新視野大學英語視聽說教程第四冊 Unit 8 News Report Bioinformatics
It’s a complex name for a complex subject. Bioinformatics is the key to figuring out the wealth of information in the human genome project.
Researchers have nearly mapped out all of the 30,000 genes that make up human DNA, but making sense of useful data is not easy.
The company Double Twist is a pioneer in the business of bioinformatics.
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Double Twist works mainly with information that is also available to the public,sifting through data to find what may help link a biological problem like cancer, to its possible cure.
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The company then sells software and data to pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, and academic institutions, which use them in their work. This provides a solution to help people better understand data from the human genome project.
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Bioinformatics speeds up drug development and provides more accurate research.
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Human Genome Sciences takes the process one step further. It uses bioinformatics to develop drugs using its own genomic information.
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Right now, Human Genome Sciences has four new drugs being tested that are the results of genomic research. Bioinformatics systems developed within the company played an important role in discovering these drugs.
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Bioinformatics can also bring much quicker returns for investors.
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Even though its role is crucial, bioinformatics if only a small part of the overall $305 billion biotech sector, accounting for only about $2.23 billion.
But some investors believe that bioinformatics has great potential.
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So unless drug companies start developing their own bioinformatics systems or partner with companies that can provide them, they may get left behind in the race to discover new drugs.
