of innovations greatly increases the likelihood that the overall market will be highly successful.

In addition to performing a total market analysis, BioInsights segmented the functional proteomics market based on technology. The technologies were categorized by virtue of their physiological setting: in vivo, for studies carried out in mammalian model systems; and ex vivo, for those studies carried out either in vitro or in a foreign system. These two categories have technological and market implications for the companies employing them.  In vivo companies are likely to provide better data relevance, but are unlikely to drive the market until after 2004 due to their youth.