The still nascent in-silico modelling tools segment promises to provide valuable structural, screening, and validation information at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods
According to a report from Kalorama Information, the world market for drug discovery informatics products will top US$1 billion in the next three years.
Leading growth in the area is the still nascent in-silico modelling tools segment, which promises to provide valuable structural, screening, and validation information at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.
The new study, Informatics in Drug Discovery: the evolving information technology marketplace, found that the more established areas of bioinformatics and cheminformatics still represent the largest revenues over the next few years.
However, the very dynamic area of computer modeling will increasingly make its impact on drug discovery.
"Researchers are divided on the usefulness of in-silico approaches," notes Jack Gardner, the author of the study.
"Nay-sayers point to the spotty results of the current models, but proponents note that the tools can provide fast results which are extremely cost-effective especially for decision support in target validation and binding".
Regardless of the ongoing debate, improvements in computer power and modelling technology will be major drivers of the informatics marketplace.
According to the study, informatics promises to shorten the discovery process by at least 15%.
In addition to in-silico modelling, the study details the market for bioinformatics, cheminformatics, and hardware and systems, segmenting the market by application within each category.
The report provides market size and growth in each subsegment, forecasts revenues to 2008, and estimates market shares of the major competitors.
Profiles of more than 30 companies are included, as are responses to a survey of industry experts from the suppliers and users.
Priced at US$3000, Informatics in Drug Discovery can be purchased directly from Kalorama Information.
