Check this out caston...
LifeSciences ProjectsPersonally I'm trying to project 5-10 years out as I have a lot of science still to learn but here's my optimistic prediction:
1. Most of the proteome will be mapped as an enormous data set
2. Rudimentary first generation cell simulators will have evolved (literally) from the work being done today in molecular dynamics and protein folding and todays pathway and limited cell simulations.
3. Genetic algorithms and molecular docking algorithms for de novo drug design will merge into tools that allow systems bioengineers to model multi-compound designs that test multiple gene expression alterations simultaneously.
Fighting aging will largely mirror the fight on cancer. Tools that evolve for searching/testing/screening cancer treatments will lend themselves well to repairing the genetic network alterations and physiological damage that accumulates during the aging process. I suspect that most of our time will be focused on the search for molecules that trigger gene expression to up or down regulate.
The bioinformatics stuff that is floating around currently is interesting but I suspect something more impressive will likely evolve out of universities/open source community or be dropped on us from one of the 800 lb gorillas, e.g. IBM life sciences group, Novartis or even a consortium of many of those mentioned.