Gene Expression Profiling Drives Personalized Medicine Worldwide

Large amounts of data generated by gene expression profiling should increase implementation of information management tools, according to recent market research.

Gene expression profiling can bring substantial improvements to disease profiling and diagnoses based on genetic profile. Recent technology developments in this field are enabling personalized medicine, where physicians provide patients with customized treatment strategies to battle diseases. Instances of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neurologic disorders stand to benefit the most from these developments, because these conditions manifest differently in each patient.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (Mountain View, CA, USA), an international growth consultancy firm, revealed that gene expression profiling technology has established a presence in North America and most of Europe. Emerging markets, contrarily, include India, China, South Korea, and Australia.

“Physicians increasingly rely on gene expression profiling to get a thorough picture of the patient’s genetic profile prior to arriving at a diagnosis and recommending a course of treatment,” noted technical insights research analyst Madhumitha Rangesa. “With multiple disease diagnostic tests currently undergoing clinical trials and approval procedures, patients will soon have access to interpretable genetic profiles—a definite way to boost patient awareness and encourage preventative care.”

However, regulatory restrictions pose a big hurdle for providers and life science firms, chiefly due to the lack of standardization. The industry should concentrate on creating a standard platform for gene expression profiling scoring high on sensitivity, accuracy, and performance. In addition, the industry must invest in more clinical trials to enhance the credibility of gene expression profiling tests and produce standardized protocols to enable life-science companies to conduct clinical trials across developer platforms.

Having firm protocols in position will also support the development of data storage, management, and visualization platforms. These platforms will be necessary as the declining costs of next-generation sequencing (NGS) lead to a boom in raw genetic data production. Large investments are already taking place across the industry, with life science firms actively trying to enter the software field and software players looking to capture start-up genetic profiling companies. Cloud-based data applications for accessing genomic data will prove especially useful in related industries including pharmacogenomics and oncology diagnostics.

“Gene expression profiling will continue to grow rapidly over the next five years as consumer awareness grows,” stated Mr. Rangesa. “In fact, gene expression profiling will become a crucial aspect across pharmacogenomics, direct to consumer genetic testing and academic research.”

Technical Insights covers the key technologies used in gene expression profiling for drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, and academic research.

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