When Sun Microsystems and IBM announced plans to target bioin-formatics as a key strategic market, they sent shivers through the small club of bioinformaticians. So far, no one company dominates the market, which consists of dozens of small biotechs with competing products and platforms. Would the arrival of the great whites mean the end of the guppies? The answer to that question has so far been a resounding no. Instead, the big computer companies might make it easier to work in bioinformatics, rather than dominating the market with deep pockets and massive sales forces. Bioinformatics started out as the domain of a few computer nerds within pharmaceutical companies and university campuses. Today, it is an industry that employs thousands and creates billions of dollars of revenue. Five years from now, according to the technology consultancy, International Data Corporation (IDC), it should be a $38 billion (US) industry. That kind of growth has attracted attention in these times of economic sluggishness. SmartMoney magazine recently listed bioinformatician as one of the five best jobs for recent graduates. Several universities are now offering bioinformatics degree programs.
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