Why Biotech
We are experiencing an unparalleled boom in the already significant biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, particularly in the Boston area. The biotechnology industry, which predates by ~20 years the explosion in genetic information derived from the sequencing of the human genome, has produced numerous important drugs (Epogen, Avonex, human growth hormone, and clotting factor VIII, for example). However, our newly acquired ability to decipher novel genes and to identify new therapeutic proteins, or protein targets for drug intervention, has dramatically increased the pace of drug development. Thus, the discoveries made by bioinformaticists will continue to drive the demand for biotechnologists engaged in \"downstream\" research and development activities, including target validation in the laboratory, analysis of potential therapeutics for efficacy and toxicity, and process scale-up for drug production.