Technology evolution for genomic revolution

The Human Genome Project has provided near-total sequence information about our genes and their surroundings. This monumental accomplishment has been accompanied by equally remarkable progress in biomedical research and computer science. Biologists and clinical investigators are now well positioned to perform global analysis of genetic polymorphisms-mutations, gene expression, protein identity and function (proteomics), and the 3- dimentional structure of proteins (structural genomics). The resulting information should accelerate the development of novel and targeted therapeutics that are tailored to individual genomic profiles (pharmacogenomics). The massive amount of data generated by genome-wide experiments requires the development of comprehensive genomic-proteomic databases and software that enable megadata access, transfer, and manipulation (bioinformatics). Advances in molecular biology techniques have allowed accurate and rapid characterization of DNA sequences as well as the identification and quantification of cellular RNA and protein. Global analytic methods and human genetic mapping are expected to accelerate the process of identification and localization of disease genes. In this review article in genomics, selected principles and methods in molecular biology are recapped, with the intent to prepare the reader for forthcoming articles with a more direct focus on aspects of the subject matter.