Has the Human Genome Project, then, led assay development into the area of theranostics and personalized medicine?
I think the Human Genome Project opened all of those doors. In my field, hemostasis, we are making some interesting discoveries related to gene therapy. Before any of this gene-mapping occurred, we were basically looking at getting a result. But the focus now is more on getting a result that leads to a solution. This has been triggered by the fact that we have more knowledge about the human body based on the contribution of the Human Genome Project. Trends in Assay Development What is the metabolomics you mentioned? Metabolomics is pretty similar to genomics in that you look for biomarkers, or in this case metabolites, and determine their role in terms of function-relative gene or organ function, or a particular disease state. What other trends are emerging in the area of assay development? Now we have the gene chip technology and the use of microarrays, which I think will also lead to new discoveries and new cures for disease. Everything is focused basically around molecular biology,
