Abstract
A New Paradigm Emerges for Scientific Discovery
With the advent of Human Genome Project (HGP), the work of molecular biology expanded beyond the field in a major way. Scientists and engineers in other disciplines began to apply their crafts to the technological challenges presented by the HGP.
Under the sponsorship of the HGP, laboratories around the world began to apply the latest advances in informatics, optical techniques, robotics, microfabrication technologies, and laboratory information management systems to the challenges of the mapping and sequencing.
Many of the early critics of the technology intensive “genome factory” approach have been silenced by the spectacular advances made by those organizations that effectively developed and deployed automated systems. Successes such as those experienced at Centre de Etude Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) in France and Human Genome Sciences (HGS) in the United States proved the value of large scale automated assaults on the human genome. These organizations have made significant advances in mapping and sequencing knowledge with heavy reliance on automation technologies and have validated the automation paradigm. In addition to dramatically increasing the pace of gene discovery and furthering genomic knowledge, significant economic value has also been generated by these organizations. Contracts totalling hundreds of millions of dollars have been signed guaranteeing access to their technology and databases in the highly competitive races for new drug discovery.
Drug discovery has become another technology-intensive area of research. Much has been written and said about the strategic importance of combinatorial chemistry and high throughput screening (HTS). Even with HTS, ten to one thousand drug screens per day is no longer a competitive business strategy for the future. Several companies are approaching the [output level of] 10,000 screens per day. In 3 to 4 years, capabilities will be available for ultra-HTS, or UHTS, on the order of 100,000 or more drug screens per day. Indeed, the technology path for UHTS has been mapped out. The value of HTS and UHTS technologies is now extending beyond the world of drug lead discovery to materials science where they are being demonstrated as effective in the discovery of new phosphors for flat screen displays, the production of new homogeneous catalysts, and superconducting materials.
Our cover and feature story for this issue is written by Aurora Biosciences. Aurora is one of the companies at the leading edge of UHTS technology and is demonstrating very convincingly the enormous potential that can be unlocked when good science is coupled with innovative technology.
The successes and demonstrated market value of these technology-intensive industries has given rise to a new model for scientific inquiry. Traditional science-driven or hypothesis-driven approaches to discovery is making room for technology- and informatics-driven approaches. Even the best scientists cannot keep pace in the laboratory with the enormous, untiring experimental firepower of these discovery engines. The predominant single investigator science focused model of research has now made room for the interdisciplinary technology-oriented team model. As one researcher describes it graphically: “You have to decide whether to be the butterfly collector or the windshield.”
Laboratory Automation News, the Association for Laboratory Automation and its successful LabAutomation'98 conference are important forums for the exchange of information about these important technologies. Stay tuned for a very exciting future and watch a fundamental change in the approach to science unfold.
Tony J. Beugelsdijk, Ph.D., M.B.A.