As in other areas where DNA microarrays have been applied, this remarkable technology is now playing a major role in defining the field of toxicogenomics
Looking for faster and more accurate ways to assess potentially harmful compounds, toxicologists are exploiting microarrays as never before to look at gene expression patterns on a genomic scale in response to potentially toxic stimuli.
The thousands of data points generated from a single toxicogenomics study allow researchers to elucidate mechanisms of toxicity and map toxicity profiles of new compounds with a level of precision that was previously impossible.
This technology should enable drug companies to screen out losing compounds far earlier in the drug discovery/development process, bringing new pharmaceuticals to the market faster and cheaper than ever before.
To help life science suppliers capitalise on this burgeoning field, BioInformatics recently published 'The Market for Toxicogenomics Products and Services'.
Based on a detailed 38-question survey of over 300 scientists involved in toxicogenomics, the report provides a look at service providers, microarrays, databases and informatics products from the end-user's perspective.
DNA microarrays are essential to toxicogenomics research.
In fact, approximately two-thirds of the scientists who conduct toxicogenomics experiments utilise microarrays, with little variation between academic and industry segments.
"While most researchers report using one to ten microarrays per month, heavy users - primarily those in industry - account for 78% of total usage.
Over the next year, the use of microarrays for toxicogenomics is expected to grow approximately 33% among existing users," notes Robin Rothrock, director of market research at BioInformatics.
Report findings indicate that glass chips, glass slides, and membranes are the predominant microarray platforms used by toxicogenomicists.
68% of the scientists surveyed purchase microarrays from a commercial provider.
Affymetrix's GeneChip platform has a leading market position as it was the first mass-market high-density DNA microarray and is currently considered the industry standard. Toxicogenomicists also obtain microarrays through non-commercial sources such as collaborators and by printing them in-house, cited by 12% and 20% of the respondents, respectively. "Toxicogenomics will not be more widely adopted until suppliers decide who their customers are and how to meet their needs," says Rothrock.
Indeed, survey results indicate that scientists are not overwhelmingly satisfied with the microarrays they are currently using.
The attributes of DNA microarrays that are most important to customers are directly related to microarray quality, including detectable fold-change, reproducibility, specificity, and linear dynamic range.
"One can argue that improved microarray quality can lead to enhanced reproducibility thus increasing customer satisfaction.
Suppliers who can consistently produce high-quality arrays should be able to support satisfied and loyal customers as well as encourage platform lock-in", speculates Rothrock.
'The Market for Toxicogenomics Products and Services' provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing toxicogenomicists, which is integral to suppliers trying to employ strategies that successfully meet and exceed customer needs and expectations.
By understanding their experiences, preferences and expectations, life science suppliers can better position themselves to appeal to researchers' diverse needs.
A free executive summary of the report is available though the Bioinformatics website.
