Biodata resources hold immense potential to drive economic growth by enabling the development of new products, technologies, and services. These repositories accelerate innovation, reduce development costs, and offer solutions to complex challenges. This synergy between biodata and industry promotes scientific advances while opening new avenues for economic expansion.
Atlas Antibodies is a company that grew from the Human Protein Atlas project. Leveraging data from this extensive resource, it now manufactures over 22,000 antibodies that are used for research and medical applications. In 2021, the company tripled its revenue and expanded significantly through strategic acquisitions across Europe.
Computational tools developed by the Oxford Protein Informatics Group (OPIG), such as SAbDab and SAbPred, have been widely adopted by pharmaceutical companies. These tools reduce costs and accelerate antibody therapeutic development, saving companies like GSK millions in research costs.
miRBase is a searchable database of microRNA sequences, managed by the University of Manchester. Companies like Exiqon use miRBase data to develop experimental kits and clinical tools, playing a critical role in drug discovery and product development. Exiqon alone has created 20 products based on miRBase data, contributing to its revenue growth and influence in the biotechnology market.
In the food and beverage industry, DSM used biodata resources such as UniProt to identify enzymes that remove haze in beer, leading to the development of Brewers Clarex, which was serendipitously found to remove gluten from beer. This enzyme, now widely used in gluten-free beer production, taps into a growing $2.5 billion gluten-free market that is expected to reach $4 billion by 2030.
These case studies demonstrate how biodata resources fuel innovation across industries while delivering substantial economic returns. The modest investment required to maintain these databases pales in comparison to the vast scientific and commercial benefits they generate, underlining the need for sustained funding to continue driving progress.